For millions of Americans, septic tanks handle their wastewater needs. They are an effective method when it isn’t possible to hook up your home to a municipal system.
But to work efficiently and safely, you need to do a septic tank pump out in Loudoun County, VA, every two or three years. When you keep to a regular schedule, the cost is affordable. Even better, it extends the life of your septic system.
The Importance of Your Septic System
Your septic system processes everything from your home. The tank has a specific capacity, based on how many people use it and the size of your home. That’s quite different from a municipal system, which has an almost unlimited capacity. In town, the wastewater enters the main sewer system, which extends throughout the municipality.
Your septic system is just the opposite. It is a fully contained unit, not hooked up to something bigger. All of the wastewater from your toilet, dishwasher, clothes washer, bathtub and shower, and sinks go into your septic tank.
What Happens to the Wastewater?
Septic systems depend on gravity. As the water goes into the tank from the home’s plumbing system, and from there into the drain field around the buried tank.
There are three types of substances that your tank has to deal with. The solids from the wastewater drop to the bottom of the tank, forming sludge. The liquids are the biggest layer, about 90 percent of what is in your tank, and stay in the middle. The fat, oils and grease become scum on the top.
With water occupying nine-tenths of the room in your tank, it takes up most of the tank’s capacity. If excess water drains into the tank, it can reduce how well the tank functions.
If your tank is working the way it is supposed to, the water will flow in and out in a matter of days. The sludge at the bottom will be gradually attacked by bacteria, which breaks it down.
Slowly, water goes out into the drain field through sloped pipes. It flows harmlessly into the soil.
Getting Rid of the Sludge
Bacteria works wonders in a fully functioning septic tank. It can break down sludge to reduce how much stays at the bottom of the tank. But even the best bacteria isn’t able to break down everything.
Eventually the sludge builds up at the bottom of the tank, taking up more and more space. It can gradually take up so much room that it interferes with how much water the tank can hold. If there is too little room for the water, the sludge will leak into the drainage field or into the plumbing system.
If left like that, it will cause the tank to fail.
That’s why it is so critical to get rid of sludge on a regular basis with a septic tank pump out in Loudoun County, VA. The cost is minimal when compared to the huge price of replacing the entire tank and fixing the drainage field.
When to Schedule a Pump Out
Plan on every two to three years for your septic tank pump out in Loudoun County, VA. There are exceptions to that. In cases where the system is used seldom, which can occur with a summer or weekend home, you might be able to plan a septic tank pump out in Loudoun County, VA, every three to five years.
The general rule of thumb is that the more people using your system, the more often it needs to be pumped. That’s because more people use more water, which increases the amount of water flowing into the septic tank. That causes it to fill up faster, requiring it to be pumped out more often.
Take Care of Your Septic System
Regular septic tank pump out in Loudoun County, VA, is just one part of good septic system maintenance. The easiest to control is to be careful what you put into the septic system.
For example, next place these items down your toilet or sink:
- Baby wipes and disposable diapers
- Sanitary materials
- Cigarette butts
- Condoms
- Coffee grounds
- Rags or string
- Pharmaceuticals
- Toxic products
- Bleach
- Pesticides
To care for you drainage field, plant grass but not other types of vegetation. The roots can cause problems for the tank. Never park a car on the drainage field. It puts pressure on the tank and can cause it to break apart.
Work with Septic Experts
SES handles all types of septic system work, from design to installation, inspections to a septic tank pump out in Loudoun County, VA. Our company has been serving the local area since 1987. In that time, the community has come to rely on our expertise, dependability and customer service.
We are experts in septic system design and decentralized wastewater systems. If you are going to build a new home in the country, we can handle the entire sewage system project for you. We do a complete evaluation, design the proper system for your needs, install it, and then maintain it. We offer maintenance plans, including septic tank pump out in Loudoun County, VA.
We handle a wide range of environmental services for homeowners, realtors, businesses, government agencies, builders, architects, lawyers, property managers, developers and planes. We provide the same level of excellent, caring service for everyone, whether the job is big or small.
We are respected by people in the construction field, environmental area and have the trust of the Health Department and Department of Environmental and Natural Resources in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
Here at SES, we tackle all types of environmental work, including:
- Septic tank pump out
- Septic design and installation
- Septic inspections
- Well water installation and sampling
- Petroleum tank installation, inspection and removal
- Soil investigations
- Contamination clean up
For a septic tank pump out in Loudoun County, VA, call the experts at SES today.