Have you noticed that your septic tank is filling up faster than it once did? If so, you may be surprised to learn that some of your personal habits may actually be to blame for how frequently your septic tank requires pumping. The good news is that you can help to reduce this frequency by making just a few small changes. Continue reading to learn more about three personal habits that could be impacting your need for septic pumping.

#1: The Use Of Antibacterial Products

For many people, it can be difficult to think of using antibacterial products as a problem. After all, these products are designed to help eliminate bacteria and other germs from your home and body. Unfortunately, while these products may work wonders inside your home, they can also wreak havoc inside your septic tank. This is because your septic tank relies on bacteria in order to break down solid waste and sludge. When you wash antibacterial soaps and cleaners down the drain, these products can kill the bacteria that are present inside your septic tank. This will result in solid waste building up faster and your tank needing to be pumped more often. The use of bacterial additives in your septic tank can help to correct this issue. 

#2: Flushing Inorganic Waste

Another common mistake that people make is flushing inorganic waste down their toilets. This includes things such as baby wipes and feminine hygiene products. Even with proper levels of bacteria inside your septic tank, this type of waste cannot be broken down. Consequently, it will remain inside your septic tank until the tank is pumped. If you are flushing these items on a regular basis, you could end up filing your septic tank in a rather short period of time. In order to avoid this issue, it is important that you only flush organic waste and products that have been certified as septic safe. 

#3: Using A Garbage Disposal

Many people simply assume that there is no issue with using a arbage disposal since the food scraps being washed away are biodegradable. However, even food scraps can take a considerable amount of time to break down inside a septic tank. The use of a garbage disposal greatly increases the amount of solid waste your septic tank needs to process and will inevitably increase the frequency with which your tank needs to be pumped. If you are looking for an alternative to throwing your food scraps in the trash, you may want to ditch your garbage disposal and opt for creating a compost pile instead.