Your Septic Pumping
Questions Answered

It is recommended to avoid any toilet paper that is very thick or toilet paper that is coated in lotion.  Lotion will repel water from the paper and it will not break it down. This type of toilet paper can create clogs, causing your septic to back up. 

NO! Wet wipes of any kind will never break down in your lifetime. Wet wipes are very detrimental to your septic system, because it will enter your drain field and cause your drain field to clog and eventually fail. Drain fields can be very costly to fix.  

Putting personal products of any kind, including prophylactics, are very detrimental to your septic system, because it will enter your drain field and cause your drain field to clog and eventually fail.   Drain fields can be very costly to fix. 

Bacteria breaks down solids in your tank and creates heat to help from freezing up in the winter. Bacteria breaks down the solids and forms the three essential layers in your tank, the sludge on the bottom, gray water in the middle, and a crust layer on top. Bacteria also helps seal the crust to eliminate septic odor.

These types of products will kill the bacteria in your tank. Bacteria is needed to settle the sludge out so it will not enter the drain field.   If your drain field gets plugged, it will cause your septic to back up.  It is also important to note that chemotherapy drugs and certain medications can also kill the bacteria in your tank. Bacteria can be added to the tank to maintain a healthy level of bacteria. It is recommended to use Brewer's Yeast.

The best product to use is Brewer's Yeast.  Most times you can get Brewer's Yeast right from the local feed mills. In most cases, you can get a 3 to 5 pound scoop and dump it directly into the tank.   If it is a cabin or seasonal place that is rarely used, we recommend adding it to the tank the first and last time you cut the lawn for the season. Over-the-counter products that require you to use it monthly are very costly and work okay, but Brewer's Yeast is very cheap and works great!  You'll only need to add it once, or twice if the property is only used minimally.    

The filter is designed to prevent anything 1/8th inch or bigger from being introduced into the drain field. It needs to be cleaned to keep your septic system flowing properly. Clogged filters will cause your septic to back up.

Dirt that is packed hard like a driveway has no aeration in it, which pushes frost roughly five feet down causing your pipes and drain field to freeze up in the winter.  You may also damage your system just by the weight of the vehicles alone.  

Trees should be kept at least 20 feet from the drain field. Tree roots that grow into the drain field will form a mat and seal and plug the field. Tree roots gravitate toward moisture, and they can find their way into even hairline cracks in your septic system. 

The State of Wisconsin has passed a law that your tanks need to be maintained every three years.