Whether you are a first-time homeowner or it is the first home you’ve purchased that has a septic system instead of being on the municipal sewer line, you are going to need to have a comprehensive understanding about septic tank pumping and other maintenance and care matters. If you don’t learn these things, you could end up destroying one or more components and face repair or replacement costs.

With a sewer system, the waste that your family creates goes through sewer lines to a central waste processing facility. With a septic system, the waste remains on your property for processing and eventually septic tank pumping to be taken elsewhere. In a properly functioning system, much of the waste breaks down and the liquids get filtered so they can safely drain into the soil. Since not all waste decomposes, it needs to be removed on a schedule that keeps the tank from overflowing resulting in backing up into the house. A professional septic tank pumping company can give you a good idea about how often that should be done based on your family size, usage, and the size of the septic tank. As for caring for the system, your septic tank pumping company can also provide education about what you should and should not introduce to the septic system via the toilets and drains. If you stick to biodegradable items that break down easily you won’t run into problems or need septic tank pumping more frequently than normal. The bottom line is that if you take good care of your septic system, it will give you many years of reliable performance, so take the time to fully learn about it.