What Gets Removed During Septic Pumping?

Pumping is a crucial part of your regular septic system maintenance in Cleveland, TX. How frequently you have to pump your system depends largely on the usage levels of your septic system, the size of the tank and the type of climate you’re in, but in general you can assume that every two or three years, you’re going to need your system pumped.

So what exactly does this process look like? What is it the technicians are pumping out of the system? Are you really sure you want to know?

Here’s a quick overview of what gets removed during septic pumping:

• Sludge: The start of the pumping typically involves the removal of sludge that’s built up on the bottom of the tank. This is going to be the solid wastes we flush down the toilet, or some of the other thicker substances that run down the drains in our homes. These materials, when they build up to a certain level, could potentially prevent bacteria from breaking down the waste located inside the tank, so it’s important to get that sludge out through the system as quickly as possible.
• Grease: Greasy materials, including soap scum, grease from the kitchen or residue from cleaning items can build up inside the septic tank, and these materials can be cleared out during the septic system pumping process. It might take a little bit of extra pressure during the pumping to get these materials removed. If the pumping process doesn’t take care of them, you’ll have to try out other methods, because they do need to be removed. Your plumbing professional can provide you with more information about the types of alternative processes that can be used to remove these greasy substances.
• Synthetic materials: If there are certain items that do not break down easily in the system, such as items that collect in a washing machine, a pumping will force these materials out. This is also true for toilet paper that doesn’t break down for whatever reason, or any other synthetic materials you’d find inside the system.
• Improper items: There are some circumstances in which people flush the wrong types of items down the drain, including cotton swabs, feminine hygiene products, paper towels and cigarette butts. These items should never be flushed down a toilet, especially into a septic system, but it happens every now and then. These items will not break down inside the tank, and could clog up some parts of the system if left unaddressed. The pumping will clear these items out before they start to pile up even more and cause any blockages that could lead to some expensive repairs.

Looking for more information about what happens during the process of septic tank pumping? We encourage you to contact All Pro Septic to learn more about septic system maintenance in Conroe, TX. This is a process that all septic system owners must go through every several years to keep their system in good operational condition for years to come.

Categorised in: Septic System Maintenance