Will Bleach Hurt My Gainesville VA Septic System?
We’ve been in the business a long time in the Gainesville area. Since 1977, in fact, and over the years, we’ve fielded a lot of questions from our customers. One of the more common ones we get is: “will bleach hurt my Gainesville VA septic system?”
It’s not hard to see why. People use bleach, either straight out of the bottle or diluted with water, or bleach-based cleaners to scrub stubborn spots and discolorations away, and of course, all that bleach goes down the drain and ultimately winds up in your home septic system.
Fortunately, there’s good news. The short answer to the question “will bleach hurt my Gainesville VA septic system?” is no. At least not in the quantities that get introduced by simply cleaning up around the house.
On the other hand, yes, if you pour a gallon or two of bleach straight down the drain, that would introduce a sufficient quantity into the system that it would damage its functionality, but who would do that anyway?
As long as you take sensible precautions then, and don’t overdo it, you’ll be fine.
In light of the relatively minor risks posed, “will bleach hurt my Gainesville VA septic system?” is probably the wrong question to ask because it gets you focused on the wrong things. There are other hazards that are much more detrimental to your system to be concerned about. Consider:
Excess water: Too much water can overload the system and make it function inefficiently, or not function at all. Whenever possible, divert as much water as you can away from your drain field. Make sure the downspouts connected to your rain gutters are angled away from it, and you’ll go a long way toward increasing the efficiency of your system.
Chemical Drain Cleaners: While it takes a lot of bleach to do damage, depending on the drain cleaner used, as little as a teaspoon to seriously damage the bacteria colony inside your tank that does the heavy lifting where waste processing is concerned.
Grease or Cooking Oil: Even a little of this can cause tremendous harm. It can clog lines and lead to a phenomenon known as “grease capping,” neither of which are good things.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to all these problems, and more, and the solution can be summed up in a single word: Maintenance.
Ideally, you should have your tank pumped every 3-5 years, and a properly maintained system will add years to its useful life. That’s a big win for you, and we can help. Our technicians are among the most skilled in the region, and we have legions of satisfied customers to prove it. Whatever your septic system needs are, one call to us, and your problem is well on its way to being solved!