Did you know that the average septic tank repair costs $1,728? If you want to ensure that you are not ditching out a couple thousand every year or so, it is important to learn how to maintain your septic tank. Septic cleaning is something that you want to add to your home maintenance routine to ensure your tank stays in tip-top shape.
Keep reading to learn the ins and outs of septic tank cleaning.
What Is Septic Cleaning?
Although most people use the words pumping the septic tank and cleaning the septic tank interchangeably, they are not the exact same thing. Pumping refers to sucking out the liquid from the tank. Cleaning the tank refers to taking out all of the water and sludge found at the bottom of the tank.
The main thing to keep in mind when choosing a septic cleaning company is to ask them how thorough their job is – do they remove all of the liquids and solids in the tank? If they say “yes” then they are indeed cleaning your tank.
How often you get your tank cleaned will depend on the size of your home, the size of your septic tank, how much wastewater your home generates, and how many solids are present in the wastewater.
Factors That Affect Cleaning
The less you pump out your tank the more solids will become thicker and harder to remove. You want to stay on top of getting your tank pumped on a regular basis to keep the sludge from becoming too thick. When you let the solids become too thick they can’t be broken down which means you need to pump out your tank every 6-12 months vs every 3-5 years.
Another factor that affects cleaning your tank is dividing walls. If your septic tank was installed after the late 80s then it will more than likely have two compartments. Every time you have your tanks cleaned or pumped you want to make sure that both compartments are taken care of. Keep in mind that sometimes the dividing walls are not watertight so taking out the water from one compartment is not an issue but it is easy to leave the solids behind unless the machine being used is put into each compartment.
Double-check the size of the access opening to the tank. If the opening is only a few inches wide, you need a vacuum truck hose that will fit in there comfortably and that will be able to reach the far sides of the tank.
Ready to Clean Your Septic Tank?
We hope that now that you know the ins and outs of septic cleaning, you can make an informed decision when you are looking for professional septic cleaning services. The last thing you want is to have to replace your entire septic tank because you went too long without cleaning it.
Did our article help you out today? Feel free to browse the rest of our home improvement section for more helpful reads.
