I know how it goes. You’re in the bathroom, you’re in a rush, or maybe you’re cleaning the kitchen and you just want the mess gone. The toilet (or the sink) looks like a magic portal. You throw something in, you push the shiny silver handle, water swirls, and poof—the problem disappears into the void.
Except, it doesn’t.
If you are one of the millions of people living on a septic system (especially here in Northern New Jersey where we have specific soil issues), there is no “void.” There is just a concrete box buried in your backyard that is desperately trying to keep up with your lifestyle.
I’ve spent enough time around the trucks at Black Diamond Septic Pumping to see the horrors that come out of people’s tanks. I’m talking about things that would make a horror movie director flinch.
The biggest issue? Misinformation. Marketing teams put the word “Flushable” on a package, and you believe them. Why wouldn’t you? But let me tell you right now: The box is lying to you.
If you want to save yourself a $30,000 yard excavation bill, you need to re-learn how to use your plumbing. Here is the ultimate, definitive, “please-reblog-this-to-save-a-life” list of things you need to stop flushing immediately.
1. The “Flushable” Wipe (Public Enemy #1)
Let’s start with the biggest villain in the septic universe.
The Myth: “It says flushable right on the package! It’s basically wet toilet paper!”
The Reality: No. It is not. Toilet paper is designed to disintegrate. If you put a square of TP in a jar of water and shake it, it turns into a cloud of snow within seconds.
“Flushable” wipes are made with synthetic fibers, plastics, and binding agents designed to hold together while you scrub. They do not break down in water. They don’t break down in 24 hours. They don’t break down in 24 days.
What Happens Inside: When these wipes hit your septic tank, they float. They don’t sink to the sludge layer where bacteria can try to eat them. They float in the “scum” layer. Eventually, they weave together. We call this “ragging.” They form massive, rope-like mats that look like grey dreadlocks.
These mats wrap around your inlet baffles (blocking flow from the house) and clog your outlet baffles (stopping water from leaving). We have opened tanks and found a solid, 6-inch thick blanket of wipes that had to be manually raked out. It’s gross, it’s expensive to fix, and it ruins the biological balance of your tank.
The Rule: If it’s a wipe, it goes in the trash. Period.
2. Cat Litter (Even the “Biodegradable” Kind)
The Myth: “It’s just clay and poop! It’s natural!”
The Reality: Cat litter is clay. Specifically, bentonite clay. What happens to clay when it gets wet and then dries out? It turns into cement.
When you flush kitty litter, you are essentially pouring wet concrete into your plumbing. It settles at the bottom of your pipes or your tank and hardens. It does not decompose. The bacteria in your tank look at that clay and give up. They can’t eat rocks.
Furthermore, cat waste carries a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Septic systems are not designed to filter out this specific parasite. If it gets into your effluent and flows out to your drain field, it can contaminate the groundwater—the same groundwater that might be feeding your (or your neighbor’s) well.
The Rule: Bag it and bin it. Your plumbing is not a litter box.
3. Grease, Oil, and Fat (The Silent Killer)
The Myth: “I run the hot water while I pour it, so it stays liquid.”
The Reality: This is the most common lie we tell ourselves. Sure, the bacon grease is liquid when it leaves the pan at 200 degrees. It might even stay liquid for ten feet down your pipe.
But your septic tank is underground. It is cold (especially in a New Jersey winter). As soon as that grease hits the cold water in the tank, it undergoes a phase change. It solidifies instantly.
Grease creates a thick, waxy crust at the top of the tank (the scum layer). If this layer gets too thick, the tank runs out of room. The grease gets pushed out through the outlet pipe and into your drain field (the soil).
Once grease hits the soil, it seals the earth. It creates a waterproof barrier in the dirt. Water can no longer soak into the ground. Instead, it bubbles up to the surface, creating a smelly swamp in your yard. You cannot fix a grease-clogged drain field. You have to dig it up and replace it.
The Rule: Keep a “grease jar” under the sink. Fill it up, freeze it, throw it away.
4. Coffee Grounds
The Myth: “They’re tiny organic grounds, they’ll compost!”
The Reality: Composting requires oxygen (aerobic decomposition). Your septic tank is an anaerobic environment (no oxygen).
Coffee grounds are surprisingly heavy. They don’t float, and they don’t break down easily in a wet, oxygen-free environment. They settle to the bottom of the tank and stay there. They add bulk to the sludge layer much faster than human waste does.
This means you have to pump your tank twice as often. If you don’t, the sludge level rises, blocks the outlet, and you get sewage backing up into your bathtub.
The Rule: Your garden loves coffee grounds. Your septic tank hates them. Compost them outside or trash them.
5. Medication (The bacterial Nuke)
The Myth: “I’m just flushing a few old antibiotics; it’s safe.”
The Reality: This is ironic, but hear me out. A septic tank works because it is alive. It is filled with billions of bacteria and enzymes that digest the waste. They are the workers keeping your system running.
What happens when you flush antibiotics? You kill the workers.
