How much does it cost to have a septic tank pumped and how often should it be done?

Question

This is interesting because we've been in the home 7 years and never had any problems. Someone else in this area told me they had been in their home for almost 14 years before it was pumped the first time. Is it because I live in an area that drains well through the leach field, or maybe is the septic just very large for the size of home on the property?

Answer 1

It is true that a properly designed septic system may not need to be pumped for a very long time - particularly if only the "proper" stuff is put down the drains.

However, it is difficult to know the health and status of a septic system. If you wait until it starts backing up, it may be too late to fix at that point.

When you consider the cost is between $100 - $200 to have it pumped, every two years is not a bad idea. Cheap insurance (less than $10 a month!) to have it pumped regularly.

The consequence of having solid waste forced out into the drain field due to an over-taxed system is huge. Pump it every two years, be careful what you put in your drains, and sleep peacefully.

Good luck.

Answer 2

It depends on the age and condition of the septic system. If the system is relatively new and in good working order, every three years would be OK. If it's an older system that doesn't work as well, I'd get it done more often. You also need to take care of your system. Don't pour grease down the drain. Don't flush objects that aren't biodegradable (I won't mention what these items are). If you use a lot of harsh detergents (chlorine) in your wash, you might consider using Rid-X to maintain the proper conditions in the tank that allow the solids to break down. The costs to pump the tank vary, but $100 to $125 is a fair price. You can have it done for peace of mind.

Answer 3

Yeah, $80-$125 is about right. Two years is average. Ours at the end was every 6 months because the leach field became saturated. All the soap, etc over the years caused the soil under the leach field gravel to bind so water could not percolate into the ground. So our septic pumping was two stage, one for the solids, wait 20 minutes while water backflowed to the tank and pump that.

Answer 4

We just had ours pumped for $75.00 my daughter -in -law lived here for 17 years, we lived here for eight years, for a total of 25 years.
It's a matter of how well the leach field was put in, the type of back fill, the depth, etc, etc.

It's not every two years, that's the reason for the tank, so the poop will deteriorate and flow out the leach field as a liquid and evaporate.
People that have their tanks pumped every one or two years have a problem with the tank or the leach field, a new home shouldn't have to think about pumping their tank for many years if it's put in right.

Answer 5

A properly draining septic system does not need pumping. All waste is liqiufied and drains out. I know of many septic systems lasting from 20 to 50 years without pump out. If you need frequent pump outs, you need a new drain field.

Answer 6

READ ME !!. I was scared when water came to the surface in our back yard. I was scared it would cost me a fortune. I called and they came and found the tank, dug it up and drained it. He was very smart, told me what happened, water and poop goes into the tank, poop stays on the bottom, it takes around 2 weeks or more to fill the tank up with water. At the top of the tank there is this pipe that takes the water to the drain fields. It's like a 6" or bigger PVC pipe with a cut out on top. Once the poop fills to the top over many years. It also goes into the pipe and start to clog the area forming thin layers and now the water can't find a way to go into the ground because of all the poop. So then it starts to appear on top of the ground. So he said once that happens it's pretty much too late and we would have to add more drain pipes and that would cost a lot of money. So it costed $250 for him to drain it, and quoted $3,000 to fix the problem. After he left, I went out and bought 2 of the biggest Rid-X box, dig the dirt back up opened the lid of the septic tank, put the 2 boxes of Rid-X into the drain pipe that leads to the drain fields and used the water hose and spayed water into the drain to force it down to the drain field. You know what I just did, right. I just saved me $3,000. The Rid-X ate the poop unclogging the clogged holes and now water can go back into the ground. Yea problem fixed ! Told ya you should read this. lol

Answer 7

It depends on where you live but here where we live (Ohio) it costs approx. $130.00 for one 1000 gal. tank. It should be pumped every two years. This information comes straight from the man who has the lucky job of pumping your poopy out of your septic, my husband! So be kind, when you see that your septic man is sweating to death in the hot sun and having to put up with the stench from your deposits, a nice glass of water would be a kind gesture. (Wink)

Answer 8

I would suppose the cost depends on the area you live in, here in Wisc it is about $150.00 it should be pumped out at least once a year, if you put grease and food down your drains, I would suggest every six months

Answer 9

Mine was last pumped out in 1985 at a cost of $80.00 counting a $10.00 tip.

Answer 10

Last time we did ours I think it cost around $ 125
( 2003) 2-3 yrs. is bout right.