Moving from the city to rural property requires that you learn how to care for your new water well and septic systems that your city property did not have. The good news is that septic tank systems are very effective at processing your household waste water and human waste products when you are careful about what you put down into the septic tank and have it professionally serviced regularly.

Using these tips, you can keep your new rural home's septic system healthy and problem-free for many years to come:

Check Your Toilet Paper Brand for True Septic-Safety

Unfortunately, just because your usual brand of toilet paper claims to be septic-safe, it may not be the best option to use in your hew home's bathrooms. Your septic system will clog less when the toilet paper you choose dissolves from the water in and the flushing power of your toilets.

To verify that your toilet paper adequately dissolves, place a couple of squares of it into a jar with some cold water. Vigorously shake the jar and look to see if the paper broke-up into its fibers or if it formed lumps. If the toilet paper formed lumps of cellulose fibers instead of easily breaking apart, then you should choose an alternate brand.

Have an Optional Outlet Filter Installed on Your Septic Tank

Leading away from your septic tank are leach lines. The leach lines flow out to a leach field where all of the water from your septic system is deposited to reabsorb into the earth. The leach lines and leach field can be damaged by hair, grease, and solids that flow out of the tank when it becomes overfilled with water from doing too much laundry or taking too many showers. To prevent this type of damage, your plumbing contractor can install an inexpensive septic tank outlet filter to catch these materials before they can flow down the leach lines and reach the leach field.

Professionally Pump and Clean the Septic Tank Regularly

Finally, your new rural property's septic system will need regularly scheduled pumping to remove materials that have not been completely digested by the tank's bio-digesting bacteria. When your septic tank is pumped, have the inside surfaces of the tank scrubbed clean. Insist that your plumbing contractor conduct the cleaning through the upper manhole access to the tank, rather than the smaller inlet or outlet areas for better access and a more thorough cleaning job. This extra cleaning effort will make your rural home's septic system last longer than if it is not regularly pumped and cleaned by a septic service.