If your property relies on a septic system, make sure your tenants have a plunger on hand in case of a back-up. Keep a drain snake in the unit. A drain snake or a toilet auger is an important tool to have in a property that has a septic tank. This tool helps break up any blockages in the pipes that a plunger would be ineffective against.
Across the U.S., about 25% of people use septic tanks, says Sara Heger, a researcher at the Onsite Sewage Treatment Program in the Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota. The Flooding your septic system with grey water (water from the washing machine, dishwasher, bathtubs, and showers) will interfere with the bacterial composition in your septic tank. It can also saturate your drain field to the point of exhaustion. Additives, like Rid-X, may seem like a good idea, but beware! Sometimes the blockage is in the house plumbing, however, when the drain blockage is found between your house and your septic system, running the snake toward the tank brings a risk of damaging the inside of the tank. Can I use a snake on a septic tank? Snakes cannot live in a septic tank. Even if they get in, they wonโt survive for long.