Septic Tank Pumping Schedule FAQs-2

Empty septic tank FAQs
Pump a septic tank to address septic smell FAQs?
Septic tank never pumped FAQs
Septic tank pumping procedure details FAQs
Septic tank replacement FAQs
Septic tank pumping schedule FAQs
Septic tank sewage level FAQs

Septic Tank Pumping / Cleaning versus Septic Odors FAQs

Tip: See ODORS, SEPTIC or SEWER

and also ODOR CONTROL for SEPTIC TANKS

We smell septic odors in the bathroom when the weather gets cold

With winter setting in the bathroom seems to have noticeable lingering fumes.

I was not aware of this issue this summer, but now that the weather is getting colder the smell can be pretty bad.
Is this a sign that our septic is vented poorly?

Does it need to be pumped?
AND
Are these fumes dangerous for adults or children? On 2018-11-14 by JIm

by (mod) - common causes of cold water septic odors

Jim

If the sewage or septic smells really show up only in cold weather, be sure to read our diagnosis and cure advice

at COLD WEATHER SEWER ODOR SOURCES 

For a more complete analysis, you should also see at DRAIN PIPING & SEWER ODORS as I suspect this may be the nature of the odor problem you describe, and

then see TRACK SEPTIC ODORS to SOURCE - our article listing the common causes of cold water septic odors. Please check that out advoce and let me know what you think.

About the hazards that may be associated with septic smells, you'll see that depending on the concentration, methane gas (in sewer gas) can be explosive. (HYDROGEN SULFIDE GAS DANGER)

And sewer gas may carry pathogens.

Pumping won't fix a sewer gas odor problem - look for a problem with the building plumbing vent system or signs of a clogged drain or failing septic.

Also see METHANE & SEWER GAS HAZARDS for more sewer gas test advice and reference material.

Are septic system smells and gases dangerous?

If you smell gasses in your home and septic smsll out side.. can that be poison to breath. It comes and go strong at night On 2020-05-24 by Bsrbra -

Reply by (mod) -

Barbara

Methane gas from a septic system can be explosive depending on the concentration indoors, and there may also be airborne pathogens.

It's a potentially unsafe and unhealthy condition.

It also sounds as if your septic system has failed - discharging sewage to the surface, and is additionally unhealthy and in most jurisdictions an illegal condition.

Does the septic tank pumping frequency affect well contamination? FAQs

Bottom line, possibly: if you don't take proper care of your septic system the result can be septic tank or drainfield failure that in turn, depending on the location of your drinking water source, risk sewage bacteria contaminating the water supply.

We have live bacteria in our drinking water and we disinfect by pouring bleach in our water softener and water heater

Dr kirsch

I have a septic system with a 1000 gal. holding tank. Water softener that generates about 4 to 5 days. Water has live bacteria. We run about 1/4 cup chlorine thru softener, and 1/2 cup to 200 gal water heater. am I running to much disinfectant to my system ? Is the bacteria coming from our septic system? On 2018-11-14 by drkirsch@yahoo.com

Reply by (mod) -

You need to identify the bacteria source: if it's the well itself and if shocking the well doesn't correct the problem you'll need to install a proper water disinfection system to make your drinking water safe.

See WELL CHLORINATION & DISINFECTION 

Also see WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZING for the proper way to do that. There we describe the proper procedure for sanitizing a Water Conditioner or water softener.

Your amount of bleach is an arbitrary, and there isn't a single correct number since it depends on the volume of water being sanitized.

For a water softener it depends on the resin tank size and water volume.

Also if you don't put the bleach in correctly you can have a devil of a time getting rid of the smell. The article explains how to do that. Please take a look and let me know what you think.

Septic Tank Sewage ("Water") Level vs Pumping Schedule FAQs

Tip: See details at SEPTIC TANK LEVELS of SEWAGE

Does water level in the septic tank tell us when it needs to be pumped?

The water level in our tank is about 1/2 inch above the bottom of the round pipe that drains into the tank from the house. This pipe just comes straight into the tank.

It is not like your picture of like an L shape pipe. Is This water level normal or does the tank need to be pumped? On 2018-11-12 by Eileen Brieaddy

by (mod) - No.

A septic tank is normally always full, to the level of the bottom of the outlet pipe.

Watch out: if you see sewage levels above the bottom of the inlet pipe that merits investigation for blockage.

But pumping out the septic tank does not fix that. You need to find and fix the blockage or in the worst case, replace a failed drainfield.

