Experts in the plumbing industry often recommend having your septic tank pumped every few years. So, what if you've lived in your home for longer than that and have never had your septic tank pumped? Should you be worried? What might happen, and what should you do? Keep reading to learn how you should best proceed in this case.
Should you be worried?
While it would have been better to have your septic tank pumped routinely, failing to do so is no reason to be extremely worried or hard on yourself. If you are not noticing any big problems with your septic tank, then everything is likely okay for the time being. Most problems caused by a lack of routine septic pumping go away once you have the tank pumped.
What might happen?
If you have not had your tank pumped in a while, you may notice that your drains become slow. The water may linger in your sinks or tubs for a while before going down because the solids will be taking up too much room in the tank and there is not quite enough room left for the liquid.
You may also notice that your toilets back up from time to time. This happens when the tank does become completely full and sewage starts flowing back through your sewage pipes and into your home.
Finally, you may notice that the yard around your septic tank is overly wet. The grass might be taller in this area than in the rest of the yard because raw sewage is leaving the tank before it has had time to break down, which tends to happen when the tank is too full.
What should you do?
All you really need to do is call a septic pumping company and make an appointment. It should only take them an hour or two to pump out your tank. In doing so, they will remove the solids from the bottom of the tank, which will leave more room for additional sewage and liquids. They will likely also advise you as to how to best care for your septic system, going forward. For instance, they'll tell you how often you should pump your tank going forward.
If you have not had your septic tank pumped, don't get too worried. This is a situation that is easy to fix by calling in the pros.
For more information on septic services, contact a septic maintenance company near you.
