How to tell if your septic tank needs pumped out , before it's backed up into your house?
Question:
Answers:
have it done ASAP. You really can't tell how bad it is until it happens. After it has been pumped, use Rid-X every month, and have it pumped every three years, or more often if there are many people using the septic, or if you use a lot of detergent and bleach
most should be done every 5 years max.
dont wait too long!! believe me, my bf's just backed up into the house a few months ago because it had never been done in the 15 years they've lived in the house!
The best way to tell is to have a check/emptying pipe that comes to the top of the ground and has a cap on it. That will allow you to check the level and to easily have the septic tank pumped out if it needs it. It's a lot better than having to dig down to the tank and find the cap a couple feet underground.
You can help the septic tank last longer by adding a little yeast every so often to the toilet then flushing it. The yeast will help break down whats in the septic tank.
Just because your toilets backflush doesn't mean your septic tank is full. It could be that your house is built on ground that has a high water table, not allowing the water to escape out into the ground when it has rained a lot. Or if a tree or shrub has been planted too close to the septic system, then roots could be blocking one of the pipes.
For most households, unless the septic tank is small, it should last about 10-15 years before it needs emptied.
You really can't tell without opening the cover. If you take care in what you put into the tank, they can go a very long time without any maintenance. Go easy on grease/oil going down the drains. Limit caustic chemicals that kill the bacteria that make the tank work. If you need to use a chemical for clearing clogs, use an enzyme drain cleaner. Most say that pumping every 5 years is good.
I would have it pumped out every 3 to 5 years. Still symptoms of a bad septic system are as follows.
1. Slow drains and toilets.
2. Real green grass where your sewer system is.
3. In extreme cases sewage flowing out on the ground.
When in doubt get it pumped. If you poison your drain field it can be expensive. There are some slick tricks for fixing drain fields but I won't mention them here.
More Related Questions & Answers...