A Look At How Your Home's Septic System Is Cleaned
If you own a septic system, you'll need to have it cleaned out regularly. You can have this service scheduled so your tank is pumped out before it gets too full, but you might also need the system or part of it cleaned out if it develops a clog. Here are the different parts of a septic system and how they're cleaned out:
The Parts That Make Up Your Home's Septic System
All of the drains in your house come together to empty in the main sewer line. This line goes from your house to the septic tank. There's usually a cleanout near your house that a plumber can open to put tools in the line if it needs to be cleaned out. The lines in the septic system aren't usually cleaned out routinely. If you take good care of your system, you may never need to have the sewer pipes cleaned. However, when a clog develops, it's necessary to clean it out so your plumbing continues to drain into the tank.
The septic tank has to be cleaned regularly since that's the only way to get rid of the growing sludge layer. The tank has some small parts in it that may get cleaned regularly as well. On the side of the tank farthest from your house is the drainfield. It's connected to the tank with more pipes. These pipes can get clogged and create a serious problem with drainage, so they might have to be cleaned out on an emergency basis, but they're not routinely cleaned.
How A Septic System Is Cleaned
The tank is cleaned out by pumping the waste into a tanker truck that then hauls away the waste. Wastewater drains out of the tank and goes into the field on a continual basis. That's why you may go a few years before the tank needs to be pumped. The solids stay in the tank and break down and turn into sludge. This sludge builds up on the bottom of the tank, and it's pumped out when the tank is cleaned. Routine septic tank cleaning usually just involves cleaning out the tank, although the service person will look for signs of clogs and other potential problems that might need additional cleaning or repairs.
If the lines going into or out of the tank have clogs in them, you'll know it because your toilet will have a weak flush or not flush at all. There might even be sewage leaking in the yard. When this happens, you'll need quick service from the septic cleaning company, and this entails cleaning out the line with a snake tool or a water jet.
For more information, reach out to companies like Economy Septic Tank Service.