Home Improvement Blog Improving Your Home And Your Life

Tree roots
If you have tree roots in your sewer, you can alleviate, or possibly eliminate, the problem by flushing a handful of rock salt (ice cream salt) down the toilet once a month. If the roots are small enough, the salt will make them rot. If they are too large to rot, the salt will soften them so they are easier to cut with a plumber´s snake.

Septic tanks
Septic tanks require some extra maintenance. In spite of what you hear, have your septic tank pumped out every five years. When solids build up, the damage is not to the tank, but to the leech field. The solids become as hard as concrete when they dry out. If this happens in the leech field or the laterals, they must be dug up and replaced.