Proper Care and Maintenance of Your Septic System

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A typical septic system should be inspected every 3 years by a professional and you should have your tank pumped as recommended by the inspector (typically every 3 to 5 years depending on your household water use). 

Certain types of alternative systems using float switches or mechanical components should be check more often (once per year). Your service company should be checking for leaks and looking at the scum and sludge buildup in your septic tank. The general rule of thumb is that if the bottom of the scum layer is within six inches of the bottom of the outlet tee or the top of the sludge layer is within twelve inches of the outlet tee than your tank needs to be pumped. Always keep a detailed record of the findings of your service provider in a maintenance and operations records log. This information should help you determine the frequency of pumping needed to maintain your tank.

Determining how often to pump your system can be affected by how many people are in your household, the amount of wastewater generated, the volume of solids in the wastewater and your septic tank size. Using a garbage disposal can add quite a bit of solid waste to your septic tank so whenever possible you should avoid using one and come up with other ways to dispose of food waste.

There are many products on the market that claim to eliminate the need to pump your septic tank by breaking down the solids or sludge in your tank. Since most septic tanks already contain the microbes needed to effectively treat the waste periodic pumping is a much better way of ensuring a septic system that is working properly to providing many years of service.

Make sure that your service provider is giving you a complete and accurate report listing detailed issues found and repairs made. If the service provided has listed additional problems that they cannot fix you should hire a professional immediately to make the repairs.

  

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