Pumping out your septic tank on a regular basis is more than just a good idea. It’s an essential part of the ongoing
maintenance necessary to keep the entire system functioning, but that can be easier to understand if you have a better grasp on how it affects the tank and its performance. Fully understanding the cost of negligence will help
create a sense of urgency, and motivate you to avoid postponing it unnecessarily.
The Basic Function of Septic Pumping
Your septic tank is designed to hold solid waste from your home so that septic bacteria can break it down into fine
enough particulate that it can pass through a mesh screen and out into a drainage field. That process isn’t fast, though,
and typical homes will outpace the rate at which those bacteria function, generating far more solid waste than they can break down in a reasonable period of time. This eventually leads to a build-up of solids in your tank, and that build-up will grow even faster if paper products, hygiene products or food waste finds its way into the tank.
Septic tank pumping removes the build-up that the bacteria simply couldn’t process, or couldn’t process fast enough.
This is essentially a quick way of playing catch up, and dealing with the solids that would have otherwise clogged the drainage screen. Left to its own devices, your septic tank will eventually overflow and begin spilling waste water into
your lawn each time a faucet runs or a toilet flushes.
Fixing a Problem With Septic Pumping
No matter how mindful of your drains you happen to be, eventually a mistake will happen or someone will forget.
Chemical cleaners, anti-bacterial agents, or just an overabundance of solids can all end up causing a bacterial
die-off inside your septic tank. The result will be slower waste processing, leading to a back flow of sewer gasses
and an eventual overflow of the tank.
Additives and enzymes are sold to help boost your tank’s performance, but simply having it drained can often do
far more to resolve the issue. Pumping out the tank will remove much of the chemical pollutant, draw out the excess
solids and give it a respite while the bacteria rebound. This approach will mean giving your septic system a few days
of light use to recover, but you also won’t have to keep dumping additives down your drains to keep it functioning either.
While they’re not a perfect solution for waste water treatments, septic systems are highly efficient and far more affordable’ than other alternatives. That efficiency does require maintenance and proper use on your part, but on the whole that’s easier to achieve than most people think.