Septic tanks don’t need much maintenance apart from yearly inspections and septic pumping once every 2-4 years. You may wonder if you can do septic tank pumping yourself. It’s doable, but you do need enough time and some tools. Here’s the guide for you.
Mechanism Of A Septic Tank
A septic tank has two main components. First is the tank itself and the second is the drain field. The septic tank holds all of the waste coming from sinks, toilets, and everywhere else in the house where water is used and drained down.
Once the wastewater with all of the waste, including solid and liquid waste, reaches the tank, this is where it gets divided. The solid, sludgy part of the waste stays inside the tank and it decomposes over time. Whereas, the liquid part of the wastewater goes to the drain field and is filtered over and over until it is absorbed by the soil underground.
This is the main mechanism of the septic tank and usually, the part that requires a bit of looking after is the septic tank itself. Yes, the drain field may need some cleaning from time to time to ensure that there aren’t any clogs in the mouth of the drain field, but the tricky part is the sludge accumulated in the tank itself.
The sludge can get solid and dry and if you don’t clean it right away or agitate it a bit, then it can lead to severe problems.
What Are The Consequences Of Not Ignoring Septic Tank Pumping?
There is more than one problem that can occur if you’re not too careful with the maintenance of the septic tank.
Unbearable Foul Odor
Firstly, there will be immense foul odors in the tank and the area surrounding it. Even though septic tanks are watertight, that still doesn’t mean that the smell won’t penetrate. It does and it can wrap your house into a thick cloud of bad and pungent odor and that’s not what you want.
Clogs And Sewer Backups
Secondly, not cleaning or pumping the septic tank can lead to issues of clogging and a halt to the flow of effluent water. This is a very huge problem because you don’t want the wastewater to remain stagnant. This can cause the tank to overflow if it’s too small, and that will lead to smelly puddles all over the backyard where your tank is.
So, always make sure that you’re taking care of the tank because you don’t want clogged drains or sewer backups.
Damage To The Septic Tank
If the sludge lays undisturbed in the septic tank for too long, it can lead to system failure. The walls and the base of the septic tank can get cracked or leaked and it will be an overall disaster. This is bad because any damage to the actual septic tank is worse. It means that the septic tank is no longer usable and if the damage is extremely severe, then you might need a new septic tank altogether.
This is a major and hefty expense and it is a very time-consuming replacement too, because septic tanks are underground and there is a lot of preparation involved in it, to ensure that the tank stays put and doesn’t budge for years to come. This is why maintaining the septic tank is crucial, because if you don’t, then you’re essentially shooting yourself in the foot.
DIY Septic Tank Pumping – What To Do?
Septic tanks are usually maintained by septic companies Knoxville, that’s a fact – but you can also pump the septic tank by yourself and it’s not that hard if you know what you need and how you’re going to do it. So, if you want to know how you want to pump your septic tank by yourself, then you’re at the right place.
There are three phases you need to know. Before pumping the septic tank, the actual pumping process and what happens after the fact. So, here is the ultimate guide you need to pump your septic tank to make it last for years to come.
Before Septic Tank Pumping
Firstly, you want to locate the septic tank and mark it. Secondly, you want to go over the necessary precautions, because pumping a septic tank isn’t child’s play. There are a lot of harmful gasses and toxins in the septic tank and you want to ensure that you’re well protected against everything.
You will need:
- Coveralls
- Gloves
- Ladder
- Masks
- The pumping equipment
- Ventilation
- Large and long sticks or pipes
Before beginning the process of pumping, you want to clear the surrounding area first. There shouldn’t be any plants, cars parked, or anything near the septic tank.
You also want to ensure that there is no water coming into the tank anymore. Not until you’re done with the pumping. This is important because you want the tank to be undisturbed and you don’t want to deal with any more water while you’re cleaning and pumping the tank out.
During Septic Tank Pumping
Here is what you need to do for the actual pumping process:
- First things first, you need to fully submerge the pump into the tank. Connect the hoses with the pump and electricity supply as well and get ready with your disposal bags for catching the sludge.
- Power up the pump and let the pump suck the sludge and any other waste out of the tank. If the pump needs a bit of hand, then you can take a shovel and scrape the sludge as well and deposit it into the disposal bags.
- Keep an eye on the pump and see if it is performing well. You don’t want the pump to overheat or break down, so if you hear any weird noises, close the pump immediately and inspect for damages. Chances are that there might be clogs in the pump and once you remove them, the pump is ready to fire up again.
After Septic Tank Pumping
Now that the septic tank has been pumped, you need to discard the sludge and it’s done by properly following the regulations of waste disposal.
- Then, you will need to inspect the tank for any damage. You want to get this part over and done with now because the tank is essentially empty and you can see everything better now. If there is any damage, then you might want to hold off refilling the pump, until that’s settled.
- If there isn’t any damage, then you can refill the septic tank and then you want to add in bacteria that will naturally decompose the waste in the future. This helps to restore the balance and it makes your life easier.
- Once that is done, you want to check the drain field as well and get rid of any chokes in it.
- Finally, you can add bacteria-replenishing products in the tank and your DIY pumping is essentially done. You can use the tank as you please, but it’s recommended that you keep an eye on water wastage and garbage disposal in the future.
Conclusion
Septic tanks are commonly handled by professionals, but it doesn’t hurt if you know the basics of maintaining the tank too. If you’re hiring a team for septic tank pumping after every few years, it’s better to consider septic tank cleaning Hagerstown because it entails clean up of the tank too apart from pumping. tri
