Helping You Know How to Get Rid of Trash

If your home uses a septic system to store and remove waste, you may need to have the tank pumped and cleaned to help maintain the system's efficiency. Septic tank pumping services often also offer complete cleaning, and they can recommend maintenance to the system based on the condition of the system. 

Septic Tank Pumping

The septic tank in your system is designed to contain the liquid and solid waste from your home and break it down using an anaerobic process and healthy bacteria to convert the solids to sludge. The sludge settles in the bottom of the tank over time, so septic tank pumping is necessary when the level of sludge gets too high. This is a normal part of septic system operation and should not worry you unless your tank is filling up quickly. 

Healthy septic systems require pumping occasionally, but the time between each septic tank pumping will vary based on size and use. The potential occupancy of the home typically determines the tank size, so if a contractor installed the tank and the house had additional space added, the tank could be undersized, causing it to fill up faster than it should. 

When this happens, septic tank pumping is required far more often than it should, but the remedy is often to install a larger septic system, which can be expensive if the entire system needs replacing. If you call a septic tank pumping service more than once a year, you have a problem with the system, and it needs inspection.

Septic Tank Inspection

Having an inspection done on your septic tank and system will help detect problems in the system if there are any. The process is simple, and all you need to do is hire a septic system inspector, and they will do the rest. 

The septic system inspector may ask that you have the tank pumped and have a septic tank cleaning before the inspection date, but your pumping service can take care of that for you. Once the tank is clean, the inspector can use a camera to look inside the tank. The inspector will check for any obvious cracks or damage to the tank's walls, floor, and ceiling during the camera inspection. 

The inspector may also check the baffles, the inlet, and outlet of the tank, check any pumps in your system, and test the overflow alarm if there is one in the system. If the septic system is in good shape, you will not need anything more until the next septic tank pumping; however, if there is a problem in the tank of the system, the inspector will let you know so you can get it repaired. 

Septic system repair does not always mean replacing the tank, but there are some situations where the tank itself is damaged, and the only way to resolve the issue is to install a new tank. Talk with your inspector and a septic system contractor to determine your best course of action if there is a problem with the system.

For more information on septic tank cleaning, contact a professional near you.