Taking Care of a Septic System in Braselton, GA

02Inspect and pump on a schedule

The EPA says the average household system should be inspected at least every three years by a septic service professional, and that household tanks are typically pumped every three to five years. Systems with pumps, floats or other mechanical parts should generally be inspected once a year. The EPA also recommends keeping records of work performed on the system.

Those records help later. Jackson County's evaluation and failure forms ask for pump-out receipts and pumper notes, and buyers will ask for them. See the pumping guide.

03Use water efficiently

Every gallon that goes down a drain passes through the tank and into the drain field. The EPA lists efficient water use as one of the core habits of septic care, saying that the more water a household conserves, the less water enters the septic system, and that efficient use improves the system's operation and reduces the risk of malfunctions. It notes that indoor use in a typical single-family home can reach 70 gallons per person per day, and that a single leaky or running toilet can add as much as 200 gallons a day. Fixing running toilets is one of the cheapest ways to protect a drain field.

Water use matters for sewer customers too: Town of Braselton sewer bills are based on water use. For septic owners it protects the most expensive part of the system.

04Be careful what goes down the drain

The EPA lists proper disposal of waste as another core habit. Its rule of thumb is not to flush anything besides human waste and toilet paper; its never-flush list includes cooking grease or oil, non-flushable wipes, diapers, coffee grounds, cat litter, paper towels, pharmaceuticals and household chemicals. Georgia's Department of Public Health adds that septic additives, whether chemical or biological, are not beneficial and can be detrimental, and that some chemical additives are prohibited in Georgia.

Kitchen grease is a common problem in both septic and sewer systems. The Town of Braselton's ordinance requires grease interceptors for commercial food preparation; at home, collect cooking grease in a container and put it in the trash.

05Protect the drain field

The EPA lists maintaining the drain field as the fourth core habit. Do not park or drive on the drain field, plant trees far enough away that roots will not reach the lines, and keep roof drains, sump pumps and other runoff away from the field so it does not get flooded.

If you add a bedroom, a pool or an outbuilding, the county Environmental Health office may need to evaluate the system first, and any modification needs a permit. Georgia's rules require repairs, replacements and additions to be permitted and inspected; see the evaluation guide and the repair guide.

06A yearly routine

Once a year, walk the yard over the tank and drain field and look for wet spots, unusually green stripes or odors. Check that the lids are secure and that nothing heavy has been parked on the field. Look over your records and note when the tank was last inspected and pumped. Test your toilets for leaks. If your system has a pump or an alarm, make sure the alarm works and follow the maintenance schedule for that equipment, since the EPA says systems with mechanical parts should generally be inspected once a year.

07A short checklist

Confirm the county on your tax bill. Find the Environmental Health office for that county in the table on this page. Ask what kind of permit or evaluation your job needs and what documents the office requires. Ask whether a soil report is required and whether one is already on file. Get written quotes for the private work, including pumping, soil reports and repair labor. Make sure the contractor you hire is certified by the Georgia Department of Public Health, using the state's certification lists. Keep the permit, the inspection result and every receipt together. If anything is unclear, ask the office to confirm in writing by email. When the work is finished, file the paperwork where the next owner of the house will find it, since a buyer's inspector or lender may ask for it years from now.

08When care is not enough

Slow drains everywhere, gurgling, odors and wet ground over the field are signs the system needs attention. Read the failure guide and contact your county office, listed in the county guide. The Free Quote Request on this page sends your details to an independent septic provider who works around Braselton.