New to Septic, some basic Q's

[cp.]

I am going to be moving into a house I just purchased and it has a septic system. How do I find out when the tank was last emptied? Also I plan on doing some painting, I assume that I shouldn't rinse off my paint brushes into the sink?

and info tidbits on sump pumps you can give me would be great also.

thx

 

[inspectorD]

Septic systems are usually inspected when you buy a property. Usually the septic company comes out and cleans out the waste in the tank, then they inspect the tank for any leaks. And they will advise you on upkeep...and paint.
Talk to your realtor, they should have recommend this in the first place.

Good luck on the inspection, replacement around Mass is usually pretty expensive...12- 20 thou. due to too many regs.

 

[CraigFL]

Knowing when it was last emptied is good information but that alone does not tell much about the condition of the system. Septic tanks need a way to drain off the liquid into the soil commonly known as a drain field. If the drain field is clogged or damaged, the tank may have to manually pumped more often so it doesn't fill & overflow. I just pumped my septic tank here in FL for $250 so it's not a lot of money....

 

[majakdragon]

Preventive maintenance is the key to septic "health". If you are careful about what you dump into the tank, it will serve you well. Septic systems work by a bacteria "eating" solids in the tank. You do not want to kill these bacteria. Avoid high dumping of cooking grease/oils. Limit the amount of chemicals you pour into sinks and tubs such as bleach. Soap and shampoo contain oils and there isn't much you can do about this. I don't recommend having a disposer with a septic although many will disagree. I have had septics for the last 15 years and have had no problems. The 3 females that have lived in the 2 houses learned to dispose of sanitay products in other ways than flushing down the toilet. The old saying was "If it didn't go through you, it shouldn't go through the septic". This is overkill, but has it's merits.