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Cleaning Septic Tanks - Who Does It? What is Involved? InspectAPedia®  -     A homeowners' description of the procedure for pumping out and cleaning septic tanks Pumping the septic tank is "cleaning the septic tank" - a detailed procedure is at this website

This document explains the process of cleaning a septic tank, including pumping, inspection, and possible repairs. This information is for homeowners and discusses the septic tank pumping procedure so that the reader knows what to expect from the septic tank pumping contractor, what to watch out for,and what to ask during the septic tank pumping process.

A septic tank pumping schedule is shown at our table of septic tank pumping frequency.The detailed septic tank procedure is shown in our detailed Septic Tank Pumping Procedure - a step by step photo-illustrated guideline of how to pump and clean a septic tank. Homeowners should also review septic tank safety.

If you can't find your septic tank see How to Find The Septic Tank - tips on locating septic tanks for inspection and septic tank pumping. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. Technical review by industry experts has been performed and is ongoing - reviewers are listed at "References."

© 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.

An Owner's Guide to CLEANING SEPTIC TANKS - Who Does It? Why? How often? What is Involved?

Septic tank pump and haul contractors can clean your tank. It is a good idea to supervise cleaning to assure that it is done properly. To extract all the material from the tank, the scum layer must be broken up and the sludge layer mixed with the liquid portion of the tank.

This is usually done by alternately pumping liquid from the tank and re-injecting it into the bottom of the tank. The septic tank should be pumped through the large central manhole, not the baffle inspection ports. Pumping a tank through the baffle inspection ports can damage the baffles, resulting in a destroyed leach field.

To facilitate future cleaning and inspection, if you don't already have inspection and cleaning access ports, install risers from the manhole and inspection ports to the surface.

Be sure that the septic tank cover(s) and access port covers are in good condition and completely safe. A bad septic tank, drywell, or cesspool cover can cause a collapse and can be fatal to someone walking in that area. Before burying the tank also measure from a fixed landmark and mark the location of the tank, so it can be easily identified.

The thickness of the floating scum layer and settled sludge layer in a septic tank are the keys to determining if a tank actually needs to be pumped.

How to measure the floating scum layer and sludge layer in a septic tank are discussed in this in this Septic Tank Pumping Guide: see the "MEASURE SCUM & SLUDGE" link at left.

First we need to discuss the importance of septic inspection and pumping safety and also effluent retention time of effluent in septic tanks and the concept of septic tank net free area left in the tank after accounting for the thickness of the sludge and scum layers.

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SEPTIC TANK PUMPING PROCEDURE
CLEANING SEPTIC TANKS
  EFFLUENT RETENTION TIME
  SEPTIC INSPECTION TYPES & LEVELS
  SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE
    WHEN NOT TO PUMP A SEPTIC TANK
  SEWAGE LEVELS in SEPTIC TANKS
  INSPECTING SEPTIC TANKS
  MEASURE SCUM & SLUDGE
  TANK PUMPING FREQUENCY TABLE
  WHY DOES A TANK NEED PUMPING?
  SEPTIC TANK INSPECTION PROCEDURE
  SEPTIC TANK PUMPING REASONS
  EFFLUENT RETENTION TIME
  MEASURE SCUM & SLUDGE
  CLEANING SEPTIC TANKS
  WHEN NOT TO PUMP A SEPTIC TANK
  SEWAGE LEVELS in SEPTIC TANKS
  SEWAGE LEVELS in SEPTIC TANKS
  SEPTIC PUMPING CONCLUSIONS

For a table explaining how often to clean your septic tank see: SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE

For a detailed procedure on how a septic tank is cleaned and inspected see SEPTIC TANK PUMPING PROCEDURE

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• The Septic System Information Website home page for this topic
• Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information


• Buyer's Guide Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems Inspection & Testing - What to Do, Step by Step.
• Cesspools Home Buyer's or Owner's Advice
• 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
• Don't Pump Before Testing Septic Systems: warnings for home buyers about septic tank pumping
• 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
• 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?
• 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
• 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
• 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 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 Pumping Procedure step by step photo guideline of how to pump and clean a septic tank - septic tank care
• Ten Steps to Keeping a Septic System Working, suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits and additions by DJF
• What is a Septic System An Engineer's View & Septic System FAQ's
• When Not to Pump a Septic Tank to avoid damage, unsafe conditions, or wasting money


Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to 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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