Inspecting Your Septic Tank

With the right maintenance and attention, your septic system may endure a very long time. Your tank will last for many years if you use it correctly, pump as regularly as is necessary for the size of your tank, and don't put anything in it that shouldn't be there. Steel septic tanks corrode eventually, usually after 15 to 20 years. Septic tanks made of concrete can last for 40 years or almost always. To ensure that your septic system lasts as long as possible without needing to be replaced, it is in your best interest to undergo routine maintenance. A routine septic tank inspection is the first easy chore you can do.

Proper Tools

You need the right tools in order to assess your septic tank's condition and decide whether it needs to be pumped. To assess the quantities of scum and sludge that reside in your tank, you require a special tool called a Sludge Judge in addition to comfortable attire, rubber gloves, and shoes. This gadget is only a clear plastic pipe that has been divided into three portions, each measuring 5 feet in length, at intervals of 1 foot. Use your own equipment.

Sludge, effluent, and scum are the three layers of waste that are present in every septic tank. The dense waste that settles to the bottom of your septic tank is called sludge. Fats, oils, cooking grease, and lighter trash float to the surface in scum. Liquid effluent makes up the middle layer. To establish whether your tank needs to be pumped, you must assess how much scum and sludge are

Inspecting Around Your Tank

It is a good idea to check at the ground before opening the lid on your septic tank. Examine the condition of the septic tank lid and look for any effluent accumulation around the tank.

Removing The Tank’s Lid

These days, many septic systems incorporate "risers" that simplify the process by elevating the lids above earth. Find the location of the tank and start digging if you can't see the septic tank cover. Two lids, one for each compartment, should be available. Typically, the first compartment is in the hole on the left, while the second compartment is in the hole on the right. For the first one, simply measurements are required.

Scum Thickness

You need to take out your handy scum measuring stick to determine how thick the scum is in your tank. Mark the spot where the stick touches the septic tank opening and then lower the stick until it is level with the scum layer. Next, lower while leading into the scum with the elbow end of the through the entire scum layer. When you can feel the bottom of the scum layer, turn the stick 90 degrees and pull up on it. Where the scum stick touches the scum layer's base, mark it. Find the separation between the two marks. This is the scum layer's thickness (SC).

Sludge Thickness

Make a hole in the scum layer with your handy sludge measuring stick, then carefully lower the stick through it after attaching two feet of a white cloth to it. Mark the stick where it connects to the manhole or riser entrance. To get the sludge to stick to the towel, lower it to the very bottom of the tank and keep it there for five minutes. Measure the tank's length or operational depth. Take the stick out, then gauge the depth of the dark stain that should be visible on the rag. This is the sludge layer's (SL) depth.

You may schedule the time to pump your septic tank once you have these measurements. The sum of the thicknesses of the scum layer and the sludge layer, or SC+SL, must be larger than one-third of the working depth, or WD.

SC + SL = ____ inches

WD ____ inches divided by 3= ____

If the total of A>the total of B, pump your tank!