Septic inlet fluid level and pumping recommendation

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Eisenfaust8

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Some stats:

--1000 gallon concrete tank installed 1987

--Two adult household

--Last pumped and inspected Feb 2012.


So I've been removing a hot tub deck that covered most of the septic tank and decided to open the first port I could find (everything is buried) and it was directly above the inlet to the tank. The liquid level was just below the end of the pipe coming from the house. Is it normal to have the liquid this high? We haven't used any excessive water usage in the house over the past few days.

Also, when should I get this pumped? I've heard many different things...some people say it's critical to do it every 3 years, others say I could go 5-6 years. I was planning on pumping it in the spring, but the aforementioned liquid level put that to question.
 
Yes it is normal. A septic tank is always full. As more water and stuff goes in, an equivalent amount of liquid flows out the other end into the leach field.
 
It should always be at the level of the bottom of the exit pipe.

Fluids go in one side and you have a wier wall in the middle that holds the solids back and water spills over to the secondary part of the tank which then fills and like Joe says water will leave the tank as new fluids come in.

A good tank environment and you could go several years without pumping but it is recommended every 2-3 years. Adding things like rid x or just yeast helps things break down which means less pumping needed. These are good bacteria. Using alot of harsh soaps or bleach in your house kills these bacteria and are not good for your system. You have a little ecosystem living in that tank and you need to treat them good and they will take all the crap you give them.
 
what you need to do,
never drain any type of chemicals into the tank
do not use a garbage disposal
pour into your toilet 1 time a month a packet of yeast, you can find it with the flour in the store

I plumbed my house so that the only thing going into the tank is toilets
the rest bypass the tank and drain into leach field, and the garden

you have critters in your tank that eat the waste you put into it, if you harm the critter community
they will not do their job and your tank will fill up with sludge quickly
 
Thanks guys. I haven't heard of the yeast thing but will do that from now on. I'll probably just get the tank pumped sooner rather than later to get a baseline for the future.
 

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