Effects of Not Pumping the Septic Tank On Time FAQs

Tip: See our complete septic tank pumping schedule in detail at SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE

Our septic tank hasn 't been pumped in over 50 years! Now the system has failed.

Our septic tank was installed under our garage floor with one drain going to a hill in our field. It has not been pumped since the house was built 51 years ago

It is causing us lots of problems now and my husband doesn’t seem to think that if it’s working properly it doesn’t need to be pumped

Shouldn’t we have to put in a whole new septic system in this day and age because there is so much sludge in the tank that is like concrete and cannot be pumped anymore shouldn’t we have to put in a whole new septic system in this day and age because there is so much sludge in the tank that is like concrete and cannot be pumped anymore On 2018-07-06 by Cindy S
Please advise

Answer by (mod) -

Cindy

Unfortunaely when a septic tank has never been pumped over 51 years there's a good chance that solids have been pushed into the drainfield. That's easy to determine by noticing that effluent is not leaving the tank or not leaving at a normal rate or is at an abnormally high level.

There 's a good chance the fields need replacement. Whether or not the tank is usable depends on its material, size, and condition - something to inspect when have the tank pumped.

You really don't want to pretend to abandon a septic tank by leaving it full of sewage. Search InspectApedia.com for SEPTIC TANK ABANDONMENT GUIDE - the tank gets emptied and filled-in.

Septic tank in northern Minnesota lakefront property was never pumped over 25 years: am I in for a big expense?

I'm looking at cabin to purchase on a lakefront in norther Minnesota. The owner has lived in the cabin fulltime for about 25 years.

She says the septic has never been pumped since she lived there. Just guessing, but isn't this a red flag for me, a potential purchaser?

I am trying to avoid too much excess in expenses just fixing up the cabin and having to add (potentially) a new septic system is disconcerting for me. Can you tell me if big bucks are on the horizon or maybe not?
Thanx On 2016-04-09 by Ron

by (mod) - Warnings about a septic tank that has never been pumped

Ron,

Watch out: I'd assume, for planning purposes, that you need a septic system. Without regular pumping to keep from sending solids to the drainfield, even if the system is not currently in "failure", we can't be confident of its future life when the system has gone un-maintained for so long.

In addition, often on sale, the level of use of a septic system changes. For example changing from a single elderly occupant to a family of four dramatically increases the daily wastewater flow. So an old septic system may have been able to limp along because of very low inflow rates but it may show up as a failure as soon as the inflow rate of wastewater is increased.

Worse, because of the cold climate in Northern Minnesota, septic drainfield trenches are often buried quite deeply in the soil. So a failing septic system may not show up as sewage on the yard surface. Instead it shows up as algae growing in the lake along the lakefront edge of your property, or it shows up as wastewater back-flowing into the septic tank when the tank is pumped, or worst, it shows up as a sewage backup into the home.

Check lot and zoning to be sure repair or replacement will be permitted under current zoning regulations. For example, in some Minnesota communities, an old septic system may have been installed closer to the lakeshore than current codes will permit.

Your local building department might or might not consider the old septic system "grandfathered" and permit repair, but they are less likely to permit expansions or any new installations too close to the lakefront.

Often an engineered system, above ground, is needed where the shorelines are rocky, such as along much of Lake Superior. On the North Shore I've seen peat mound systems approved and I suspect that more conventional raised-bed or mound septics may be approved too as long as they're sufficiently distant from both the lakefront and any nearby wells, streams, rivers.

Septic Tank Pumping Schedule / Frequency FAQs

Tip: See our complete septic tank pumping schedule in detail at SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE

How Often Should My Septic Tank Be Pumped? - One occupant

How often should I have my tanks pumped. I live alone On 2018-04-27 by Richard Maurer

Reply by (mod) -

Richard, in Table I. Septic Tank Pumping Frequency in Years

in SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE see the first column under "number of occupants" where you'll see a "1" = 1 occupant.

Then see the septic tank size data and find your septic tank size.

That will give you the recommended pumping interval.

But if your tank has never been pumped or its condition is not known, I'd start by pumping it now.

Septic tank pumping schedule for two elderly occupants?

If two seniors utilize their septic system for six months each year, how often should we pump out the tank ? On 2017-06-03 by Jim

Reply by (mod) -

Jim,

The frequency of recommended septic tank pumping depends on principally two factors when a conventional septic design is installed. One factor is the number of people in the household, and the second factor is the size of the septic tank.

