If you live in an area that uses septic systems for waste water disposal, from Portland, Oregon to New York City to Dallas, Texas to Miami, Florida, then I know you have known people who have had to either replace their septic systems or have had to make significant repairs to them. These were, I am quite sure, extremely expensive episodes for the home owners. Suffice it to say that septic system failures are not only expensive to repair or replace but the cleanup is also very costly as well as unsanitary. Hence, septic tank pumping should be a priority in your home maintenance routine.
How Often Should the Tank be pumped?
The experts recommend that septic tanks be emptied and the entire system inspected periodically. The frequency of this service is dependent upon several factors:
- Size of the tank: this is pretty much self-explanatory. It follows that if you have a small tank, it will need to be pumped or emptied more often.
- Amount of waste water processed: this factor is dependent upon the number of people who live in the home and how much water each of them use. One of the factors within this category includes the age of the toilets in the home. If you have a home that is more than 20 years old, it is likely that you will have the original bathroom fixtures and those fixtures may not be water efficient. The older style toilets require 3 to 5 gallons of water per flush, while the newer, more efficient models only require 1.5 or gallons per flush. There are also "dams" that can be placed inside the toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush.
Where does the money saving come in?
Having your septic tank pumped (emptied) regularly can save hundreds of dollars in repairs, replacement and cleanup. The experts recommend that most systems be inspected and pumped about every 3 to 5 years depending on the above mentioned factors. When the septic service company comes to do the pumping, they will also inspect the system for leaks in the plumbing coming into and leaving the tank, the drain field and valves and filters in the tank. If damage or wear is noted on any part of the system, they can alert you so that plans to make the repairs can be made before the failure occurs. Preventing the failure of your system by periodic inspections and septic tank pumping will save money on major repairs and replacement as well as the cleanup process should a failure occur
Vicki Fassler
http://www.aosseptics.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vicki_Fassler
