With all the misinformation going around, it’s difficult to know which what is true and not. If your Central Florida home has a septic system, it is important to know the facts about taking care of it. 

If not, it can end up costing you big bucks, a lot of frustration, and a very messy situation! The Family Handyman reveals the top 5 myths about septic systems:

Septic Myth #1: Pump-Outs Are Unnecessary

The truth is, having a a septic tank pumped every two or three years is the best and most economical way to keep your system working.

The no-pump myth comes from companies selling septic additives. The claim is that adding secret microbes and enzymes to the system can foster complete sewage digestion, eliminating the need to have the tank pumped every few years.

It’s an attractive idea, but risky and based mostly on hope. How do you know indigestible sludge isn’t building up to dangerous levels in your tank as you opt for no pump-outs, year after year?

And besides, is there really an additive that can cause the complete digestion of hair, lint, fingernail clippings, fat and all the other indigestible materials that build up on the floor of a septic tank

Septic Myth #2: It Doesn’t Matter What You Put Down the Drain

It actually matters a great deal what you put into a septic system.

While it’s true that septics can be quite reliable and easygoing, putting poisons such as drain cleaner, disinfectants and solvents down your drain will diminish or eliminate the microbes that digest sewage, increasing the risk of system failure.

Even just one cup of household bleach, for example, can kill all beneficial microbes in a 1,000-gal. septic tank for a time. These microbes will eventually re-establish themselves, but not until some sewage goes undigested.

Another big no-no? Coffee grounds. They don’t readily digest and can get into your leaching bed, where they can contribute to system failure.

There are just two things that can safely be put into a septic system: wastewater and sewage.

Be sure to check back with us next week for some more septic system myths. Until then, contact Orlando Septic Services for more information.