It is generally recommended that you pump your septic tank every 3 to 5 years. It is a good idea to have your tank inspected at the same time. This ensures that it is working properly and saves costly repairs.

Your household wastewater flows out through pipes to an underground septic tank near your house. Here, solids settle and separate from the liquid. Light solids (e.g. fats, soap suds, etc) float to the top and form a scum, and heavy solids sink to the bottom, decompose and form a sludge – until it can be pumped out.

Eventually, the liquid waste flows through a series of baffles to where it is slowly released into the tile (or leaching) bed. A leaching bed is made up of porous materials, such as sand and gravel and acts as a filter. From here the water seeps back into the ground, being purified by the natural soil before returning to ground water levels.

Be careful about what goes down the drain into your septic system. Take all household hazardous wastes to your municipal hazardous waste facility. Do not pour paint, grease, pesticides, solvents, nail polish remover, antifreeze or similar substances into your toilets or drains. They can prevent your septic system from working properly and could also cause contamination of your drinking water supply.

Avoid using bleach and caustic cleaners which kill beneficial bacteria in your tank.

Look for liquid detergents that don’t contain phosphates which can harm local water quality.

Note: using septic tank additives does not eliminate the need for periodic pumping and some can be harmful to your system.

Keep vehicles and livestock off your leaching bed and septic tank. Excessive weight can damage the pipes.

Keep gutters and sump pumps from draining into your leaching bed.

To find out more about your septic system and for useful links, please visit these websites:

Ministry of the Environment

Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing

Ontario Rural Wastewater Centre

Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association

Ontario Association of Sewage Industry Services

Conservation Ontario

Ottawa Septic System Office

South Nation Conservation

Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit

Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association

Ontario Association of Sewage Industry Services

It’s not a great idea because the septic system works through evaporation as much as it does absorption. So sunlight and air are both required as well as a trampoline can add stress if over top of the distribution piping.

This includes pools, blow up pools, play structures, trampolines, decks etc.