How Often a Septic Tank Needs Pumping

Now, in our area, it is typically recommended to pump out septic tanks about every three to five years. The State of Texas TCEQ actually has a chart that you can go on based off how many bedrooms are in your home and how many people are living in there.

You may have a couple, one to two people living in a home on 1,000-gallon septic tank. They can go much longer than a family of seven on that same system.

What Should Go Down the Toilet

Another determining factor of when you need to get the septic tank pumped out is what exactly is going inside of the septic tank.

I highly advise people to follow the three Ps. Now, what is that? That means poo, pee, and paper down the toilet only. No wipes, no feminine products.

Once you start adding things like that, you start decreasing the time your septic tank can go between pump outs.

How Waste Separates Inside the Tank

Now, over time, the septic tank is going to separate into three layers. You're going to have a top floating crust or scum layer that's built up of fats, oils, grease, paper, things like that, that are buoyant, that will float.

Over time, the natural enzymes from the bacteria in the septic tank will begin decomposing and eating away at that organic matter, and that'll sink to the bottom and create sludge.

The layer in between is effluent. I just call it dirty water, and that's going to pass over to the next side, which is the outlet. From there, it's going to go out to the drain field and seep through the soil, where the earth is going to do its thing of treating the wastewater. That way, it doesn't contaminate the groundwater.

Finding and Understanding Your Septic Tank

In Texas, the tanks are usually pretty shallow, so you've got a dead spot marking where the tank is.

But before 1985, a lot of these systems do not have any paperwork, so it can become a hassle to find it. I would recommend finding someone reliable in your area that has either a flushable transmitter or a camera. That way, they can get straight to the point and find the septic tank without having to tear up the yard. But these dead spots make it pretty easy.

A Two-Compartment Tank

This is 1,000-gallon, two-compartment tank. So you have one tank, but it has two compartments, the inlet side and the outlet.

All the wastewater from the home is going to go into the inlet side first. It's got a concrete wall separating the two different chambers. So the second side, the outlet, should be mostly just water.

If you have really thick buildup in the outlet, you've got a problem. You need to watch what you're putting down the drain, or you need to have it pumped out more frequently.

If you're not in Texas, look up your state's recommendations. It should be pretty easy. Just search septic tank and your state, and the governing board should have recommendations for you.

An Example of Pump-Out Costs

So this pump out is going to run about $450 for this homeowner.

But when I was living in town, my sewer bill was about $33 a month. I was paying $396 a year. Now, with a septic tank, you're paying $450 every three to five years. So over time, it eventually is cheaper.

Septic Additives and Flushable Wipes

Additives

The State of Texas actually doesn't recommend any additives. The way a septic tank works is supposed to be like a filter.

Once you start putting additives into the septic tank, it is going to break down those big chunks into smaller pieces, and that becomes a problem because those could potentially go out to your drain field and cause problems.

As long as you're following your state's recommended guidelines on pump-out frequency, you shouldn't have a problem. If you even want further proof, you can grab one of those additives, look on the back, and in really fine print, it is going to say, "With occasional pumping."

Flushable Wipes

So probably the biggest problem we see is flushable wipes. Now, they are marketed so heavily as septic safe. They're marketed as flushable, plumber approved.

But let me tell you, once they get into the septic tank, they do not break down at all. What they do, the ones that actually do kind of separate, they become this really, really thick pulp. It's almost like papier-mâché.

It causes the septic tank to get so thick within a short amount of time that there are literally systems we're pumping out twice a year.

Understanding Septic Backups

Septic systems are a crucial piece of your home, and when they go wrong, it can make a mess inside the house. I just had one earlier. The septic tank was backing up, hadn't been touched in 30 years. It was a mess. Their bathtub was filling up with sewage.

You don't want that so stay on top of this and it won't become an issue.

If your septic tank does back up, how do you diagnose it? If you open up the lid to the septic tank and you see water bubbling up, you have a problem with your drain field or you have a filter on your outlet that needs cleaning.