Since there are two people in your household you know half of the answer. The other half is going to depend on the size of your septic tank. Please take a look at the table

in SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE where you will see a column under household size with a 2 in it that's your case then read down the column to find the size of your septic tank that's the recommended pumping frequency for full-time occupancy.

If your occupancy is half-time you could double that interval.

How often do we pump the septic tank if there are 4 occupants in the home?

How often should a tank be pumped for a family of four? On 2017-03-01 by suzanne anastasi

by (mod) - find the septic tank size, then check the pumping table given here

Sorry but no one can answer that correctly: first we need to know the size of the septic tank.

Then see the table at SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE -

If you don't know the septic tank size, your septic contractor can open and inspect the tank and measure it to calculate its volume for you.

Our septic tank has never been pumpd; now I see what looks like motor oil in the tank - they won't pump it

I called the local septic tank company to have them pump the septic tank. It has been maintenance free for twenty years without any problem until now.

Upon arrival he located and removed the inspection lid. In addition to normal sludge there was a liquid substance that looked sort of like used motor oil.

To make a long story short the first company refused to pump it.

When the second companies truck arrived he too, was confounded by this oil looking substance and said he didn't want to pump the tank without knowing what the substance was because it could possibly make a difference in the disposal.

Oh and by-the-way, only two people have lived at this residence. What do you think the substance might be? Thank you. On 2014-10-31 by Mr Wilson

Reply by (mod) -

Remarkable - not many people get away with never pumping the septic tank.

The oil might be just that: oil - from some fool dumping used oil into a drain, toilet, floor drain, etc.

It could be other oily products: cooking oil for example.

If the quantity is significant and thus there may be significant disposal costs involved, I'd take a small sample to a testing lab to have the material identified.

Then if appropriate you might have to hire a waste disposal company to pump just the oil out of the septic tank.

Then the tank should be able to be pumped and cleaned normally.

Septic tank looked clean at pumpout: can I wait longer before the next septic pumpout?

14 year old 1500 gallon, two compartment tank in California. Pumped and certified 8 years ago.

Last 8 years only two adults using home that don't use garbage disposal and dB don't put fats and oils down drain and use outdoor shower so very little soap and shampoo goes into tank.

I built tool of clear plastic pipe to capture a column of water in each compartment. Inlet compartment had very little if any scum layer and about one foot of sludge.

Outlet compartment has no sludge and no scum just murky water. I was expecting to see enough to justify pumping this year. Should I just wait another 8 years and then check it again? On 2017-03-26 by Dave

Answer by (mod) - quite possibly, yes.

The answer to how long you might want to wait depends on the septic tank size and shape.
For example if the tank were one of those (IMO horrible) flat wide septic tanks installed over rocky areas, it might be just 3 feet tall and one foot of sludge is already enough that the tank needs pumping.

by Dave

Thanks for the really fast response. Your answer implies that the levels on the outlet compartment have no bearing on when top pump. Am I reading that correctly?

The total distance from the bottom of the tank to the top of the liquid is 4 feet 3 inch. Since there is no scum layer, under the 40% rule, I think I can give it another 6 years before I check again. Does that sound about right to you?

by (mod)

I don't fully understand your system, Dave, so all I can say is rather speculative.

Generally we look at BOTH scum thickness (on tank bottom) and sludge thickness (on tank top).

Please take a look at the article series on measuring these that starts at MEASURE SCUM & SLUDGE

at https://inspectapedia.com/septic/Septic_Tank_Level_Measurements.php

That's pretty thorough - I'd be glad to hear further from you with critique, questions, suggestions.

Daniel

by Dave - calculating the septic tank effluent retention time

Daniel,

I forgot to proof what I wrote and the automatic spell checked changed some words that made what I wrote gibberish. Sorry about that. I think my tank is pretty standard. Thanks for this really great resource.

What I read on your very complete site, is very clear to me except the EFFLUENT RETENTION TIME in a tank with a partition. I would think that when my 1500 gallon tank inlet partition gets completely filled with sludge, as long as my outlet partition has no sludge, I would still have the EFFLUENT RETENTION TIME of a 750 gallon tank.

Wouldn't that mean I could still be OK as long as I don't put more than 750 gallons/day of liquid into the tank?

by (mod) re: effluent retention time in septic tanks & multi-compartment septic tanks

Yeah Dave especially on my phone it has very different ideas about what I should be saying.

Your question about effluent retention time is important and I don't yet have an authoritative answer.

