Septic Cleaning FAQs

This can be obtained from your county health department by calling and asking for your septic permit. Some require your property ID number. Be sure the truck is large enough to empty the tank.

If you refer a neighbor who schedules the same day service as yours, we'll give you a discount. We have trucks that hold 2800, 3600, and 4600 gallons, which allows us to empty your tank as well as your neighbor's in most cases.

Our trucks both have 250 feet of hose, which allows us to park on the drive or the street.

If it needs to be dug, this doesn't require a big hole, usually about 2 feet around. Most of the tanks have 3 access points, one lid on each end at the inlet and outlet, which are used to inspect the baffles, and one in the middle for cleaning the tank.

The tank should be cleaned only through the center lid to prevent knocking off the baffle and have complete access to the tank to ensure all waste is removed.

During the winter months, weight restrictions are usually posted on rural roads. These restrictions are posted from January 15 till April 15. If there is an emergency, the road commissioners will usually issue a permit, some at a cost to you.

If it's not an emergency, we can wait till the restrictions are taken off.

A riser is placed on top of the tank to give access to clean out the lid, which eliminates digging. During the winter months, this eliminates the extra cost of digging with a backhoe due to frozen ground.

The number of people and the size of your tank will determine how often your tank needs cleaning. A 1500-gallon tank used by 4 people needs cleaning every 4 years. If you have a garbage disposal, we recommend it every 3 years. The garbage disposal is equivalent to an additional person.

If you're wondering whether your tank needs cleaning, we do septic evaluations to determine if it needs cleaning. We use sludge judge to determine whether or not cleaning is required. If there are 25% or more solids, we recommend a cleaning. The cost of cleaning may cost around $200 to $300.

If cleaning is done every 4 years over a 20-year period, you will spend around $1500 on maintenance. The cost of replacing your system is between $4000 to $10,000. Regular maintenance prevents high repair bills.

A. We don't recommend the use of additives. Our septic care booklet has an article from a major university that researched this and doesn't recommend the use of additives. For instance, if you put 1 quart a month in your tank as recommended at $10 per month over 4 years, you spend $480.

The cost of cleaning is less than that and saves you money. Also, we check if the tank needs any repairs.

Many believe that they don't have to pump their septic tanks because they don't have any problems. When you wait for the problem to occur, it's likely to cost you more than if you just had it pumped regularly. Like your garbage can, the septic system needs to be emptied when it is full.

Water that comes out of your house goes directly into your septic tank. Washing machine, dishwasher, bathrooms, showers, anything that goes down a drain goes into your septic tank.

A septic tank is designed to hold water long enough for all the grease and fats to float to the top and solids to settle at the bottom forming sludge.

This sludge does not just magically disappear. After so many years, it begins to build up. As long as you ignore your septic system and let it build up, it will either back up into your house, creating an unsightly mess on your floor and adding to your costs, or it will start to flow into your drain field, eventually ruining it.

Considering that pumping costs an average of about $300, a new drain field costs anywhere from $5 to $10,000. That is equal to about 33 pumping, which is more than you will probably ever need.

So, no matter what your Grandpa told you about septic systems, you do need to pump them.

Depending on how many people live in the house and how big your tank is, you should probably have your tank pumped every 3 years. If you have 5 people in your house and only have a 1200-gallon tank, you may want to do it more often, say every 2 years. If there is just one of you, then you may be able to go about 5 years.

An easy way to tell if you need your tank pumped is by having risers installed on your tank for easy access for inspection. All you would have to do is pop the top and see if the solids and toilet paper have built up; if they have, give us a call.

Despite what the instructions may say, some things you just shouldn't flush. Baby wipes, baby diapers, grown-up wipes, tampons, tampon applicators, dental floss, Q-tips, cigarette butts, grease, and toys, none of these should go into your septic tank. Baby wipes and tampons have ruined more drain fields than we can count.

We know they say they are flushable, but they don't break down as organic material does. Tampons swell to 10 times their size and easily clog pipes and drain fields. These things were meant to go in the garbage can.

If you live in the country or outside the city limits, most likely you have a septic tank. If you don't get a monthly sewer bill from the city, it is most likely that you have a septic tank.

If you don't know, call us. We'll come to the house and either find the septic tank or find that you're on the city sewer. If you're just buying a house, please ask for a septic inspection. This way, you know what you have and what you don't have.