Septic tank pumping is an important and vital part of properly maintaining a septic system.

A family of four should have their septic tank pumped every 3 years.
This is considered the typical household average. There are many other factors that contribute to how often your septic tank should be pumped.
Some of these factors include:
The number of people in your household on a regular basis A family of four might regularly have multiple guests over 3-4 nights a week. This will affect how quickly your tank fills up.
Your household water usage Your family of four might use a lot more water than other families. This will also affect how quickly your tank fills up.
What you flush down your drains Controlling the amount of solids, and the type of solids, that enter your septic tank is imperative to maintaining a healthy and efficient septic system. Chemical cleaners, drain cleaners, septic tank additives (Rid-x), oils and grease, kitty litter, feminine products, flushable wipes, and Rx chemotherapy drugs (even when flushed through your digestive system, these drugs can severely damage the beneficial bacteria in your system) are among the very worst things you can flush into your septic system (or send down the kitchen sink drain).
How well your septic system is maintained Proper system maintenance is very important. Most septic system installers offer maintenance plans that take care of your system maintenance for you. These maintenance plans typically cover 3-4 home visits per year, where a technician will inspect your system and suggest necessary repairs, pumping, fix minor problems, or add even adding bleach tablets to your chlorinator for your aerobic system.

Septic systems are individually designed to handle a rate of flow from your house or building.
When designed, a septic engineer is consulted. This engineer looks at your home, your water usage, and your land/property to formulate a septic system setup that will satisfy the water usage from the home or building.
The smallest aerobic unit is a 500 GPD (gallons per day) unit. This unit can handle 500 gallons of wastewater per day.
Here are some common household tasks that require a lot of water:
Toilet flushing A family of four probably flushes about 20 gallons of water per day into their septic system tank.
Showering A ten minute shower, on average, uses 20 gallons of water. A family of four probably uses about 100 gallons of water a day just showering! All of this water ends up in your septic system tank.
Running faucets Running faucets in the bathroom and kitchen will result in approximately 20 gallons of water per day being flushed into your septic system tank.
Washing clothes A washing machine uses about 30 gallons of water per load. Most families of four do at least one load of laundry almost every day!
Dishwashing Just like washing clothes, most families of four run at least one load of dishes through the dishwasher every day. One load of dishes can use up to 30 gallons of water, which of course, ends up in your septic system tank.
Plumbing leaks and misc. Many households have plumbing leaks that they either don't know about, or put off repairing. These leaks can significantly increase your water usage.

Based on the daily water usage estimates above, a family of four uses about 200 gallons of water every single day!
200 gallons total per day is with normal water usage. Be mindful of days when you are doing multiple loads of laundry, or when you allow family members to take baths (30-40 gallons of water) instead of showers, or when you allow extra long showers. Keep in mind that when you have guests stay over, your daily water usage could potentially double.
Hydraulic overload is when too much water travels through your septic system too quickly.
It is important to know and remember your septic system's tank size so that you don't damage your system.
When you use too much water (more wastewater entering your tank per day than your system is rated for) the solids in your tank are not allowed to settle to the bottom. This causes solids to be pushed into your aerobic system's pump tank compartment (they don't belong here!), or your drain field (solids don't belong here, either!) if you have a conventional system.
Not allowing your solids to settle in the tank also means that your beneficial bacteria don't have time to properly digest the solids before they are sprayed (aerobic) or drained (conventional). This can severely damage your system over time.
How can you avoid hydraulic overload?

An aerobic septic tank that is rated for 500 GPD (gallons per day) is capable of moving about 20 gallons of water per hour over a 24 hour period.
If you are using more water than 20 gallons of water per hour, you are hydraulically overloading your septic system. When you overload your system on a regular basis, it will have to be pumped (emptied out using a pump truck) more frequently than your average "every 3 years." That could get expensive!
Being water wise will allow your septic system to operate to its fullest potential.
Here are some tricks to keep your water usage under 20 gallons per hour:
Space out loads of laundry Each load of laundry can use up to 20 gallons of water, so be sure to space your loads of laundry out by one hour.
Space out baths and showers A ten minute shower can use up to 20 gallons of water, so no more than one person should shower per hour (or you can shorten shower times!).
Only run the dishwasher when it is completely full
Install low-flow faucet fixtures and toilets Doing this can cut your water usage in half!
Keep an eye out for leaking fixtures and/or toilets that are constantly running and have them repaired
Being water water wise will keep your solids where they belong within the tank, which will allow you to go longer in between septic pumpings.

Is your tank still filling too quickly or needing to be pumped too often?
Your tank probably does not have a healthy bacteria population. Here is an article that discusses healthy bacteria in your septic system tank.
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