Why do septic systems fail? Solutions to these problems. Cause - Septic tanks seldom fail. The soil or drain field fails when it becomes plugged and the effluent can no longer migrate through the soil. The drain field essentially becomes a dead pool of water. In most cases these failures occur when it becomes plugged with solids that were supposed to remain in the tank. These failures are usually a combination of factors and can be avoided, and in some cases, damage can even be reversed. Solution - Failure can be avoided by learning how a septic system functions, how to properly use it, and what steps you can take to protect it. The basics of protecting a system are really quite simple once you realize that they work on a bacterial process. (Good bacteria eating bad bacteria) A bacterium does not eat plastic like polyester and nylon. Also many harsh cleaning solutions will kill off the good bacteria. A septic system can only handle a certain amount of water per day. If more water is put down the drain than the septic system can handle then the system can get overloaded. Cause - The homeowner puts more water down the drain than the system can handle, hydraulically overloading the system. Solution - Install water-saving appliances, devices and practise water saving techniques. Repair plumbing leaks. Leaking toilet valves are a major culprit of hydraulic overload, and put hundreds of gallons of water through the system every day. Cause - Fine solids from washing machines (lint) and garbage disposals do not have the mass to settle in the tank. Instead they remain in suspension until reaching the drain field where they plug the pores of the soil bed. Solution - Install a filter for the washing machine to remove the fine solids from the discharge and do not use, or at least minimize, the use of garbage disposals. Cause - Chemicals are over used, which kill the bacteria in the system stopping the treatment process and the breakdown of solids. Solution - Conserve chemical usage. Automatic toilet bowl cleaners can be very hard on a system because they kill the bad bacteria in the toilet and the killing process continues through the system. Cause - Periods of heavy water use do not allow solids to settle in the tank and are flushed out to the drain field. Solution - Water usage should be spread out. Do one or two loads of laundry per day rather than 10 –15 loads on a Saturday morning. Combine this with shower use and dishwasher use and the amount of gallons entering the septic system is astounding. Cause - Baffles in the tank are not of the proper size or fall off allowing solids to float out to the drain field. Solution - Exit baffle should be replaced with effluent filters. These cleanable filters prevent the larger solids from reaching the drain field.