If your home is connected to a septic tank system, your septic system can last 25 to 30 years with the right maintenance. When it is time to maintain and pump your septic tank, here are some tips to help make the process easier each time. 

Know Where Your Septic Tank is Located

When your home has a septic system, it is important to know where the tank is located in your yard. Then, once you know where the tank is, it is also a good idea to know where the tank's lid. If you do not know where your septic tank and lid are, you are eventually going to need to find this out. 

When it is time to do regular maintenance on your system and pump out your septic tank, the septic pump technician will need to know where the lid is to the tank so they can dig into your yard to access its lid. They may need to dig into your yard every couple years. Depending on the size of your septic tank and the number of people in your home, your tank may need to be pumped every two to three years. For example, six people using a 1250-gallon tank will need to be pumped every two years. 

It is also recommended to pump your tank when its sludge depth is equal to one-third or more of the depth of the liquid. If you are not sure how full your septic tank is, but suspect it is getting full, you will need to have a technician measure the level of your septic tank. This technician will also need to dig into your yard to get to your septic tank opening. 

Septic tanks can be installed up to three feet below the surface of your yard, but most are buried at an average depth of 18 inches. If there is no visible tank lid in your yard, you won't know where to look for it. You will need to hire a septic tank locator to find and mark your tank's location. Once you have found its location, you can mark its location in your yard for future use.

Make Your Tank Easy to Access

When you have located your septic tank and its opening, and the opening is buried below ground, it can be helpful to raise the opening to above ground with risers. Then, with the right lid securing the tank opening, you won't have to dig up your hard when it is time to have your septic tank cleaned again. 

Some septic tank openings have already had risers added to them to raise the opening up to a higher level, but the lid is still buried under a few inches of soil. If you are in this situation, your yard's soil and landscaping will still be disturbed during septic tank cleaning. So, it can be helpful to added one or two more risers to raise its opening. You can install PVC or concrete risers to extend the septic tank's lidded opening up and out of the ground in your yard. 

First, dig down the the opening of your septic tank and clean off the soil from around the opening. Remove the lid from your septic tank and install an adapter ring that is of equal size or slightly wider than the tank's opening. Attach the ring with a ring of butyl rope, which will help the ring adhere to your tank. The butyl rope also gives the tank opening a water tight seal and prevent gasses from escaping. Then, secure the ring with screws placed through the adapter ring and into the septic tank exterior. 

Risers are available in heights of six or twelve inches. Measure how many risers you will need to attach onto the adapter ring to bring the tank's opening to a level above ground. Attach the risers together, using screws and a ring of butyl rope. Replace the lid on your risers and you septic tank is ready.

Use these tips to make septic tank maintenance easier. For more information or assistance, contact companies like Rob's Septic Tanks Inc.

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