What Is A Typical Septic Tank Pumping Cost for My Septic Tank?

Posted by on November 13, 2011 1 comment

No matter how healthy the inside of your septic tank’s digestive system is, the day will come when it will need to be pumped. If you are reading our blog, chances are you have some warning signs that suggest a pump might be needed. A septic tank is itself a living organism, and digests waste with its own bacteria. However, there is some waste that cannot be digested. We call this sludge, and too much of it will clog the distribution pipes, leaching bed and cause water to pond above the tank and/or back up in your house. On our one-stop blog, we investigate how often to pump this sludge, what time of year, the associated costs (and helpful hints to reduce the cost) to give you a clearer picture of your obligations in maintaining a healthy and happy septic system.  We are always looking for your thoughts, please feel free to leave us a comment or contact us with any suggestions or concerns you may have!

As a rule of thumb, a septic tank should be pumped when one third of the tank is filled with solids and sludge. This may take anywhere between one and thirty years, depending on the size of the tank and the number of people in the home. Please refer to the guide below to give you an indication of where you stand.

Household size and suggested frequency of pumping for a tank size of 1,000 gallons (pump cost ~$200)

1: 15 years
2: 14 years
3: 12 years
4: 2.5 years
5-7: 2 years
8+: 1 year

Household size and suggested frequency of pumping for a tank size of 2,000 gallons (pump cost ~$600)

1: 25 years
2: 14 years
3: 12 years
4: 5 years
5-7: 3.5 years
8+: 3 years

Source: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality – www.tceq.state.tx.us

There is also a seasonal factor to consider. In terms of the best time of year to have your tank pumped, professionals believe that summer to early fall works best. The ground will never be frozen, allowing easy tank access. Critically, the pump will leave the tank bacteria-free. Warm temperatures will re-establish organisms quickly.

Now, the answers to price. Septic tank pumping will cost around $200 for a standard 1,000 gallon tank. Based on a family of four using the tank, $200 will need to be spent every 2-3 years which means a cost of less than $100 a year on average. However, larger tanks such as 2,000 gallon can price in around $600, or around $100 per year for the same family of four. Additional expenses can be avoided with fore-planning.

To ensure you are always aware of any potential issues, new devices to indicate sludge/scum levels and backup problems can be installed. This lets you deal with issues before they become problems. Ongoing inspection of sludge/scum levels will avoid reactive late night calls to plumbers.

Best practice suggests allocating around $100 per year for your septic tank pumping cost, ensuring you do the work during summer or early fall. By being proactive and understanding your septic tank, you can avoid flooding and blockage expenses while maintaining a very healthy septic system.

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Septic Tank Replacement

Posted by on January 4, 2012 No comments

When your current septic tank becomes too small, too leaky, too problematic or too stinky, it is time for septic tank replacement. Before you do this, the installation of a new septic tank needs must enable correct ventilation around your septic tank site selection. Furthermore, the location needs to be upwind on prevailing winds, the outflow of treated water needs to be away from undergound water sources, and most importantly the drainage into the septic tank must be spot on. To ensure you make the right decisions, there are three key factors to consider, which we outline below.

#1 Venting of Air and Septic Tank Site Location
Building Regulations now demand the septic tank system to be appropriately ventilated. Your chosen septic tank must have an appropriate level of ventilation, and most importantly the soil stack system must have sufficient ventilation. This ensures that dangerous gases do not build up within the tank. In making this effective, additional surface air inlets can be installed to inject and circulate fresh air.

Top Tip – Remember, the direction of wind in your property must be considered in detail when you choose a septic tank location. If you get a lot of north direction winds, you will not want to place you septic tank south of the house otherwise fumes will direct themselves to your living area etc.

#2 Gradients and Fall in the Drain
A septic tank drain requires about a 1:40 drain fall or gradient, while plastic models can allow for a 1:80 fall or gradient.

Top Tip – A fall or gradient of 1:200 is needed for the water irrigation or leeching drain, and such drains should be at least ten meters away from any water course such as an underground stream. This will eliminate the risk of contamination if you are using underground water as a source of water.

#3 Covers, Indicators, Pipes and Frames
When installing covers and frames for your septic tank, it is critical that gas does not escape from the tank to the surface of the ground. This is hazardous to your health and also very off putting as the smells will drift. Further to this, U-bends in your pipes within your house prevent gasses from escaping as they store water as a blocker. The piping layout for your septic tank must not compromise the effectiveness of U bends or water traps by drawing water from them. For this reason, a licensed plumber is essential for this kind of work.

Top Tip – To be able to check your inbound matter and outbound matter, it is a great idea to install “inspection chambers” before the septic tank and after the septic tank so you can monitor the quality of the effluent being irrigated into the ground.

With these three factors considered, septic tank replacement will be no problem at all. Read more about  your septic tank pumping cost, and general septic tank maintenance for your septic system.