How To Tell When You Need Septic Services To Clean Out Your Tank
You'll probably need septic services every few years, but the frequency depends on how fast your tank fills up. The size of your household and the size of the tank determines how quickly the solids build up. It's better to have your tank pumped out early rather than wait until the tank gets full or solids might clog the filter. Here are signs your septic tank could be full and things to know about the process of pumping out your tank.
Signs That Could Mean Your Septic Tank Is Full
If your septic tank is full, there is no place for waste to go when you flush the toilet or send water down the drain. That means it will spill into your yard or back up into your house. Your toilet might overflow when you flush it or sewage might come up your shower drain. Long before it gets to that point, you'll probably see signs in the form of drains that are slow to empty and a toilet that has trouble flushing.
It's good to call a septic service when you first notice drains slowing down or you might have to deal with cleaning up sewage. Other signs you might notice include sewer odors inside your house or outside in your yard. Your yard might even have patches of bright green grass where the sewage is overflowing in the yard.
Septic Services Include Pumping And Looking For Problems
When you call a septic service to pump out your tank, they'll send out a pumper truck. The truck stays parked on the street and the plumber just drags a long hose to your septic tank. If the lid is marked or visible, they can start working right away. If the tank lid is buried under the grass, the plumber has to track it down, and that takes time and could add to the cost of your septic services.
When the plumber starts, they may scrape the sides of the tank and stir the contents to get sludge loose from the bottom. Then they'll start pumping out the tank with the hose. While the tank is emptying out, the contractor can look for clogs, clean the filter, look for cracks, and watch for backflow from the drainfield.
They won't do a thorough inspection of your tank, but they'll notice if anything is wrong and come back to do repairs if they're needed. You might ask the plumber to estimate when the tank should be cleaned out again so you don't risk it overflowing next time.
Contact a local septic service to learn more.