Septic Tank Maintenance: Three Essential Tips for Personal Safety

Proper maintenance and regular inspection of your septic tank is critical for the idea performance and prolonged service of the system. Therefore, you must be diligent in performing tasks such as cleaning blocked drainpipes, checking the drain field and pumping out solids. Under ideal circumstances, all maintenance and inspection work should be carried by an experienced professional. The septic tank is a hazardous structure, and lack of experience can lead to serious injury or harm. If you are interested in performing some of the pertinent tasks yourself, you should consider these crucial safety tips to prevent personal injury.

Avoid the Septic Gases

You should avoid breathing in the gases produced by the septic tank during your maintenance process. In general, when the waste from your household enters the tank, the material is broken down by bacteria. This breakdown ensures that the solid waste is mineralised and less harmful. Unfortunately, this digestion of the waste produces by-product gases. If you breathe in these harmful gases, the consequences could be dire. For instance, the gas could cause dizziness, and you might fall into the waste receptacle. Therefore, you should never lean over the tank. In addition, you should wear appropriate respiratory protective equipment. You should note that some of the gases produced such as methane are flammable. So, you should avoid having open flames close to the tank.

Limit Contact With Waste

You should minimise or avoid contact with the waste in your septic tank. Typically, the material in the container includes blackwater from the toilets. Therefore, there are numerous microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria which might be hazardous to your health. In addition, you should remember that the septic treatment system is designed to rely on bacteria for digestion of waste. Prolonged exposure could mean the development of a serious illness. If you have some open cuts, you should avoid working on the system or at least, cover them completely. After performing septic system maintenance, you should wash up thoroughly to remove residue waste.

Seal Off the Area After Servicing

Finally, you should make sure that the septic tank area is correctly sealed off to prevent the entry. The access port for the container should be covered with a resilient lead, and this lid should not be operable by children. This measure is critical in case your young ones wander off. It is also advisable to have an established, marked-out perimeter around the container and drain field. This will prevent people and machinery from applying compression force on the septic components.

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