Why Should I Have My Septic Tank Cleaned?

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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Periodic septic tank pumping is a fact of life for anyone with a home or business being serviced by a septic system.  A regular cleaning of the tank to remove the normal and excessive build up of sludge, scum, biomaterials, solids and liquids is critical to maximizing the lifespan of the system and is a key factor in preventing sewage backups.

Depending upon the number of occupants of the building, as well as their lifestyle, most tanks will need to be pumped between 3 and 5 years, although the use of garage disposals can cut this time in half.   As a part of the cleaning, a thorough inspection will also be performed to ensure that the system is performing as designed and that there are no issues with the tank or other components of the system.

In between cleanings it is recommended that the occupants of the building take steps to protect the system.  The protection of any septic system begins with limiting what finds its way into the system in the first place.  One of the biggest dangers to any septic system is grease, which finds its way into the system as a result of dishwashing or literally pouring grease out of a pan and into the drain.

Grease will cause blockage in the building’s waste pipes, as well as the septic system, because the grease will harden as it cools and adheres to everything.  Grease can be a septic system killer, so be sure to pour any grease into a jar and throw it into the trash!  The only thing that should find its way into the septic system is water, body waste and a limited amount of toilet paper!

Posted on behalf of Tony McAdams, A-1 National Sewer and Drain

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Septic Tanks Need Pumping!

June 14th, 2012 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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If your home is on a septic system and you have asked friends and neighbors about how often the septic tank should be pumped, you have probably gotten answers ranging from “every year” to “never”.  The correct answer is it depends, but for most systems pumping the septic tank every three to five years is enough to will keep it working great.

If you ask enough people about septic tank pumping, you will eventually talk to someone who says something like “we’ve had a septic tank for 20 years – never had it pumped and it works just fine.”  That may be true, but every septic system is different and waiting 20 years to have a septic tank pumped is just inviting disaster.

Septic tanks need to be pumped regularly because over time, the layer of solid material at the bottom of the tank (the sludge layer) grows.  As the sludge layer gets deeper, it takes up more space in the tank and there is less room for the liquid effluent.  The septic tank is sized to hold the liquid waste for about 48 hours before it flows out to the leach field, but when the sludge layer gets too deep it causes the effluent to flow out to the leach field sooner.

When this happens, the effluent carries more solid material with it which will start clogging up the leach field (also called the drain field).  It can take months or years, but once the leach field becomes clogged its capacity to dispose of liquid waste will decrease and untreated liquid sewage will start making its way to the surface instead of leaching into the soil.

In most cases, the only response to a clogged, failed drain field is to abandon the existing drain field and install a new one.  Avoid the expense of drain field repairs or a new drain field by having your septic tank pumped every three to five years.

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