Septic Tank Emptying
Septic tanks are an essential part of many homes, but understanding septic tank emptying and cleaning can be necessary when you rely on one so heavily. Normally, only effluent is discharged from septic tanks into drain fields (also known as leach fields).
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How are Septic Tanks Cleaned?
Septic tanks that receive domestic waste need to be cleaned regularly. While you can technically clean sewage tanks and handle cesspit emptying yourself, it’s much better to rely on a third party who can offer you more regular tank emptying services.
What a septic tank does?
The septic tank collects household waste water from the washing machine, sinks, showers, and toilets. Solid waste and liquid waste are decomposing in the tank. Sludge, the heaviest material in the tank, sinks to the bottom, but scum, which consists primarily of oils, proteins, and fats, floats on top of grey water. All of these layers are combined to form a sediment.
The scum level and sludge should be cleaned periodically — generally when the bottom of the floating scum layer is 6 inches (15.2 centimetres) from the outlet pipe or the top of the sunken sludge layer is 12 inches (30.4 centimetres) from it.
Clearing the Tank
Septic tank cleaning involves removing the sludge that forms inside these tanks. This sludge is a combination of water waste and domestic waste built up and degraded, requiring a pump to clean in any sufficient capacity.
Drainage issues and potential septic tank repair work can all interfere with this, but in most cases, the septic systems can easily be flushed into a drainage field. The Environment Agency dictates a lot of essential details about how this process has to happen and how to manage the disposal of the tank’s contents.
Septic Tank Emptying Regulations
According to recent UK regulations, all tanks must be connected to a ‘soakaway’ – they cannot be emptied directly into any form of waterway directly, even a small stream or ditch. Septic tank pumping and emptying the tanks into the bare ground is fine if it doesn’t lead to water sources.
There are also restrictions on drains and how wastewater discharges into them. A drain field that goes right into a public sewer is okay. If the surface water drains to the wrong place, it can cause severe problems in both the long term and short term.
Emptying Tanks Safely
Septic tank cleaning has to be performed regularly, which often means a complete cleaning service to ensure proper maintenance.
Companies like NI Water, which services Northern Ireland, will refuse to arrange to discharge with a tank or cesspool if they feel that their service conditions are not met. We follow similar rules and regulations.
Getting a tank emptied involves ensuring that it doesn’t put anything important in danger. This means ensuring that toilet waste, sewage or other cesspit materials don’t fill waterways, put animals in harm’s reach, or seep onto private property.
Septic Tank Maintenance
Maintaining septic systems ensures that it can still function without a leak, preventing bacteria from leaking out and creating a cesspit of sewage in the nearby environment. Our septic tank draining services can help our customers avoid faults and maintenance issues in the long run.
All the work we do is in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, as well as the regulations backed up by the Environment Agency, during each desludge service. After a domestic sewage treatment plant deluge, the tank is usually fully emptied, meaning that it’s straightforward to clean and repair safely.
How Often Do You Need To Pump Your Septic Tank?
Ideally, it is recommended that you pump your tank every three years. An average home’s wastewater tank can store three years’ worth of wastewater before it needs to be emptied.
However, in order to reduce pumping frequency, some septic tank owners have chosen to buy products that are supposed to break down the sludge level.
What Are The Signs That Your Septic Tank Is Full?
- Slow draining toilets and sinks.
- An unpleasant odour in the house.
- Water pooling above the drain field.
- Sewer backup.
- A lush lawn over your septic bed.
Getting Our Help
If you want help with managing and maintaining your septic tank, you can contact us directly for a free quote and a breakdown of what we need. Whether you want long-term help over twelve months or immediate assistance over twelve working days, we can provide a solution to help.
We can send out a tanker vehicle that can collect your tank’s waste discharge, as long as we have access to your house or business premises at the time. This can also include waste from toilets, which we can deliver to a local sewage treatment plan.
These deliveries to a septic treatment plan involve flushing the system thoroughly, ensuring that both liquids and solids are drained from the tank itself. We can ensure that your property’s septic tank system is clear and ready to use.