I am having my septic tank pumped today. Apparently it hasn’t been done in a while. The company is going to pump out 1000 gallons. My question is since I am on a fixed income should I have the septic pumped again around April? My house mate is wanting me to use Ridex and a Septic tank root killer. I have read the threads and see that most of you don’t recommend Ridex. I do have trees in my yard and I watched You Tube about removing roots from the tank. Should this be done also ( if roots are in the tank) I know not to use harsh chemicals and to check all household cleaners for use in the septic tank. I am confused and need advise and help!:smack:
Why would you have it pumped now, and then again four months later? We get ours pumped every couple of years.
After completely pumping the holding tank, they should do a quick inspection of the tank using a flashlight.
I am not sure what to do about tree roots. If tree roots were in our tank, I would be taking down trees ASAP.
It depends on how many people are in the house. We get ours pumped every five years for a family of four, now two (empty nesters.)
Roots in your septic tank will kill it. As my dad says (he works for a septic tank company) do you want to hug your tree or flush your toilet? Nothing but grass over the drainfield. No bushes or trees. Get them moved NOW.
Basically, nothing should go down into your tank that doesn’t first pass through your body. No paint, no medication, nothing that is not food.
In my opinion you are right to not use Ridex or similar products. All that does is move the sludge from the tank, where it can be pumped out, to the leach field where it can’t be removed without an excavator.
I have my tank, two compartments, pumped every 4-5 years. Is yours a two compartment tank? I have a lift pump in my system because I can’t gravity flow to my field. The first compartment receives the inflow where breakdown occurs, then liquid flows to the pump compartment where it gets pumped to the drain field when enough has accumulated.
Agree with the others that I see no reason to pump it out again for several years. Tanks are usually sized to work for at least five years between pumpings. Of course, this depends on how many people live in the house. Some municipalities are now requiring that people pump every three years, but that would be the absolute minimum in most cases.
As for tree roots, if there are any, ask the pumping company what they see and recommend.
Might I hitch my wagon to your thread? I, too, am a septic newby.
How does one know that their septic tank needs to be pumped?
I don’t even know where my drainfield is. But we have trees and bushes everywhere. Oh boy. Next pumping session I’ll have some questions for the experts.
It’s preventive maintenance. You don’t wait until your car seizes up before you change the oil. Again, it depends on the number of people in the house. I would say if you have just moved into a new house and the old owners don’t have records, then go ahead and get it pumped. We get ours pumped every five years.
Sure hitch a ride on! I don’t mind at all!
As for the tree in my yard it will be coming down!
Right now it’s just me and my house mate but later this summer a teenager is moving in.
So having 1000 gallons pumped out will be good for another 3 to 5 years?
Also the tree is coming down. Will be looking for a someone to remove it.
The frequency of getting a tank emptied varies a lot. Soil, weather, size, construction, household size, homeowner stupidity* all play a role.
For our old place, it had to be every two years. No doubt about it.
Here we just had our 2nd clean-out for a nearly 40 year old system. And it wasn’t even full this last time, just needed to repair some damage from the tree removal people so we had it done while that was happening.
If you are new to a house, find out from the old homeowners (before closing) about the history of the system. Ask the neighbors what their frequency is.
- As mentioned: gray water and human waste. No food scraps, no grease, no diapers, etc.
Better yet, make the purchase contingent on a pumping and inspection (at seller’s expense), then you’re worry free for 3 to 5 years.
Depending on the season, the drainfield is where the lushest and greenest grass grows. But get a qualified company to come out and check.
Funny story, when we got our tank pumped for the first time, the company asked, “Where’s your filter?” There’s supposed to be a filter in the pipe part that sticks out of the ground. We called the builder, who called his septic tank guy.
Turns out, FOR DECADES, this guy was using one filter. He’d put it in for the inspection, then take it out again, because, as he claimed, NO ONE GETS THEIR TANK PUMPED. He had to come out five years after the house was built and put in the filter.
:dubious:
We get ours pumped every 3-4 years, only 2 people living here. No trees growing on top of it, only 2 folks living here.
And (cue gasping noises) we’re not especially vigilant about what we put in it. We don’t go out of our way to put crap down it - no paint or anything like that - but we also don’t worry about the occasionally bit of grease and kitchen scraps. We even (OMG!) have a garbage disposal in the sink. Yes, I know conventional wisdom says don’t do it. I also had plenty of master plumbers tell me they had septic systems and a garbage disposal. We took the risk, and so far (15 year in) we’ve been fine.
Don’t feel like you all have to tell me how stupid that is. I can go look up the other threads I’ve admitted this in if I’m in the mood.
WTF? No. You’d get it pumped every 4-5 years, not every 4-5 months.
Your poo contains everything a septic tank needs - Ridex is an unnecessary expense.
You don’t want to use root killer because that kills roots, which may leave a weakened tree than can fall over and cause significant damage or, worst case, even kill someone. You get the tree/shrub/whatever removed.
Wait, what pipe part that sticks out of the ground? I don’t think my parents’ house has one and I don’t remember seeing it elsewhere.
We waited over ten years and they said that, though it was high, it was not really full yet. But there are just two of us.
Every 2-3 years should usually be enough.
I don’t find it stupid at all. If you look into it, it’s considered acceptable to have a garbage disposal if you’re willing to have it pumped more often. The size of the system also comes into play. Some people purposefully oversize their tanks so they can have a garbage disposal.
As I mentioned, some municipalities are forcing people to have their tanks pumped regularly. In my area, some counties require it every three years. If I had to have mine pumped every three years, I’d have no qualms in having a garbage disposal. Three years is overkill for properly sized systems.
You may be laboring under the common misconception that when a tank is pumped, they’re removing an amount of liquids and solids that will slowly be replaced over time. This is not true. A tank is always full of liquid - that 1000 gallons will be replaced by your normal household use in a few days.
What pumping does is remove the solids that can’t/won’t decompose over time. There’s scum, which is the floating solids, and sludge, which sinks to the bottom of the tank. You want to pump those out periodically because if you don’t, they build up to the point where they reduce the efficiency of the tank, and can get into the leach field, which is a very bad thing.
So the way to think about it is not that they’re pumping out 1000 gallons. They’re pumping out x years worth of non-decomposing solids.
I’m not sure what it’s called and my Googlefu is not working right now. Next to the drainfield we have a white pipe near the house, maybe 4-6 inches across and capped, sticking out of the ground. That’s where the filter goes.
Oh, and we have a garbage disposal too. Not to be crude, but your poop has all the necessary bacteria to gobble up what ends up in the tank. RidEx and other products can kill this bacteria.
Here’s a good guideline to septic tank maintenance.