Septic Tank Maintenance
It is easy to forget that your septic tank needs maintenance on a regular basis in order to perform its mission effectively and in an environmentally responsible manner.
The most common septic tank maintenance is regular pumping of the tank by a septic pumping company. The recommended schedule for this varies, depending upon size of septic tank, number of people that use it, and soil condition at the leach field. Sandy soils can go longer, clay soils not so long. A simple rule of thumb is to have your septic tank maintenance pumpout about once every 4 years. This works out to only about $50 US dollars per year, which is far, far less than city folks pay for their sewer service.
The basic idea for pumping, as shown on the septic tank drawing elsewhere on this website, is to prevent sludge from building up (or scum and grease from building down) to a point where they can enter the leach field through the outlet pipe.
Various proprietary chemicals and enzymes are commonly used for septic tank maintenance, to activate digestion in septic tanks and unclog leach fields (drainfields). Some users strongly believe that these chemicals have restored their systems, others don't. Their cost, compared to septic tank replacement, is low.
If you want to determine why your sewers are backing up or your house has a bad septic smell, you can find septic tank troubleshooting information on this website.
Do It Yourself Septic Tank Maintenance
Some homeowners, mainly those with a strong stomach, prefer to do (at least some of) the maintenance on their septic tanks. They can use a sewer snake (available at tool rental companies) to unclog sewer lines and (in some cases) even leach field piping. The swopnet.com website includes instructions on how to perform some do-it-yourself septic tank repairs.