Be Wary of These Septic Tank Pumping Mistakes
Your home's septic system deals with wastewater. This is one of the reasons you should take precautions to ensure your septic tank is cleaned and pumped accordingly. The consequences of failing to pump your septic tank include health problems, sewage smells, and septic backup. Many homeowners make the following septic tank pumping mistakes.
Over-Pumping the Septic Tank
Since a septic tank should be pumped every three to five years, this doesn't mean you should pump it too frequently. There are considerations you should make before pumping your tank. These include determining the size of the tank, how frequent the system is used, and the age of the tank.
Before pumping your tank, consider these factors. If in doubt, ask a professional to inspect your tank and give you a prognosis on when it should be cleaned and pumped.
Pumping the Septic Tank When It's Full
Under normal circumstances, a septic tank is always full. After you pump the tank completely, the empty tank fills up again in a few days. Later on, it starts releasing liquid effluent to the leach field.
A normally functioning septic tank should have wastewater. This is a combination of liquid effluent. Therefore, you shouldn't pump your tank merely because it is full. You need to examine its sludge and scum layers. A pump-out is usually necessary if the thickness of the scum layer and sludge layer occupies significant space on the tank, leaving a small free liquid area.
Pumping the Tank When It's Clogged
If you are experiencing problems with your septic system drain field, you shouldn't jump to conclusions without consulting a professional. Many homeowners assume that the solution to clogs is pumping their septic tanks.
After pumping the tank, it will get full after a short while, which means this is a temporary fix. Therefore, you will spend more money to have the blockages fixed.
Pumping the Tank Before Scheduling an Inspection
For a septic tank to be properly maintained, an inspection should come before pumping. This allows a technician to identify possible problems and provide appropriate fixes.
When you pump a septic tank before conducting an inspection, you defeat the purpose of spotting and rectifying issues. The technician has nothing to help them make a prognosis. The resulting inspection is inconclusive. Many homeowners attempt to save money by pumping the tank to resolve all septic system issues. However, this could lead to costly septic repairs in the future.