I don't see a lot of filters in our area, so 9 times out of 10, it's a problem with the drain field.

If you open up the septic tank lid and water's all the way to the top, that's fine. The septic tank is always going to be full up to that inlet pipe. Once it goes over it, that's a problem with the drain field.

Now, if the level is fine in the tank and you go over to your sewer clean-out and unscrew that and see water bubbling up, you have a clog between the clean-out and the septic tank, so then you would need a drain cleaner.

I've been seeing a lot of problems in our area where a plumber will go out to a septic tank, open it up, and immediately say, "It's full. You need to call a septic guy."

And we show up, look at the septic tank, there's no floating layer. It's just water all the way up to the top. It was just pumped out a year ago. It really doesn't need pumping out. There's a clog somewhere.

Because it's really unfortunate when a homeowner calls a plumber, they run their drain cleaner down the clean-out, it does nothing because the septic tank is so thick it needs pumping, and then they get hit with that service charge.

So most of the time, the septic guy is able to fix it, but if it's a plumbing issue in the house, that's where a plumber would need to be involved.

If you have any other questions or concerns, I would refer you to your state's website where they should have guidelines on pump-out frequency. A lot of them actually have numbers of licensed septic pumpers in your area that you are able to call.

Access Ports, Risers, and Baffles

If you don't see the septic tank, you can contact your county. They should have a drawing on file.

So this is going to be, like I said, 1,000 gallon two compartment tank. It's going to have an inlet and an outlet access port. These are about 20 inches in diameter.

If somebody comes up to your house and tries to pump out the septic tank through a three-inch clean-out... Now, I have seen these older systems that that's the only way to get access to it without digging five feet down.

You have to open up both the inlet and the outlet to properly pump out the septic tank.

But keep in mind, here in Texas, there is a new rule passed that new installations have to have risers two inches above grade, so no more buried tanks.

So if you have someone out to pump out your septic tank, they're probably going to charge you if they have to dig it up. So it will come in handy if you get those risers installed.

But it's not too hard, and it'll save you having to dig up your yard every three to five years.

Inlet and Outlet Baffles

We've got a four-inch inlet baffle. Inlet baffles are required in the state of Texas.

If there's ever an instance where your toilet doesn't want to flush, it's backing up in the house, open up that sewer clean-out and come find the septic tank itself. Get that popped open, and there's a very common occurrence where when it gets so thick, the septic tank has been neglected 10, 15 years. This will no longer be water. It'll be straight up sludge, almost the consistency of mud, and it will clog up that inlet baffle.

You got the outlet, and there's the outlet baffle. As I said, you hardly want anything floating on this side because it's going to exit out this pipe and go and seep down into the drain field.

There's no physical way that you can pump out this septic tank from that sewer clean-out over there. That is only if you need access to clean the drain. That will in no way do anything to this septic tank. So just a heads up if anybody tries to pull one over on you.

What a Complete Pump-Out Includes

They may pump out the tank and then back flush it to stir up the bottom.

Another thing I've seen is when I empty the tank all the way, rinse it off with the water hose so I can see the concrete bottom, somebody says, "No, don't do that. You're getting rid of all the starter bacteria."

And also, don't let anyone con you into leaving a foot of sludge behind and saying it's starter bacteria. Unless your state guidelines explicitly recommend doing so, don't listen to someone trying to tell you that.

And also, if they leave a tiny little bit in there, that's not a huge problem as long as you can see the concrete for the most part. Where it becomes a problem is where people start leaving huge chunks behind.

Why the Tank Fills Again After Pumping

Also keep in mind that as you use water in the home, this is a 1,000-gallon septic tank, so if you've got a full family living in here, it's going to be filled with water by the end of the week.

Different Types of Septic Systems

So this pertains to conventional systems. There are also LPP, LPD, advanced treatment units. There are systems where the effluent is treated inside the septic tank and then goes out and is sprayed through sprinkler heads.