If you aren't already making regular cleaning appointments for your household's septic tank, now is the time to start doing so. Following are just a few important reasons to make professional cleaning a priority.

Optimize the Performance of Your System

One of the best reasons to schedule professional residential septic tank cleaning appointments is to optimize its overall performance as time goes on. A septic tank that's even halfway filled up can have trouble keeping up with your household's sink, toilet, and shower usage and result in your sinks and showers draining slower than is necessary or a toilet that seems to keep getting backed up for some reason.

Reduce the Need for Repairs and Replacements

By having your septic tank professionally cleaned on a regular basis, you may be able to avoid the need for making costly repairs as the tank ages. Built-up waste can put a lot of pressure on the walls of your septic tank, which can cause problems like cracks before long. And if your septic tank cracks, it could turn into a serious leakage problem that puts your family's health at risk before all is said and done.

And leaks can be time-consuming and expensive to repair. If a leak gets bad enough, you may even have to replace your septic tank altogether. Luckily, a quick cleaning once or twice a year should minimize any risk you'll have of future cracks and leaks.

Prevent the Development of Unwanted Odors

Because your septic tank is buried underground, you shouldn't have to worry about dealing with any unwanted odors – unless the tank gets too full of waste. As the septic tank fills up, the odors can't be as easily controlled within the tank and those odors may start finding their way up your pipes and into your home.

The odors may just linger in the backyard and disturb the quality time that you're trying to spend with your kids. But making sure that your septic tank doesn't get too full between cleanings should eliminate the development of odors throughout the coming years.

Get to Know Your System Better

Having your home's septic tank professionally cleaned will also give you an opportunity to get to know your system better as a whole. The more you know about how the septic tank and system works, the better you can maintain and care for it between professional visits.

Ask your service provider to point out each component in your septic system and explain how they work and what signs of damage to look for as time goes on. And ask them for a maintenance checklist that you can follow both inside and out to keep your tank and system in good shape.