How often do you have your septic tank pumped?

[ultrarunner]

One of my retired friends NEVER puts TP in the toilet and has 30 years of perfect inspections... the paper bag gets burned in the fireplace insert.

 

[goeduck]

Our septic pumping company will treat your system with super bacteria that they use in their sewer lagoons. Our ground is so cold that oftentimes added bacteria is needed to jump start that process that keeps your system from freezing. Bleaches and powerful drain cleaners can kill your system in a hurry.

I can’t imagine anyone dumping bleach and drain cleaner into their septic tank, but those people must be out there. It makes so much more sense to me to mechanically clean a drain and there are alternatives to bleach these days.

 

[Doofy]

I can’t imagine anyone dumping bleach and drain cleaner into their septic tank, but those people must be out there. It makes so much more sense to me to mechanically clean a drain and there are alternatives to bleach these days.

Most people use Drano on slow drains and bleach in the laundry. Not a big deal when you are on a city system. Now, you can buy commercial drain openers anywhere. I would hazard a guess that most people don't have a clue where the poop and pee go!

 

[ultrarunner]

I can’t imagine anyone dumping bleach and drain cleaner into their septic tank, but those people must be out there. It makes so much more sense to me to mechanically clean a drain and there are alternatives to bleach these days.

Frequently they are called renters... at least from my experience.

Be amazed at what people flush.

Single family home with a blocked line... tried lots of rooting and not getting anywhere... turns out the tenant was an I.V. drug user and the line had hundreds of syringes... what a mess.

My plumber friend said the best thing that ever happened for his business is anything Labeled Flushable... from wipes to dusting pads.

 

[goeduck]

Western Red Cedar roots can invade and plug up your leech lines, and nutrient rich waste water is really yummy stuff to them.

That is what I would have thought but the lines have been there for 29 years now without problems. So the way I see it as long as they sop up clear water and I keep the sludge in the tank and pumped I should have some more years service, hopefully many.

 

[mrblanche]

Just had to install a new aerobic system. The county requires a permit, licensed installer and planner, and then a county inspection. They just about won't allow a leach field system any more. Our system is 1400 gallons, in 3 compartments. When the last, "clean" tank gets full, it's pumped out and sprayed on the back yard, with bleach added before spraying.

Why did we need to replace it? The original system was two tanks, with poor plumbing, poor drainage, etc. And the clay level is way too high to pass an inspection, anyway. I used the wayback machine on google earth to look at it over the years; the evidence is that it never worked right. You could see the outlines of the tanks as far back as you could go, and in 2011, when there were plenty of people living in the house, they had a "squelchy" area flowing away from the tank, just as we did.

Now, the inspector said that he has heard of people not having any problems and not pumping their tanks for 20 years, but he almost always discover that the water is going down a little ways, hitting a solid layer, and flowing with the underground water in the area, probably going into someone else's well.

 

[mcfarmall]

Every 3 years like clockwork. My big concern is how the concrete tank is disintegrating. I did some googling and found that the sewer gas breaks down the concrete because they changed the proportions of the ingredients in the mix...most likely are using less Portland Cement as its the most expensive component in concrete.

 

[coachgrd]

This thread reminded me of a conversation I had with the sewage plant operator at a state park I work a in the summers. (I'm a teacher by trade.) This state park is a very large, with 20 some restrooms/bathouses around the park. It is a local treasure. Out septic guy told me the tanks never got pumped before he came onto the job and one in particular was packed so tight that someone could stand on the sludge without sinking! That's a lot of poop (and who knows what else.)

That being said, I have ours pumped every time we have a presidential election. I don't know why I remember to do it then, maybe because we're flushing out old crap for new.

 

[PILOON]

I can’t imagine anyone dumping bleach and drain cleaner into their septic tank, but those people must be out there. It makes so much more sense to me to mechanically clean a drain and there are alternatives to bleach these days.

They are called condo dwellers, when I rented my chalets I had to give them a serious lecture as to septic tank usage but even then I had occasional problems usually due to their guests (or so they'd claim).
I eventually (partially) solved that problem by having a framed set of septic rules mounted on the washroom wall.

 

[Soldier415]

We have ours pumped every 3 years