Most septic tank and septic system failure can be traced to the homeowner’s misunderstanding of how their septic system works and what maintenance is needed for reliable operation. Since they don’t know any better, they abuse their septic system and then complain when it fails.
For this reason, septic systems have earned an undeserved reputation for being unreliable. The reality is that if a septic system is properly designed and installed, if the homeowner treats the system with care and has regular septic tank pumping, a septic system should give reliable service for 20 to 30 years or more.
Unfortunately, the old adage “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it” doesn’t apply to septic systems. A septic system needs to be pumped periodically even though it is working perfectly. The frequency of the pumping varies, but every three to five years is typical. If you have the system inspected annually, your septic system professional will let you know when the tank is getting full.
If you wait until there is a problem with the septic system to have the tank pumped, it will be too late. The damage to your septic system will already have been done. A septic system is designed to hold solid waste material in the tank and allow the fluid effluent to flow into the septic field where it percolates into the soil. Failing to periodically pump the solid material out of the septic tank will allow too much solid material to accumulate in the tank and it will flow out into the septic field where it will clog the leach field.
A clogged leach field or drain field is very expensive to repair if it can be repaired at all. Avoid this problem by having the septic tank pumped regularly.
