Nobody likes the smell of sewage. Its especially bad if that sewage smell is coming up through your homes plumbing. In this article we detail the average costs and benefits of pumping your septic tank.
It is important to know how a septic tank works in order to understand why routine pumping is required. In short a septic system holds in the solid wastes you flush down your toilet and drain down your sinks while allowing the effluent or dirty water free of solids to flow out into the soil to be treated by natural microbes.
When pumping your tank it is the solids that are of concern. Sewage settles into your tank and needs to be removed on a regular basis to prevent backups and damage to your treatment area. If too much sludge accumulates in the tank it is possible for the solids to make their way out to your drain-field and permanently damage the pipes and plumbing. If your tank clogs your sewage can begin to backup into your home and cause damage to your home as well as danger to the health of your family.
Septic tank pumping costs will vary from company to company. Many factors of your homes sewage and tank condition, location, and ease of access can impact the cost of pumping and cleaning your tank. There are also some best practices that you can follow in order to help reduce the cost and chances of problems with your septic tank.
| Size of Tank In Gallons: | Average Cost to Pump |
| Up to 1250 | $500 |
| up to 1500 | $600 |
| 2000 | $700 |
| 3000 | $1000 |
There are a few ways to reduce costs, or at the very least avoid extra charges when having your tank pumped. Many septic pumping companies will charge you an extra fee for difficult to remove items. Any sort of solid item that will not dissolve naturally in the tank should not be flushed. Also keep in mind anything that may compromise the natural microbial balance should be avoided.
This includes but not limited to:
Having an excess amount of anything not dissolvable will increase the difficulty of pumping out your septic tank. Many disposal locations require drivers to clean out the majority of the non dissolvable prior to completing dump which can be a time consuming process.
As a septic pump company SewerTime urges all of our homeowners to pump proactively. When we pump out septics it gives us time to inspect and clean the inlets and outlets of the tank and identify any concerns with the tank before you have a catastrophic backup. Even if you are not experiencing any issues you should be pumping your tank every 3 years. This will keep your septic system working great for years to come.
Ready to pump out your system? Contact Sewer Time 602-777-7867