Septic tank pumping is one of the most important parts of septic system maintenance. Your septic tank collects sediment, filtering out liquids to be passed into the drain field and treated to be released as clean groundwater. To do its job correctly, your tank needs to be periodically emptied of its solid. Most homeowners with septic tanks know that they need to pump their tank roughly every 3-5 years, but there are many different factors that will affect your recommended pumping schedule.
What’s septic tank pumping?
Basically, one of the processes to maintain your septic system is through septic tank pumping. Your septic tanks need to be pumped at least every three to five years, depending on a great number of factors including the amount of wastewater that gets out of your home every day and the number of people in your household. The septic system generally deals with human waste and wastewater, which means that you have to be extra adamant when it comes to system effectivity and efficiency. Without septic tank pumping, substances inside may solidify and could stay intact for years. With their increased buildup, you’ll most likely experience backing up and clogging, and it’s not only dirty and disgusting, but it’s also very delicate, too.
- Household size
One of the main factors in determining your pumping schedule is the size of your household. The more people that are in your home, the greater the waste will be produced. As a result, larger households will need their septic tanks pumped more frequently to address this extra waste.
- Guest Usage
Everybody has guests in their home, but if you have regular guests it could affect your pumping schedule. If you frequently rent out a room in your home as an Airbnb or another rental, expect that your tank will collect more waste. If you always have guests staying with you for one reason or another, you will have more waste collecting in your septic tank and require more frequent pumping.
- Water Usage
The water usage in your home will affect the frequency at which you need to pump your septic tank since the more water you use; the more wastewater will be created that your septic system will have to work on. The size of your household will impact water usage, but it’s not the only factor. If you make attempts to save water in your home, you will need to pump your tank less often.
- Tank Size
The size of your tank can impact your septic tank pumping schedule because of the smaller the tank, the quicker it will fill up, meaning it will need to be pumped more frequently. For the most part, the septic tank is determined by the size of the home and the household it will hold. However, your home may have had an addition to allow for extra bedrooms, increasing the household size your tank was originally designed to hold. For this reason, the size of your septic tank can impact your suggested pumping schedule.
- General Use
If you use your septic system properly, you will need to pump it less frequently than if you don’t. If you flush things you shouldn’t down the toilet, such as cat poo or feminine products, you will need to pump your tank more frequently to get rid of these items that can damage your tank. If you dump food and grease down your kitchen sink, these items will also cause more frequent pumping. If you generally take care of your septic system, you’ll need to pump it less often.
- Garbage Disposal
If you have a garbage disposal, it will greatly affect your septic tank pumping schedule. Septic system companies advise against having a garbage disposal if you have a septic tank because allowing food into your septic tank will disrupt the tank’s bacteria balance. This balance of bacteria is responsible for properly breaking down the solids in the tank. However, if you choose to have a garbage disposal, you will need to pump your tank much more frequently because waste in your tank will not break down as easily.