Septic tanks are an amazing solution to household sewer waste despite your not having access to a city sewer line. But with this septic sewer system's use on your property, you need to take care of it with maintenance and regular cleaning and tank pumping so it continues to work well for you. Here are some recommendations to help you keep your septic system properly maintained with the right professional care.

Plan to Pump Your Tank

Your septic tank is going to slowly fill up with solid waste over time, which will require you to get it pumped out before it becomes overfilled and causes problems in your system. But how do you know when to complete this pumping schedule? When you are not sure, your septic professional can measure the scum and sludge levels that are present in your tank and provide a pumping schedule based on when it was pumped last. 

However, if you just moved in or bought your home and don't have a date that it was last pumped, your septic professional can estimate this need based on how many people are in your household and the size capacity of your tank. The more people in your household using water means the septic tank will fill more quickly, requiring a more frequent pumping schedule. A general guideline on your tank's pumping schedule can be based on a frequency of every three to five years, so this will help you get a good idea of its pumping schedule needs.

Arrange For Tank Pump

When you know your tank is in need of a pumping and cleaning, you can arrange for this with a local septic professional. They will need to know the location of your septic tank access hatch within your yard so they can open it and use their truck's pumping line to reach into the tank. Their truck will need clear access to get to the access hatch, so be sure you don't block it with a fence or other vehicles. 

If the access hatch is buried below some soil, locate it and remove the soil so it is accessible. Your septic professional can do this also. If you are unable to locate the access hatch, you can use a long metal probe, which you stick into the soil to find the outline of your septic tank. Once you find the tank access lid, it is best to keep it marked for the future, which you can do with a concrete marker, specific vegetation, or other materials.

Septic tank lids can be covered by soil that is several inches to several feet deep. If your septic tank lid has disappeared under the soil from natural erosion, talk to your septic professional about adding in-tank access hatch risers to make it more visible and easily accessible for future septic tank pumping.

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