Hidden Plumbing Problems: What to Look for

Three Steps To Prepare For Your First Septic Tank Pumping

14 May 2020

Herbert Chambers

If you have recently purchased a home on its own septic system, then you will need to start making plans for pumping and maintaining the system. A septic tank must be periodically pumped or it will fill with sludge. When this happens, sewage can back up into your home as well as begin flooding your drainfield. The following are three necessary steps for preparing for septic tank pumping.

1.  Locate Your Tank

The most important task is to find out where your tank is located. Often, this information will be included with your paperwork from the home purchase, either on the site plan or in the part of the packet that addresses onsite sewage. If you can't find it there, you may be able to find its location on file with the county or city municipal office. Failing that, you have a couple of choices for manual locating of the tank. You can call local septic services until you find the one that serviced your address last and get the information from them. Or, you can walk your property until you find the tank access point. If all of this fails, then a septic service will need to perform a tank location for a small fee.

2. Get a Depth Reading

Unless you know the last time the tank was pumped and have an accurate estimate of how often it will need to be pumped for your family's size and usage patterns, a depth reading is necessary before you pay for a full pump. It isn't necessary or cost effective to pump a tank that isn't full. Your septic pump service will take a depth reading to verify both the size of the tank and the sewage level. If the sewage level is more than about a foot before the exit pipe on the tank, then it isn't time yet for emptying. Schedule a second reading in a few months. Your septic contractor can then use the two readings to accurately gauge your family's usage so that you can develop the proper pumping schedule.

3. Clear An Access Area

When the time for pumping finally arrives, make sure the septic contractors have full access to the site. They cannot bring their equipment onto the drainfield, so your goal is to clear items from driveways and the yard that would interfere with them parking the pump truck and routing the sewage hose to the tank. Most services will survey your site in advance and let you know what areas will need to be clear for access during the pumping process.

Contact a septic tank pumping service for more assistance.

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