Is Bleach Harmful To Loudoun County Va Septic Systems?

When was the last time you had your home septic system serviced or your tank pumped out? If you don’t know, or can’t recall the date, then chances are that it’s past time to have it done. We recommend having both of those things done every three- to five-years in order to keep your system operating near peak efficiency.

Having routine maintenance like this done at regular intervals is important because it gives us the opportunity to visually inspect your system and catch problems while they’re still developing. Early on, problems are almost always easier and cheaper to fix than later on and you don’t want a big septic problem. All too often, those end up with raw sewage backing up into your home.

If you’ve never experienced that particular issue, count your blessings. If you have, then you know what a nightmare it can be.

The good news is that there’s an easy fix for that. One call to our office and your problems are well on their way to being solved. As the #1 septic service company in the area, there’s not much our talented team hasn’t seen, so even if it’s been a while since your system had any TLC, we’ve got you covered.

We generally talk to our customers while we’re doing our work, and invariably, septic tank questions come up. One of the more common ones we get is ‘is bleach harmful to Loudoun county VA septic systems?’

It’s easy to see where the concern about bleach comes from. After all, bleach kills bacteria, and your septic tank needs bacteria in order to do its job. Even worse, many home cleaning products are bleach-based, which seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

There’s good news on that front though. It turns out that the answer to the question ‘is bleach harmful to Loudoun county VA septic systems?’ is, in the vast majority of cases, no.

Sure, if you went to the store and poured a couple of gallons of bleach straight down the drain, you’d seriously damage your system, so don’t do that. If all you’re doing though, is using bleach-based cleaners, you’re not going to introduce enough bleach to the system to do any harm.

The question ‘is bleach harmful to Loudoun county VA septic systems?’ is by no means a bad one, but it does carry one potential risk. Spending too much time worrying about bleach might divert your attention away from other issues that can cause much more damage to your home septic system, much more quickly and easily. Here are a few of the bigger dangers to be aware of:

• Excess Water – Since your septic tank is intricately connected to your home’s plumbing system, you might be wondering how on earth water could be a bad thing. The reality is that too much of just about any good thing can turn it bad, and water is no exception. When too much water enters your drain field all at once, the soil in the field will become supersaturated. When the soil reaches the point that it can’t absorb any more water, it can’t process waste, which is bad news for you and your family. There are lots of different ways that excess water can find its way into your drain field, but the two biggest ones are these: First, the downspouts connected to the gutters on your house. This one’s easy to fix. Just make sure they’re angled away from the drain field and they shouldn’t pose a problem.
• The second big contributor comes from inside your home and takes the form of dripping faucets and toilets that run constantly. If you see either of those things, fix them as soon as you’re able. If you can’t fix it yourself, call your plumber right away.
• Chemical Drain Cleaners – While the answer to the question ‘is bleach harmful to Loudoun county VA septic systems?’ is not generally, no, just a tiny amount of chemical drain cleaner can do devastating damage to the bacteria inside your tank. People with septic systems should avoid chemical drain cleaners like the plague.
• Grease – It’s no secret that pouring grease down the drain is a bad idea, but it happens a lot more often than most people care to admit. Doing so creates two problems. First, some of the grease will leech out of your tank and into the drain field. Once there, it will float to the surface and harden, creating a problem we call grease capping. Grease capping prevents oxygen from getting to the soil, interfering with the waste processing function of the drain field.
  Some of the grease will remain in the tank, where it will progressively clog your system until you have it pumped out. Neither are good things.

As we said before, it’s not that there’s anything inherently wrong with the question ‘is bleach harmful to Loudoun county VA septic systems?’ Just be aware that focusing too much or too intently on an issue that’s relatively minor under normal circumstances could distract you to the point of missing something that could cause major damage.

That, of course, brings us back to the topic of maintenance. If it’s been a while since your home septic system has had any, one phone call is all it takes to get the ball rolling. Call to schedule your appointment today. We’ll take care of you.