Septic Tank Maintenance

Published: August 30, 2023

The HOA board has recently been receiving several complaints regarding smelly septic systems as reported by neighbors. This issue was also brought up at the last HOA meeting.

It's important to note that Denton County requires our septic systems to be tested and inspected every 4 months. Riverside paid for and provided this test and inspection for the first 2 years (at least they did for phase 1 & 2 that we know of). After the initial Riverside inspection & test contract expires, the homeowner is required to either contract with a new company to continue this inspection & test OR get licensed by the county to perform this inspection & test yourself. Either way it has to be performed and documented with the county every 4 months.

However, inspection & testing every 4 months doesn't keep your septic system from producing bad orders!!

Here are some guidelines that may be helpful in maintaining your septic system all year long, so it doesn't smell...

1) Place 4-5 Chlorine tablets (specific for septic systems) in the tube located on the last septic tank. Check this monthly and add tablets as necessary so the tube always has tablets. These tablets can be purchased at Home Depot, Lowes and on Amazon as well as many other places. This will not only help with odor, but also disinfect the water being discharged from the Septic Sprinklers.

2) Adding Beneficial Bacteria/Enzymes packets directly into the septic system. These bacteria/enzymes packets have multiple benefits for the septic system...
- They break down the solids in the tank...waste, paper, oil & grease.
- They prevent the septic system from backing-up and clogging.
- They will reduce the frequency of pumping the system out.
- They also help prevent odor as well.

You simply drop a packet into the toilet and flush it down once a month. A 12-month supply of these bacteria/enzymes packets can be found on Amazon above.

It's also important to open and clean the septic sprinklers regularly so the water flows without restriction.

This is not intended to be comprehensive instructions for Septic System maintenance, but rather a way to inform the neighborhood of the odor problem and some simple ways to resolve it.

Midway Ridge HOA