Is Your Tank Adequately Pumped?

Septic pumping in Marion, Iowa isn’t exactly rocket science, but does require a careful understanding of your field, the size of your tank, and other essential elements. Knowing when to pump a container is something that many professionals can help you manage, particularly if you have an idea of when to call them and the type of measurements that they take when pumping your system out.

The following information is critical if you want to ensure that your tank is adequately pumped and running effectively year after year. As always, make sure that you work with a professional who you can trust to do the job right the first time. And, importantly, also make sure that you understand what type of septic system you have to ensure that everything goes smoothly when you pump your tank.

Get Professional Inspections

When you have a septic tank, you need to make sure that you hire a technician to check its levels at least once a year. The exact timing doesn’t need to be incredibly precise – you don’t need to check it one year to the day and can go a month or two after or before the inspection the year before. However, you should try to make sure that at least 10-11 months have passed before the examination.

During the inspection, your septic professional will check how high the waste has gotten in the septic tank. This step requires using a dipstick that is fed into the tank and pulled out by the technician. After this step, the septic pumping expert is also likely to double-check your septic field for any issues, such as odors, wet spots, or surfacing sewage. These issues typically indicate either a full tank or a leak.

In most cases, the septic professional will gauge when it is time to pump and when you can pass and wait a few more months or so. However, the tank should be pumped at least once a year or so, so even if the expert leaves and doesn’t pump the tank, expect them back at some point. And before you call them back, you should probably know what kind of tank measurement levels typically get the septic professional to want to pump the tank for you.

Pay Attention to These Levels

When septic professionals inspect your tank before septic pumping, they typically check the levels to ensure that they are at a certain point. Usually, they want to make sure that the scum on your tank is within three inches of the outlet device. The outlet device is the system – which includes a pump and various pipes – that moves sewage out of your tank and into a general storage system, such as your city’s sewage field.

Typically, this level is very consistently measured for a few reasons. Three inches is a good safety zone for your septic tank if it is shaken or affected by any changes in the soil level. When it bounces, the waves of the sewage should not be higher than three inches. However, when the sewage gets closer to that outlet device – such as two inches – the waste could very easily flow back into the pipe and cause problems due to sustained exposure to the device.

While some homeowners may want to check this level on their own – either with a homemade or purchased dipstick – you should probably let professionals handle this measurement. Measuring on your own is more likely to produce errors in height readings that could cause you to fail to get pumping when you need it. For example, some people may not understand how to use the dipstick and get an inaccurate reading, as these sticks require you to push them all the way to the bottom of the tank.

Why Proper Pumping is Critical

Septic pumping done improperly or on a poor time table can be a real issue that may even lead to your system failing if you aren’t careful. Fully understanding this potential risk is critical because it can help you know what problems to look for and when to call a septic professional. Just a few issues that you may experience if your tank fails include:

• Heavy Odors – A filled tank is likely to smell quite potent and may cause hard-to-stomach smells that float throughout your whole home and yard.
• Backups – Backups in your home – such as when the toilet flushes – often indicate septic issues, such as a filled tank or clogs somewhere in the system that septic pumping would fix.
• Gurgling Sounds – When your septic tank needs pumping, you’ll hear some pretty heavy gurgling sounds whenever you run water systems. These require immediate pumping to manage.
• Lush Vegetation – A filled septic tank is more likely to leak and cause very lush grass and other vegetation on the surface of the septic field.

These problems are often quite subtle and may be caused by any number of issues. That is part of what makes them so hard to diagnose – you need to be a professional to fully understand the dangers and must take the proper steps to ensure that your septic field is cleaned correctly. Doing so ensures that your home’s plumbing system runs as smoothly and as efficiently as possible.

Experts Are Here for You

As you can see, cleaning your septic system requires you to fully understand when to pump your tank and what kind of problems may affect your container if you don’t clean it properly. Without a working knowledge of this information, you’re going to struggle to get this job done effectively. Even worse, you may make a cleaning mistake if you try DIY treatment and may cause issues that could have been easily avoided otherwise.

So if you need septic pumping in Marion, Iowa and you want the best that you can get, please contact us at Brown Concrete & Backhoe right away to learn more. Our experts will sit down with you and help figure out the best treatment option for your field. Then, we’ll provide you with insightful treatment that you need to ensure you get the best septic field in the area. We look forward to working with you.