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Septic System Care: Septic Tank Pumping Procedure - A Detailed Guide to Pumping, Cleaning, Inspecting Septic Tanks InspectAPedia®  -     How to pump out / clean a septic tank, step by step photo-illustrated guide Before starting, some safety warnings for septic pumpers and homeowners When to pump, how to find the septic tank, inspect before opening the tank; removing the tank cover How the pumper truck or vacuum truck is operated Tank inspection before pumping; Actually pumping out the septic tank; inspections while pumping Washing the septic tank after pumping, inspecting the tank after pumping Closing the septic tank, recording the septic tank location, advising homeowners

This document provides a step by step, photo-illustrated guide to opening, pumping, and inspecting septic tanks, how a conventional septic tank is located, opened, pumped out, cleaned, and inspected. This guideline is intended for septic pumping tank truck operators and as general information for homeowners or septic service companies concerned with septic system care.

The steps in servicing a septic tank are given in this article, accompanied by photographs that show each of the critical steps in pumping, cleaning, and inspecting a septic tank. Readers should see Septic Tank Pumping Frequency Guide for a table explaining when to schedule a septic cleanout.

Citation of this article by reference to this website and brief quotation for the sole purpose of review are permitted. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. Technical reviewers are welcome and are listed at "References."

This is a chapter of Inspecting, Testing, & Maintaining Residential Septic Systems an online book on septic systems.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

A Photographic Guide to Pumping a Septic Tank

Septic System Safety Warnings

This septic care guideline describes the steps in pumping and cleaning a septic tank. While it is common for a septic service company to send a pumper truck with a sole operator, pumping septic tanks is an inherently dangerous procedure and I advise against working alone. An operator can be injured, or overcome by fumes such as methane gas. Don't lean over or crouch down at the tank opening such as shown in the photo above. In this example case the operator was not working alone. Having a buddy watching is invaluable. If someone does fall into a septic tank, do not enter the tank to try to save them - call emergency rescue. Double fatalities have occurred when a second worker entered a septic tank to try to safe the first who had entered the tank and was overcome by gases.

Because cleaning septic tanks involves potentially dangerous hazards (cave-in, collapse, methane gas explosion, or asphyxiation) readers should be sure to read our Septic Safety Warnings article.

If a cesspool, drywell, or seepage pit is or might be installed, be sure to read Cesspool Safety Warnings.

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

SEPTIC TANK PUMPING PROCEDURE
  Safety Warnings
  When to Pump
  Find the Septic Tank
  How to Open Septic Tanks
  Open the Septic Tank
  Inspect Before Pumping
  Pumper Truck Operation
  Pumping the Septic Tank
  Inspect During Pumping
  Washing Septic Tank Sides/Bottom
  Inspect After Pumping
  Close the Septic Tank
  Record Septic Tank Location
  Advising Owners

• Special thanks to M & O Sanitation, Dutchess County NY (845) 471-0308 for permitting us to photograph steps during septic system service at our demonstration property.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
• The Septic System Information Website home page for this topic
• Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information
• The Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems
• Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
• Table of Required Septic & Well Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.


• Additives & Chemicals: Septic System Maintenance - Are they even needed? Are they even legal?
• Baffles, Septic Tank septic tank baffles defects and inspection suggestions
• Buyer's Guide Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems Inspection & Testing - What to Do, Step by Step.
• Cesspool failures (MA)
• Cesspool Safety Warnings include dangers of cave-in and fatality
• Cesspools Home Buyer's or Owner's Advice
• Clearances & Distances from septic system components to other site features, property boundaries, waterways, etc.
• Clogged Drain Diagnosis - is the problem the septic system or the Building drain system?
• Don't Flush these things into a septic system: a list of what's ok and what's not ok to put into septic tanks and building drains
• Drywells Home Buyer's or Owner's Advice
• Filters for Septic Tanks & Graywater to protect septic drainfields and reduce drainfield clogging
• SEPTIC FLOOD RESPONSE what to do after a septic system has been exposed to flooding
• Garbage Grinders and garbage disposal units - effects on septic systems
• Levels: Inspecting the Level of Accumulated Solids, Sludge and Floating Scum in Treatment Tanks - Measuring the Sludge and Scum Levels in Septic Tanks
• Liquid Level in the Absorption System - drain fields, seepage pits, galleys
• OUTSIDE SEPTIC INSPECTION - - Simple Visual Site Inspection Gives Key Information About Septic System Condition
• Retention Time in Septic Tanks Septic Tank Pumping Guide discusses retention time and "net free area" in a tank (allowing for sludge and scum layers)
• Septic & Cesspool Safety - septic system, septic tank, & cesspool safety warnings for septic inspectors, septic pumpers, and homeowners.
• Septic D-BOX Inspection provides for help in finding and inspecting the septic system drainfield distribution box
• Septic Sludge & Scum Levels in Septic Tanks - Measuring the Level of Accumulated Solids, Sludge and Floating Scum in Treatment Tanks
• Septic Tank Location - How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location
• Septic Tank Pumping Frequency Guide for Septic Tanks: When, How, What to Watch For when pumping or cleaning septic tanks
• Septic Tank Inspection Procedure - How to Inspect Septic Tanks and evaluate the septic tank condition, baffles, sludge levels, damage, evidence of septic failure, etc.
• Septic Tanks, Concrete defects and inspection suggestions for concrete septic tanks
• Septic Tanks, Fiberglass or Plastic defects and inspection suggestions for fiberglass or plastic septic tanks
• Septic Tanks, Home Made defects and inspection suggestions for home made or site built septic tanks
• Septic Tanks, Steel defects and inspection suggestions for steel septic tanks
• Septic Tank Sludge and Floating Scum: what makes up the contents of residential sewage
• Sewer Gas Odors diagnosing, finding, and curing septic tank and sewer line smells
• Sewer Gas - Methane and other septic system gas explosion or asphyxiation hazards such as hydrogen sulfide
• Tank Location - How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location
• Ten Steps to Keeping a Septic System Working, suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits and additions by DJF
• Planting Over Septic Systems: trees, shrubs, groundcover over the septic system: what can you plant over or near septic system components without causing a problem?
• SPOTTING SEPTIC BREAKOUTS - Spotting Dyed Septic Effluent Breakout Outside - Where Septic Dye is Likely to Show Up During a Septic Dye
• When Not to Pump a Septic Tank to avoid damage, unsafe conditions, or wasting money
• Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to septic systems & domestic wastewater treatment systems include
  • Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-161, Septic System Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-162, The Soil Media and the Percolation Test
  • Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-l64, Mound Systems for Wastewater Treatment
  • Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-165, Septic Tank-Soil Absorption Systems
  • Document Sources used for this web page include but are not limited to: Agricultural Fact Sheet #SW-161 "Septic Tank Pumping," by Paul D. Robillard and Kelli S. Martin. Penn State College of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension, edited and annotated by Dan Friedman (Thanks: to Bob Mackey for proofreading the original source material.)
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