Septic Tanks - Good Idea, Bad Idea

19 November 2020

Here we present a list of dos and don'ts for your septic tank.

   Good Idea    Bad Idea

Good Idea 

Have your septic tank emptied each year by a qualified Desludger.

Bad Idea 

Leaving your septic tank unemptied for more than a year, which can eventually lead to system failure.

Good Idea 

Consider the loading of a modern family into a Victorian septic tank when they used much less water and chemicals.

Bad Idea 

Overloading your septic tank and allowing the soakaway to fail.

Good Idea 

Ensuring your stench or stack pipe is above the edge of the roof so it can draw as a chimney.

Bad Idea 

Letting bad smells come into your property by not fitting the stench pipe or stake pipe properly.

Good Idea 

Collecting waste cooking oil and fats and dispose of it with your food waste recycling service, or pour cooled oil in a sealed plastic container and put it in the general waste bin. More information here.

Bad Idea 

Allowing cooking oil to build up and clog the pipes.

Good Idea 

Consider the amount of bleach or other chemicals used.

Bad Idea 

Pour an insane amount of bleach into the septic tank which will kill the bacteria that you need in there.

Good Idea 

Do a test to see if rain water is getting into the septic tank.

Bad Idea 

Let roof, yard or surface water enter the foul system.

Good Idea 

Follow the General Binding Rules to ensure your sytem is legal.

Bad Idea 

Let untreated water from the septic tank enter a ditch, land drain, council drain, or road drain. Even if you have had permission previously check with EA or Allerton!

Good Idea 

Make sure the septic tank cover is not corroded (and is safe to walk on) and properly replace any corroded or cracked septic tank covers.

Bad Idea 

Leaving a corroded septic tank cover alone or replacing it with insufficient materials (such as wood or newspapers) and allowing someone to fall through the hole.