Understanding what is involved in septic tank pumping, it’s first important to understand what a septic system does and how it works. A septic system is an underground treatment system for household sewage. A typical septic system consists of 4 components: the pipe from the house, the septic tank, a drain field and the soil. Damage or malfunction of any of these components can cause the system to fail which can result in soil and drinking water contamination and costly repairs or replacements by the homeowner.
Contact Info:
Name: Billy Fowler
Email: [email protected]
Organization: ASAP Advanced Septic & Drainage, Inc.
Address: 5011 E Busch Blvd, Tampa, FL 33617
Phone: (813) 986-6070
Clean Your Septic Tank Before the Party!
There are multiple costs associated with a Septic System. I'll start with an explanation of the costs and give the actual estimates at the bottom: Explanation of Septic Costs: Cost to Pump Out the Septic Tank: Homeowners should have a licensed septic contractor pump out their septic tank every 3 to 5 years. If the tank is never pumped, then grease and other particles will flow into the leach field and clog the distribution pipes and the surrounding soil. Once that happens, he will need to have a new leach field installed at a cost of $10,000+. Listing of Estimated Septic Costs: Cost to Pump Out the Septic Tank: $150 to $250 Cost of Septic System Testing with Dye: $75 to $125 Cost to Remove Clog in Pipes to Tank: $50 to $250 (or more, if it's serious) Cost of Complete Visual Inspection: $300 to $600
How it works
A very basic explanation of how the system works begins with waste water leaving the house through the plumbing network inside the house to the pipe leading to the septic tank. The tank is buried underground and is usually constructed in a water tight manner of concrete, fiberglass or polyethylene. It is intended to hold the waste water long enough to allow the solids to settle to the bottom (to form sludge) and the oils to float to the top (to form scum). Some of the solid waste decomposes as well. There are compartments and a “t” shaped outlet from the septic tank that prevents the sludge and scum from leaving the tank to travel to the drain fields. Once the liquid enters the drain field, it is filtered through the several layers of soil for the final treatment by removal of harmful bacteria, viruses and nutrients.
Clean Your Septic Tank Before the Party!
The septic system in the house or the building they own is not something that most homeowners think about regularly. However, this can be a big mistake. When the worst-case scenario happens - you find that the system has failed or is failing - you must get it fixed quickly. So what exactly is a septic system? Hopefully you are not trying to find the answer to this question after learning you've got a big mess brewing under your lawn! A septic system is what allows us to dispose of waste at a safe distance from the home. It consists of two parts: a septic tank and a drainfield. The tank is where all the wastewater goes first. The tank holds the wastewater long enough for liquids and solids within the water to separate, and for bacteria to break down the solids. Any clarified water leftover from this process gets pumped into the drainfield, where it gets one more filtering and cleaning before trickling out into the soil. Don't redirect the sewage to a storm sewer, road ditch, or a farm drain tile. You're just creating a health hazard by polluting the water. Likewise, don't run the sewage into a sinkhole or drainage well as this pollutes the groundwater. This goes in hand with the "lack of maintenance" angle: Don't wait for the system to fail before pumping the septic tank. It's already too late by then. Note that repairing physical damage, improving surface and subsurface drainage, and installation of additional lines of absorption may not be enough - you might need to install a whole new system.
Maintaining a regular schedule of septic tank pumping will help keep your system running efficiently and will save you hundreds of dollars in expensive system repairs.