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How long between septic tank pumps?
love2shoot
Member Posts: 576 ✭✭✭
How often should a septic tank be cleaned out? Just two people and only two stools go into it. Everything else goes into a field tile and disappears into a 200 acre field.
Comments
Kinda trick question.
Do you use septic tank treatments? Regularly or hit n miss? What type of chemicals are used to clean the toilets?
A lot of variables
How Many peope in your house
How big is the tank is is for gray water and waste water
Even your area could have a impact
But any doubt have it pumped out and start fresh LOL
last time we had ours pumped out was 125.00 about three years ago
Treat it every year and did mine every 4-5 years and had no issues. Three people, plus company at times.
Two people, turds only, 1000 gallon duel chamber.
I have had my tank for 27 years. But, only one person, and for 8 years two people.
Never been pumped, works fine, knock on wood.
My county DOH recommends every 3 to 5 years. The town requires proof of pumping at least every 3 years. I have it done every 2 years after having a blockage incident a few years ago.
Normally, the only thing that is a problem in a septic tank is paper, ie, toilet paper. Most brands do not decompose well in a septic environment. With toilets only in your tank, you aren't getting much help from water flow from sinks, washer, etc.
My wife pees a lot.
Ohhhh, that changes everything.
I suggest 3-5 yrs. as mentioned by others. If don't know last time done, have it done start over. Best to you.
Every situation is different, the recommendation are usually 3-5 years, before I knew that I went about 10 years then had an issue which required pumping out, In theory if done correctly never needed, but as said above it all depends on what is sent down the drain in to it. I will do it every 3-5 now since I had an issue, but I never did anything except use it before the issue.
Have never pumped mine. All waste water goes in to a 1000 gallon divided septic tank, solids, liquid, you name it.
Never treated with any additives. One honey wagon pumper told me the treatments were his best friend.
Been in use for over 40 years and 4 people for 20 of those years.
Do not use powdered laundry detergent.
May foul up tomorrow, grins.
Agree local pumpers tell me put a pack of yeast in every month
But said open it dahhh one lady just kept putting it in but the whole water proof package never opened the yeast he said she got it half right
When wife and I were newly weds we rented a old farm house the system was backed up the farmers had his own honey wagon so I helped which surprised him
The previous renters had used powder detergent when we opened the lid it was like a huge clump of detergent had reformed into a solid mass and blocked it off the passages
If the ground perks right and it was put in right, no tree roots around or heavy objects to smash it in then for two people it should never need pumped. Mine has been in 34 years and never has been pumped or treated. My washer runs into it I wish didn't as powders and softeners can build up.
If your leach bed is big enough it shouldn't need pumping.
🫨🫨
@jltrent
@Butchdog3
(*I agree with Allen, they last forever if treated properly. I add a pound or so of yeast every so often. And do not use the garbage disposal. Bleach and T.P. are your enemies. And tree root on the leach line. 46 years here on Wolverton Mountain and no problems.
I say 3 to 5 years. A pump every 5 years is WAY cheaper than an over stuffed tank pushing crap into the leach field lines(and clogging those). One of those ounce of prevention things.
Just sayin'
Keep grease away from your kitchen sink, very important.
I had no idea there were options to have liquids and solids go different places…..I'm a little stunned at the moment thinking about this. How does this happen?
When we bought this house they had the "grey water"….washing machine, dishwasher, kitchen sink, all draining out through a pipe going off into the woods behind the house. The bathrooms were draining into the septic tank.
The septic tank did not measure to be large enough for this size home, so before we "closed" on the purchase it was upgraded to another larger septic tank. We also had them fix the plumbing so that everything drained into the septic tank.
We were good for about two years and then we learned the field lines were not long enough. There was a small stinky puddle out in the yard where the old lines ended. They came out and pumped the tank, then dug out a trench that was 25 feet long and put in these crazy plastic things in the ground that extended the field lines to be what was needed to process the drainage of the tank.
I told Larry at that time….this was PROOF that I was not a "kept woman" because all I wanted to do that day was get a pedicure, but there I was, looking into our septic tank, listening to this guy explain how this all worked and how many thousands we were going to pay.
Oh….forgot to add….we've been here 18 years and only had that one event dealing with the septic tank. I'm guessing its been 15 years since then.
Wis. is every 3 years, they send a post card reminder. $265 later………….
My septic guy had a slogan on the back of his truck.
“ We are #1 in a #2 business”.
I have never pumped a septic tank.
No grease down the drain, no bleach in the wash, no powder detergent.
"Fools learn from their own mistakes. I learn from the mistakes of others"
Otto von Bismarck
You guys that have gone 8,15,30,years and never, I am amazed.
Must be popular statement
local radio station plays a comercial for a plumbing service they have and use the same slogan
Our county mandates a cleanout every 5 years
Joe
When we bought our house 20 years ago it was already 30 years old. It was my first house with a septic and we were told we needed a new system. Fortunately I didn’t need a mortgage or they would have made me change it. I don’t think the former owners ever pumped it. I didn’t even know where it was located and the guy I hired had to dig around to find it. He said it was old but was still functioning good. The real estate people made such an issue of it that I worried about it for years. After 15 years I finally had it pumped again just to ease my mind and it still looked good. It’s now around 50 years old.
50 years. Damn. Do you ever put treatments in there, or yeast?
They told me to put a shovel full of cow poop in mine when they built it. It went 25 years without pumping.
No never put treatment in there. When we bought this house the old owner paid for plans for a new system that was going to cost 30K I just offered a lower price and told them I would take care of it so for the last 20 years I expected to pay for a new system sometime but like someone else said it should last forever. The realtor told the old owner they would never sell it without a new system. So we both were happy.
Our house was built in 1990, we bought it in 1995. I started wondering about the septic tank, so had it pumped in 2012. The service man told me we have a 1200 gallon tank, and would not need pumping again for at least 20 years. I talked to the man who built the house and he said he had installed twice as much field line as was needed because his FIL was the plumbing contractor, and had extra materials he gave them.
Wattza septic tank?🙃
Oh yeah, that rusty glob of metal the backhoe snagged 40 years ago when I had the basement wall replaced.
"Our county mandates a cleanout every 5 years"
OMG, how can you bear to live in a place with such invasive regulations!!!!!!!!😕
The ground must perk good around here compared to most places after reading this posts. The house I grew up in the septic system was put in the late 50s and has never been pumped and works well still. Around here from what I have seen very few people ever need a septic pumped out. There is a local guy that does it but his truck sets a lot from what I have noticed. Virginia inspections are pretty hard to meet on putting in a septic system and maybe that is paying off for most. They have to be done right before electricity can be approved to be put in the house.
As a lad, we had a hand built basalt rock septic tank. Four of us kids in the house. Every fall we would dig down the 2 feet to the cover and remove the crust on top. 6” to 12” thick.
Not the most pleasant way to spend an afternoon, but we never had any problems with the system.
Brad Steele