Septic care calendar
The year of a septic system
Keep the jobs small so the big one never comes. Intervals are general guidance; your permit record and your household decide yours.
- After the thaw
Step 1: Walk the drain field
Look for soft spots, bright green grass or a smell. Keep vehicles and livestock off the field, and clear snowmelt debris from the lids.
- Summer
Step 2: Spread out the laundry
Big wash days put a lot of water into the tank at once. Spread loads over the week so the solids can settle between them.
- Fall
Step 3: Pump before the ground freezes
If a pump-out is due, do it in the fall. Frozen ground makes lids hard to open and a dig slow.
- Every year
Step 4: Clean the filter, check the baffles
If your tank has an effluent filter, it needs rinsing about once a year. We look at the baffles and the sludge level while we are there.
- Every 3 to 5 years
Step 5: Pump the tank
Solids settle to the bottom and scum floats on top. They have to come out before they reach the drain field. We measure both layers and tell you if you can wait.
- Keep a record
Step 6: Every visit
Ask for the note: tank size, what we found, the next date. Keep it with the house papers.
Tank size guide
Tank size and how often to pump
Smaller tanks fill with solids sooner. The permit on file for your home says which one you have.
- Smaller tank
1,000 gallons
A common size for a two or three bedroom home.
Fills with solids sooner: plan on the short end of 3 to 5 years
A garbage disposal or a full house shortens it
- Middle tank
1,250 gallons
A common size for a four bedroom home.
Plan on pumping every 3 to 5 years
Heavy laundry weeks and guests shorten it
- Larger tank
1,500 gallons and up
Five bedrooms or more, or a home with a shop bathroom or a rental unit.
Often reaches the long end of the range
Bigger is not a reason to skip the checks
Rules of thumb for a typical household. We confirm by measuring.
Keep out of the tank
What never goes down the drain
The tank is a settling chamber, not a disposal. These end up as solids or kill the bacteria that do the work.
Wipes of any kind
Even the ones labeled flushable don't break down.
Grease and cooking oil
It floats as scum and carries into the field.
Paint and solvents
They harm the tank and the soil.
Cat litter
It settles as a solid and doesn't break down.
Floss and hygiene products
They don't break down and can block the outlet.
Medications
They pass into the field and the groundwater.
Beyond the tank
Protect the drain field
The drain field is the part you can't replace cheaply. Keep vehicles, livestock and building off it. Plant grass, not trees or shrubs, over it, because roots seek the water.
Don't send roof drains, a sump pump or a water softener's backwash to the tank unless it was designed for it. Extra water pushes solids into the field.
Due for a pump-out?
Tell us when it was last done, if you remember. If you don't, we measure.