How Often Should You Empty Your Septic Tank?

People who have septic tanks in their homes understand the unintended consequences of not emptying them. There is no other way to prevent any septic tank-related issues than emptying it on a regular basis.

Septic tanks in the UK should generally be emptied every 1 to 3 years; however, some factors help determine the frequency of emptying your tank. These include your family size, the number of people visiting your house per day, and your tank’s size. For a family of four, this should be once a year.

The case is not closed here yet. A lot needs to be uncovered about septic tanks that will enlighten you more about septic tanks, their emptying frequency, factors that affect the cleaning frequency, and more. These details are nothing but critical because otherwise, the consequences can be disastrous. Just follow our write-up…

When to Schedule Septic Tank Pumping?

Here’s a detailed list of signs that suggests your septic tank is nearing its capacity and needs to be emptied as soon as possible:

• Drainage Issues: A Sign of a Full Tank: Finding it hard to drain your washing machines, sinks, bathtubs, and toilets? That could be the number one indication that your septic tank needs to be emptied. This is because your tank starts backing up into the pipes. To prevent further escalation, you can pump the tank at its earliest.
• Foul Odours: Don’t Ignore the Warning: Another sure sign of a full tank is the foul sewage odours drifting up from your toilets and drains. Pay attention to bad smells near the septic tank, as they can indicate sewage leaks.
• High Water Levels: A Sign of Sludge Buildup: While you’re out checking the state of your drain field, take a look at You need to check the water levels in your tank while checking the condition of drain field. If the water level is too high, it may be an indication of sludge build up at the tank’s bottom surface and that it therefore requires to be emptied.
• Gurgling Pipes: A Sign of Septic Trouble: If you notice any gurgling noises when water is moving through pipes, then there may be an issue with your septic tank.
• Surface Indicators of Septic Problems: Not just bad odour, standing water in some areas could also indicate that the tank is full and overflowing. The sewer water seeps into the contiguous soil, causing water to stand in some areas.
• Sewage Overflow: Indicating Septic Failure: Observing backed-up wastewater inside your house? There could be no greater indication than this. Your tank would require immediate attention.

How Different Factors Impact a Septic Tank’s Pumping Frequency?

Let’s talk about how you can determine the frequency of your tank cleansing. In the UK, the septic tank emptying time is 3-5 years. But this duration may vary, as several other factors affect this duration. You’ll have to consider all these factors while determining the time for emptying your tank. These include:

• Tank Size and Occupancy

The biggest and most obvious factor is the number of people using the tank. It will greatly affect the number of times you will have to empty the tank. More people mean draining earlier than usual. Apart from the usual household members, if you receive guests more often than usual, this also affects the emptying duration that will certainly arrive earlier.

• Impact of Solid Waste

Another big factor is the quantity of solid objects getting into your tank. Broken toys, food scraps, and several other things entering your tank would determine how often and how early it would need to be emptied. Notice if your tank fills up earlier than normal. If that’s the case, it is a sign to empty it earlier than the suggested three years.

• Surrounding Soil Factor

The kind of soil you have at your house, particularly around the tank, also affects how often it should be emptied. If you’ve clay or other soil that doesn’t allow water to permeate, it will soak back into the ground. Consequently, your tank will fill up faster, and you’ll need to empty it more often.

• Leach Field Considerations

A leach field is a network of pipes or ditches that move excess tank water into the surrounding soil. If you’ve your tank installed along with the field, you should get the latter one checked at least once every three years. In case it starts malfunctioning, the tank would fill up faster and would require emptying more often.

The Key to a Healthy Septic System: Expert Advice

Maintaining your septic tank is critical to creating a healthy environment as well as extending the tank’s own lifespan. Not draining the tank on time will cause costly future repairs and replacements and drain your wallet instead. Here’s how you can perform proper maintenance:

• Be conscious of your water usage. That’s the basic thing. To minimise your water usage, be conscious regarding per day usage frequency of your laundry machine. Also, make sure you limit your shower time and don’t leave any taps running.
• Clog-generating materials, like chemicals, grease, and oil should also not be flushed down the toilet.
• Remember not to use excessive bleach or other cleaning products because they can kill the good bacteria in the tank. Good bacteria break down the solids, fats, and oils in the tank, which cuts down the amount of sludge. They are a big part of how a septic tank works, so killing them by using the aforementioned things would be detrimental.
• You need to leave some sludge at the bottom of your septic tank as it is critical to keeping the good bacteria alive. However, do not let excessive waste remain for a long time, as it will reduce the duration for which wastewater can be held.
• On average, you need to pump the sludge out every 3-5 years, but some may need to be pumped out every year.

Cleaning Your Septic Tank: A DIY Guide or Professional Help?

Thinking of cleaning your septic tank of any waste? This is a job that should be done by the specialists. Here are the steps a professional follows to empty your tank:

1. The process begins with a survey. A waste removal expert will open the tank and minutely assess the entire tank.
2. If the tank is found to be full, the professional will place a large tanker vehicle adjacent to the installation, and a flexible pipe will be injected down into the system.
3. Using high suction force, the hose will eliminate waste from inside the septic tank.
4. Remember, the tank will remove only the sludge and filth accumulation. Liquid waste is left to ensure that bacteria remain in the tank.
5. The garbage is pumped into the tanker and driven away to the waste disposal location for proper dumping.

Get Your Septic Tank Cleaned by the Experts: Schedule Now!

The importance of professional cleaning cannot be understated. It can make a lot of difference and especially while emptying the tank. Any trivial mistake can cause you a lot of unwanted trouble, which might not drain the tank but certainly your time and energy. That’s why Fast Drains sends its heroes equipped with the right tools. Whether you want to empty your tanks or clean it as well, just give us a call at 0800 144 8480 or e-mail at ukfastdrains@gmail.com.