septic problems

My kitchen sink and bathroom sink drain very slowly to the septic tank. There is no issue with the toilet or the shower drain. The septic tank has been checked and the baffles are clear. Any thoughts on what might be causing this slow drainage? Could the problem be because of a venting issue?—Slowly Going Crazy

It could be, yes. Assuming that each fixture is vented separately, the vents from the kitchen and bathroom sinks may have been installed improperly—pipes that are too small, have too little or too much slope, or are located too far from the traps. Or maybe the plumber didn’t install vents at all. “We have a joke about plumbing in cottages,” says Matt Girard, the owner of M&J Plumbing in Peterborough, Ont. “It follows ‘cottage-country rules.’ Sometimes the hardware store is a little far away,” he says. “You gotta MacGyver it.”

Signs and symptoms of septic failure

According to Max Burns, the author of Country & Cottage Water Systems, another possibility is that an individual vent stack is blocked by, for example, a bird’s nest. (Look on your roof.)

If the sinks aren’t vented or are vented incorrectly, they’ll need a plumbing rejig to fix the draining problem. That’s a job best left to an expert.

But, wait—lack of venting may not be the cause of your slow drains, says Burns. He suspects that the traps under the individual sinks are clogged. (Traps, with their U-shapes, are common spots for blockages.) Newer plastic traps have a clean-out plug at the bottom, but older metal ones may not. To loosen and dislodge the gunk, you’ll need something like a long bottle brush, says Burns. Stay away from chemical de-cloggers. “I would not put drain cleaner in any system that’s on a septic,” says Burns. “It kills all the good bacteria.”

You’ve already got plumbing problems. No need to create new ones!

I was washing my hands at the cottage this morning using antibacterial hand soap after returning from a trip to town. While silently singing “Happy Birthday” to myself two times, I was also looking at a little poster prepared by the Redstone Lake Cottagers Association about the dos and don’ts relative to the septic system. Antibacterial soaps and other compounds are on the septic Don’t list, but such soap is now de rigueur in today’s COVID-19 environment. Is there any amount of antibacterial soap that a septic can tolerate, or should we sing “Happy Birthday” three times with good old bar soap?—Kevin Lengyell, Little Redstone Lake, Ont.

Well, there’s good news and there’s…actually, there is no bad news. It’s all good news! You can safely wash your hands with any kind of soap. Studies haven’t found added health benefits from soaps containing antibacterial ingredients when compared to plain soap, says the CDC. Both are equally effective. More important is washing your hands thoroughly and correctly for at least 20 seconds. (But no need to sing Happy B-day a third time. Unless you just really like the song.)

5 mistakes you could be making with your cottage septic

“It’s also worth noting that while manufacturers happily add an ‘antibacterial’ label to things, the reality is that pretty much any soap has some antibacterial properties,” says David Evans, a professor in the department of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Alberta. “But if you’re worried about the soap’s impact on the septic system, switch to something without the label. You’ll still be fine. And you’ll probably save some money.”

You’re correct that antibacterial products aren’t great for a septic tank; they can kill the “good” bacteria in there.

“How much negative impact it can have is hard to determine,” says Bill Goodale, the sewage system inspector for the Township of Tiny, Ont. “There are a lot of different variables from one cottage to another.” But if you switch to regular soap, “and you’re doing everything else right with the system, then the bacterial action should return to normal levels.”

See? Good news!

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

This article was originally published in the August/September 2021 issue of Cottage Life magazine.