Few things can ruin your day faster than coming home from work and smelling the telltale scent of raw sewage in the air. If your septic tank has overflowed, or worse, back up the lines into your home, it needs to be pumped out — and quickly.
How often should the tank be pumped?
As a rule of thumb, you will want to have your septic tank inspected around every three years, although inspections that are more frequent may be needed for some systems due to the state of their mechanical components. How often you need to pump your tank is another matter entirely, and it largely depends on the size of your tank and the size of your household.
If you have a 1,500-gallon tank and live in a family of four, typical use dictates the tank should be pumped every three to five years. However, if you live alone with a tank of equal size, you could likely go ten years without having it pumped. You should also consider how old the tank is. For example, if you moved into the home or you are renting one, you might not know the last time the tank was pumped.
Emergency Pumping
Nevertheless, when an emergency happens, you do not want to spend time trying to remember the finer details. Having sewage backup in your home is not pleasant for anyone, and can be very dangerous if any of your household has a compromised immune system.
Call at the first sign of trouble. A sewage backup can quickly turn worse if you wait until morning to take care of the problem. After the emergency pump is completed, the team will visually inspect your tank to evaluate its current level of care and if further maintenance is required to prevent future backups.
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