The general point is that with insufficient effluent retention time solids will not settle out before they get pushed out into the drainfield - ruining it.

A multi-chamber septic tank improves its performance in part by keeping more solids in the first chamber, some further settlement occurs in the second chamber - but how we would calculate effluent retention time for that design is an engineering question I'll need to ask.

In fact the first chamber in a multi-chamber tank will be smaller than a single compartment tank of the same size, so we lose retention time for that factor, but we gain the effective retention time by tank design that tries to hold solids back.

A clue we might find that I"ve not considered before is the question of how should we adjust the septic tank pumping schedule for multiple chamber septic tanks. Let's both research that.

Let me know what you find and I'll do the same.

Septic Tank Pumpout Procedure Details FAQs

Tip: See our detailed and throrough procedure at PUMPING the SEPTIC TANK 

Should we pressure wash the septic tank after pumping?

Do you need to wash with a hose or pressure washer, the inside of the tank after its emptied On 2017-09-27 by Andrew

Reply by (mod)

Not exactly, Andrew, but often a thorough septic tank cleanout requires wash-down to remove the last solid waste from the tank. The septic contractor with whom I worked does wash down the tank sides and bottom and pump out that wastewater as a final step, but he used a garden hose and house pressure, not high pressure, to do so. - Daniel F.

Empty Septic Tank FAQs

Note: The only time a septic tank would be empty is when it has just been installed or just been pumped out.

Is it bad to have the septic tank empty for winter?

I've been told a house I just bought doesn't want to empty the Septic tank because its bad to have it empty for winter. True or false?

Older single lady, pumped 4 years ago, says it won't need it anyway. On 2017-08-03 by Maidem -

Reply by (mod) -

As the cops told our renter when she called the police station to tell them that she wanted them to call Amtrack to tell the train engineer to stop blowing his whistle at crossings at night because the sound bothered her, "Well that's one I've never heard before".

If the tank was pumped 4 years ago and the home has one occupant, it's true that it probably doesn't need pumping. And a seller

- doesn't want the yard dug up and left a mess in the event you don't buy the home

- might have the fantasy that something might be wrong, might be discovered during pumping, and cause ripples in the sale of the home

In the past I've told buyers to call the septic guy to ask if, when he pumped the tank he saw any signs of trouble, like broken baffles or sound of effluent flowing back into the tank during or after pumping.

But some pumpers are conflicted between not annoying their present customer and hoping you'll continue doing business with them. So such reports are not a warranty of anything.

If the home and septic system are old you could have your inspector perform a septic loading and dye test - that has to be done with a full tank anyhow.

If the seller won't permit a test nor pumpout, I respect their wishes, as after all, it's their home. But I might add that those conditions give me no choice but to assume, as I estimate the true cost of the home, that I'm facing septic repair or replacement. That's not a reason not to buy a home but it would be a reason to be sure to have the sufficient funds in reserve.

It's not uncommon for new owners, moving in with 4 babies and 14 loads of wash a week to quickly find that an old, marginal septic system that gave no trouble to a clean, rarely-bathing little old lady was actually already in failure. I tell you that from first hand experience.

A septic tank should not be left empty ** IF ** the tank is a lightweight plastic or fiberglass AND the tank was not properly anchored in the ground when installed - otherwise in wet conditions it might float up out of the soil. Otherwise, an empty tank isn't harmed by cold weather. It's not as if an idle but full septic tank is better protected against freezing.

Watch out: however if the "septic tank" is really a home-made one, perhaps of stacked up concrete blocks, or maybe it's not even really a septic tank but more a home-built cesspool, then absolutely yes: the thing needs to remain filled as frost can push it in leading to a collapse.

I add that such systems are marginal, probably have no predictable forward life, and are dangerous to walk over or even close-to before we know that there is a safe cover - if someone falls-in that's often fatal.

SO see if you can find out

- the age of the system

- what is installed

- what your onsite inspector can see and test

Septic Tank Replacement FAQs

On 2016-09-21 by Anonymous

How often do you change the average septic tank

by (mod) - How often do you change the average septic tank

See SEPTIC LIFE EXPECTANCY

We don't "change out" septic tanks. If a steel septic tank rusts out or if a concrete or plastic tank suffers mechanical damage then those vessels probably need replacement.

Even considering just steel septic tanks that are more exposed to deterioration than concrete, plastic, fiberglass, the rate at which a steel tank corrodes and fails is very dependent on the soil chemistry and might range from 10 to 30 years.