Septic Tank Pumping Service
More frequent pumping is needed if a garbage disposal is used. Generally the indicated frequency will vary with the volume of solids (+20% for high volume, -20% for low volume). Also, more frequent pumping will be needed if your tanks are not water tight, and allow the infiltration of storm or ground water.
Under current Texas law a 750 gallon septic tank is the minimum size that must be used for a home with three bedrooms or less. If six people reside in a three-bedroom house, the tank should be pumped every year. If the same system serves a family of two, the tank would be ready for pumping every 4.2 years. Systems installed before the current rules and regulations were implemented may need to be pumped more often, perhaps every year or less.
As indicated in the footnote to Table 1, garbage disposers will increase the frequency of pumping. For example, if this same three-bedroom house with six residents had a garbage disposal and was generally producing a higher volume of wastewater, the pumping frequency could be estimated as follows:
1.0 years - [(0.2) x 1.0 years] = 0.8 years, or about every 9-10 months.
TABLE 1 Estimated septic tank pumping frequencies in years
(for year-round residences)
Tank Household size (number of people)
size 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
(gal)
---------------Years between pumping--------------
500* 5.8 2.6 1.5 1.0 0.7 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 -
750* 9.1 4.2 2.6 1.8 1.3 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.3
900 11.0 5.2 3.3 2.3 1.7 1.3 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.5
1000 12.4 5.9 3.7 2.6 2.0 1.5 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.7
1250 15.6 7.5 4.8 3.4 2.6 2.0 1.7 1.4 1.2 1.0
1500 18.9 9.1 5.9 4.2 3.3 2.6 2.1 1.8 1.5 1.3
1750 22.1 10.7 6.9 5.0 3.9 3.1 2.6 2.2 1.9 1.6
2000 25.4 12.4 8.0 5.9 4.5 3.7 3.1 2.6 2.2 2.0
2250 28.6 14.0 9.1 6.7 5.2 4.2 3.5 3.0 2.6 2.3
2500 31.9 15.6 10.2 7.5 5.9 4.8 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.6
* Below the minimum size allowed by rule.
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