High concentrations of antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, or even high levels of bleach can sterilize your septic tank. If the bacteria die, the digestion stops. The solids build up rapidly, the system fails, and you are left with a “dead tank.” Restarting a dead tank is difficult and smelly.
The Rule: Take old meds to a pharmacy take-back program. Never flush them.
6. Condoms and Latex Products
The Myth: “They’re small, they’ll pass through.”
The Reality: Latex is designed to be durable. It is designed specifically not to break or degrade. That is its entire purpose.
When these enter a septic tank, they float. They join the “scum” party at the top of the tank. Because they are stretchy, they are notorious for getting caught on the baffles (the T-shaped pipes inside the tank).
One caught item catches another, and another. Eventually, you have a blockage. Also, unlike organic waste, latex will literally last for decades in your tank. If you don’t pump your tank, they eventually flow out to the field and clog the distribution pipes.
7. Feminine Hygiene Products (Tampons/Pads)
The Myth: “It’s cotton, it degrades.”
The Reality: These products are engineered for one specific purpose: Absorption.
When a tampon enters the plumbing system, it absorbs water and expands to multiple times its original size. It becomes a perfect plug for a pipe. Even if it makes it to the tank, the synthetic materials (plastic applicators, rayon, super-absorbent polymers) do not break down.
They sit in the sludge layer, taking up valuable space and requiring the vacuum truck to work overtime to suck them out.
The Rule: Wrap it and trash it. Every single time.
8. “Safe” Drain Cleaners (Drano, Liquid-Plumr, etc.)
The Myth: “The sink is slow, I need to clear it.”
The Reality: Chemical drain cleaners are caustic. They work by burning through organic matter.
When they hit your septic tank, they don’t stop burning. They kill the bacteria (just like the antibiotics mentioned above). But worse, they can corrode the concrete of the tank itself or the plastic of the pipes over time.
If you have a slow drain, it’s rarely a clog that a chemical can fix safely in a septic system. It’s usually a sign that the tank is full. Pouring chemicals into a full tank is like pouring gasoline on a fire—it just makes the disaster worse.
The Rule: Use a snake or boiling water for clogs. If that doesn’t work, call a pro.
9. Paint and Solvents
The Myth: “I’m just washing my brushes in the sink.”
The Reality: Latex paint, oil-based paint, thinners, and solvents are toxic.
Latex paint separates in the tank. The solids settle and form a rubbery layer on the bottom of the tank that the vacuum truck struggles to remove. The solvents, however, are the real danger. They don’t settle. They flow out with the water into the ground.
These chemicals can kill the plant life over your drain field and pollute the soil for decades.
10. Excessive Food Scraps (The Garbage Disposal Issue)
The Myth: “I have a garbage disposal, so I can grind this up.”
The Reality: If you have a septic system, you really shouldn’t have a garbage disposal.
When you grind up potato peels, pasta, eggshells, and bones, you are creating a thick, heavy “soup” of suspended solids. Septic bacteria are good at eating digested human waste. They are not good at eating raw vegetable matter.
Food waste breaks down very slowly. It causes the sludge layer to build up 30% to 50% faster than a house without a disposal. Unless you want to pay for pumping every year instead of every three years, stop treating your sink like a trash can.
So, Is My System Doomed?
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Oh no, I flushed a wipe yesterday,” don’t panic. One wipe won’t kill the system. It’s the habit that kills it.
However, if you have been flushing these things for years, your system is likely struggling. You might notice slow drains, gurgling sounds, or spongy grass in the yard.
The Solution: The Reset Button
You need a hard reset. You need to get the “foreign objects” out of there before they escape the tank and ruin the field.
This is where Black Diamond Septic Pumping comes in.
We don’t just suck the water out. We inspect the integrity of the tank. We check the baffles (the gatekeepers) to make sure those wipes haven’t broken them off. And if your pipes are sluggish because of years of grease buildup, we use a technology called Hydrojetting.
What is Hydrojetting? (Warning: It’s satisfying) Imagine a pressure washer, but on a flexible hose that goes deep inside your pipes. It blasts water at 4,000 PSI (pounds per square inch).
· It cuts through grease like a hot knife through butter.
· It shreds tree roots that have sneaked into the line.
· It pulverizes the “flushable” wipes so they can be washed away.
· It restores your pipes to near-original diameter.
It is basically an exfoliation for your home’s plumbing.
The Northern New Jersey Factor
If you live in our service areas—Sussex, Morris, Warren counties—you have to be extra careful. We have rocky, clay-heavy soil. We have freezing winters.
A tank filled with wipes and grease is a tank that will freeze faster in January because the biological activity (which creates heat) is stifled. The last thing you want is a frozen septic line when it’s 10 degrees outside.
TL;DR
Your septic system is simple, but strict.
· Input: Human waste, toilet paper, water.
· Output: Clean, filtered water back to the earth.
Anything else—plastic, grease, clay, chemicals—is an intruder.
Treat your system with respect, and it will last 30 years. Treat it like a trash can, and it will fail in 10.
If you suspect you’ve been guilty of the “sins” on this list, it’s time to schedule a service. Don’t wait for the backup. Call Black Diamond Septic Pumping and let’s get that system healthy again.
