If you have a septic tank, you need to make sure that it gets pumped out regularly. The average residential tank is about 1000 gallons, and with average usage, you need to get it pumped about every three years or so. That will vary somewhat, depending on how many people live in your house and how much water you use. To get your septic tank pumped, you must know where the tank access is and call a professional.

Finding the Access

The first thing that the septic service tech will need to do is find the tank access. This is going to be the lid of your tank. Depending on where you live, your tank lid may actually be buried along with the rest of your tank. Or, you may have a raised lid that is covered up, which can make it easier to find. If your lid is buried, you need to point out to the septic company where your tank is. Hopefully, you have something that pinpoints exactly where it is, or you have a very good idea of its location. Otherwise, the person doing the pumping will need to hunt around for the access. Once they have found the lid and dug it up, it's time to actually do the pumping. 

Pumping the Tank

The service technician doing the pumping will have driven a tank truck with a huge vacuum to your house. The vacuum will have a wide-diameter hose attached. That is what actually goes down into the tank. It needs to have a wide diameter so that it will be able to suck up all the stuff that's in the tank quickly. Something with a narrow diameter could actually be blocked by the sludge or scum in your tank. The hose will go into your tank, and the person doing the pumping will turn on the vacuum. Everything from your tank will end up in the tank truck, to be safely disposed of. The tech may also have a hose that they can use to spray the sides of the tank so that they are sure to get everything. The person handling your tank may also have you flush a toilet or run a drain to make sure everything is running smoothly. The entire pumping process generally takes under thirty minutes. 

If you have a septic tank, you need to make sure that you are getting it pumped out regularly. For more information about septic tank pumping, contact a local service.