What not to flush or pour down the drain if you want more time between pump-outs

A septic tank is a slow-moving system built around bacteria and time. It handles human waste, toilet paper and ordinary household water well. It doesn't handle most of what else people send down the drain. Every household has habits that make the time between pump-outs shorter, and nearly all of them are easy to fix once you know about them.

In the kitchen

Grease is the first thing to keep out. Cooking oil, bacon fat and the film from a greasy pan are liquid when hot and solid when cold. They harden in the pipes and then float to the top of the tank, where they add to the scum layer. Wipe pans with a paper towel before washing, pour cooled grease into a can, and put the can in the trash.

Food scraps are the second. Coffee grounds, rice, pasta, eggshells and vegetable peelings don't break down quickly in a tank, and they add to the sludge layer. A garbage disposal sends all of that into the tank on purpose. Homes with a disposal often need to pump more often, because a disposal adds solids the tank would otherwise never see. Scrape plates into the trash or a compost bin instead.

In the bathroom

Toilet paper is designed to break apart in water. Almost nothing else is. Wipes labeled flushable usually don't break down the way paper does, and they tangle with each other, with roots and with pumps. Cotton swabs, cotton balls, dental floss, hair, feminine products, diapers and paper towels all belong in the trash. Medications don't belong in the toilet either, since they can harm the bacteria in the tank. Ask a pharmacy about take-back options.

In the laundry room

Laundry is mostly about volume. A washing machine can send a large amount of water into the tank in a short time, and the tank needs time to let solids settle before that water moves on. Five loads in a single morning pushes water out of the tank before it has had that time. Spread the laundry across the week. Lint from synthetic fabrics doesn't break down either, so a lint filter on the washer discharge helps if your machine has one.

Cleaners, bleach and chemicals

The bacteria in the tank are the workforce. Heavy, repeated doses of bleach, drain openers, disinfectant and antibacterial products can kill them off. Normal household cleaning in normal amounts is fine, but a bottle of bleach in the toilet every week is not. Paint, solvents, motor oil, pesticides and photo chemicals should never go into a drain. They can pass through a tank untreated and reach the soil.

• Cooking oil, bacon fat and greasy pan residue.
• Wipes of any kind, including the ones labeled flushable.
• Cotton swabs, cotton balls, dental floss and hair.
• Feminine products, diapers and paper towels.
• Coffee grounds, eggshells, rice, pasta and vegetable peelings.
• Cat litter, including the kind that says it's flushable.
• Medications and anything that came from the medicine cabinet.
• Paint, solvents, motor oil, pesticides and strong chemicals.
• Repeated heavy doses of bleach or drain opener.

Water habits matter as much as waste

A tank can handle waste well and still fill too fast if it's receiving too much water. A leaking toilet that runs all day sends hundreds of gallons into the tank without anyone noticing. A dripping faucet does the same, more slowly. Fix leaks quickly. Choose efficient fixtures when you replace old ones. Keep the water from the roof, driveway and air conditioner away from the tank and the field.

A note for aerobic systems

An aerobic system relies on living bacteria even more than a conventional tank does. The aeration chamber is a working environment, and harsh chemicals and a steady dose of bleach can hurt it quickly. Follow the same rules, keep disinfectants and strong cleaners to a minimum, and watch the control panel for the alarm. For anything specific to your make of system, check with your county or the system's maintenance provider.

Small habits, longer gaps

None of this means living carefully around the toilet. It means a trash can in the bathroom, a can for grease in the kitchen, and laundry spread across the week. Those three changes cover most of what shortens the time between pump-outs. A tank that receives only waste, paper and a reasonable amount of water builds its sludge layer more slowly and keeps the drain field working longer.

If you aren't sure what has been going into your tank, or you've just bought a house and want to know where things stand, call Jones Septic Tank Cleaning at (281) 351-5702, any day from 7am to 7pm. They serve Tomball and north Houston, and estimates are free.