Septic tank questions

You don't worry about it and continue to use the bathroom and all will be well because you would need quite a few gallons of bleach before it would begin to harm the bacteria in your septic system.

Here is my question (hope i'm doing this right)
We had a complete system backup and had a plumber come out to fix the issue. He snaked the main clean out to the septic tank as far as he could and cleared the stoppage. He told us that our tank had a screen on the inlet side and he recommended removing this screen. Is there a screen on the inlet side? and if so is it ok to remove it?

Mike Swearingen said:

I happen to have a lot of landscaping growing over or near my drainfield, so I flush a cup or two of copper sulphate crystals down a toilet about 3 times a year to help keep the roots out.

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This probably is not a good idea. Copper Sulfate is good at preventing plant growth. Bacteria are plants. It used to be common to use copper sulphate in ponds to control algae, but it was found to destroy the beneficial bacteria that grow in the ponds that break down the waste products of the fishes. Same theory (and the same varieties of aerobic and anerobic bacteria) that makes septic tanks work.

Backglass said:

My wife is insisting on having a garbage disposal. I have heard it's a bad idea for septic systems...but why?

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We are building a new mountain home have a septic system. I wouldn't dream of having a kitchen without a disposal, my new dishwasher also has a grinder/disposal. I don't plan to put much down the drains, but what about the little bit of cooked egg or oatmeal still on the dishes after a meal? I want to be sure everything is pulverized.

I have read that eggshells are very bad for septic due to not being able to be broken down by the bacterial action. So won't put them down the sink. I never put meat in the disposal, even now while we're on a city sewer system. If you do a bit of googling, there are many articles online about septic systems and disposals. There is much division of opinion about the topic.