Septic tank is one of the essential housewares. It is a self-contained water disposal system. A system like this is not usually owned by the city water supply. That means, keeping it functional and clean is your own responsibility.
If you keep the septic tank unchecked even for a week, it can result in clogging with clumps and sludge. The issues like these might seem minor, but that could cause you to spend money due to systematic collapse.
In order to avoid any such happening, you should clean the septic tank quite often. By doing so, you are making sure that your septic tank does not contain any wastewater or sludge.
If you carry out the thorough evacuation of waste or in other words conduct the thorough cleaning of the septic tank you can relax for a month before you do that again.
How Often Should You Clean a Septic Tank?
Well, we cannot really generalize how often one should clean a septic tank. That is because it depends on a number of factors. These factors could include the size of the tank, number of house members, and much more.
We understand that a lot of your septic tank cleaning would be something new. That is why the given information would seem a little vague to you which is why we will discuss the important factors in detail.
- Septic Tank; Extend of Use
The way a septic tank is used defines how frequently it should be cleaned. For this, you will be required to examine what kind of waste mostly goes into the septic tank. Another thing that contributes in this regard is the use of water.
As the solution to this problem, you can ensure less use of water. Mostly it’s laundry that uses an excess of water. You can deliberately space out the laundry to make the septic tank last clean for a little longer.
- Number of House Members
A greater number of house members mean more use of water and hence more waste in the septic tank. That means the more the house members the more often you will have to clean the septic tank and vice versa.
- Septic Tank Size
The size of the tank is another important factor that determines the frequency of septic tank cleaning. When talking about the size, septic tanks are available in various sizes that range from 500, 750, and 900. You can choose to buy the one that meets your requirement.
However, the large size septic tank would last clean longer when compared to the smaller-sized septic tank. Keeping it clean is something that should remain your priority for a safer environment.
Although the given factors affect the frequency of septic tank cleaning. However, ideally, it should be cleaned every 3 to 4 years at once. By doing so, you won’t get into the situation where sludge and other waste material gets permanent enough to make you spend a large amount of money.
Steps For Septic Tank Cleaning
Moving on to the most important part of our discussion. That is the step and guide you actually require for septic tank cleaning. Most people don’t do things like these on their own. That is because of the hectic schedule or maybe because they don’t know how to do that.
Well, the habit of accomplishing your tasks on your own is probably the best thing you can opt-in your life. If you ask me why my answer is you become more skilled and active for that matter.
Besides other things that you would need for septic tank cleaning, you are advised to wear the proper costume and cover your face and hands to take care of your hygiene.
Let’s dig into the steps.
- Uncovering the Tank
Mostly the septic tanks are buried to prevent the smell to emit into the environment. After gently uncovering the tank, take a shovel to remove the dirt from the top of the tank.
- Digging Out the Top of Tank
The lid of the septic tank needs to open for getting done with the cleaning process. For that, you will be required to open or dig out the lid of the tank. It is important to note that the lid is placed strongly and tightly, you might require a hand to open that.
- Inspecting the Tank
The first thing you need to notice is whether it has any cracks. If it has you will have to concern a professional manner. You should also seek any broken or rusted pieces on the outlet or inlet of the pipes. Lastly, run or flush some water from the washroom or toilet to see if it makes its way to the tank and drains out properly.
- Finding the Baffle Filter
To clean the baffle filter, you will have to find the pipe that leads the waste into the tank and water out of it. That is the pipe where you would find the baffle filter. This filter is responsible for holding sludge and scum in the place.
- Pulling Up the Filter
For this step, you will be required to put on plastic gloves, because you wouldn’t require your hand to come in contact with dirt and other waste materials. After putting on the gloves, reach into the tank to pull out the baffle filter.
- Cleaning the Filter
Rinse the filter with the access of water so that you could clearly see the filter. That way, you will be able to inspect the filter for any damage or crack. You can replace the filter if the condition of the baffle filter is too bad. While cleaning it, pour the waste into the tank.
- Pumping the Tank
That is the crucial step of septic tank cleaning. The pumping makes sure that all the material be it water or waste is sucked out of the tank. Once you have pumped out the waste, dispose of it off in the place chosen by the government for such purposes.
Final Words
After going through the given details, you would have realized the importance of septic tank cleaning, and also whether you can do this on your own or you need to consult some service provider. If you choose to consult a service provider, always look for the one that has a good reputation, experience, insurance, license, and one that offers quality service.