How often a system should be pumped depends on several factors:

1. The size of the tank.
2. The number of people using the tank for disposal.
3. If washing machines, garbage disposals, water softeners, or other household waste and gray-water producing appliances are used.

Most tanks should be pumped from every 2 to 5 years. Regular pumping combined with a quality installation by Dittmer Ditching can greatly increase the life of your septic system. Solids must be pumped to ensure that they are not carried out into the leachfield where clogging can occur. Clogging can cause a system to fail or function poorly. Common signs of failure include:

1. High surface or standing water in the leaching area.
2. Odor or slow drainage from household fixtures.
3. Sewage back-up into the home.

Never, Ever

To keep your system functioning properly you should NEVER:

1. Allow excess amounts of fat or grease to enter the system.
2. Use excessive amounts of laundry soap, detergents, bleach or chemical drain cleaners. Large amounts of these chemicals can kill the friendly bacteria that make your system function properly.
3. Allow trucks or heavy equipment to drive over the septic system or leachfield.
4. Introduce large amounts of water into the system at one time. Stagger water use such as showers and laundry.

How Your System Works

A septic system works by carrying household wastes through a pipe into the septic tank. The tank prepares the wastes by allowing solids and heavier items to settle while liquids rise to the top for dispersion into the leach or drain field. The leach field consists of trenches, beds or galleries that disperse the liquid through the soil via natural filtration back into the ground water.