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How to Open a Septic Tank: Step by Step Guide SepticAPedia © Enter your search terms Submit search form   Search This Website - InspectAPedia.com

• How to pump out / clean a septic tank, step by step photo-illustrated guide
• Before starting, some safety warnings for septic pumpers and homeowners
• When to pump, how to find the septic tank,
• Steps in Opening a Septic Tank: inspect before opening the tank; removing the tank cover
• How the pumper truck or vacuum truck is operated
• Tank inspection before pumping; Actually pumping out the septic tank; inspections while pumping
• Washing the septic tank after pumping, inspecting the tank after pumping
• Closing the septic tank, recording the septic tank location, advising homeowners

How to open the septic tank. This document provides a step by step, photo-illustrated guide to opening, pumping, and inspecting septic tanks, how a conventional septic tank is located, opened, pumped out, cleaned, and inspected. This guideline is intended for septic pumping tank truck operators and as general information for homeowners or septic service companies concerned with septic system care. Citation of this article by reference to this website and brief quotation for the sole purpose of review are permitted. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. Technical reviewers are welcome and are listed at "References." This is a chapter of Inspecting, Testing, & Maintaining Residential Septic Systems an online book on septic systems. © Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use the links at page left to navigate this document or to go to Other Website Topics. Green links at left show where you are in our document & website.

A Photographic Guide to Pumping a Septic Tank

Inspection Points Before Opening the Septic Tank

• Subsidence (depressions or low areas in the soil) at the septic tank location - may risk dangerous, potentially fatal collapse
• Evidence of recent work which may need to be investigated to understand the condition of the septic system
• Evidence of backup or effluent breakout at the surface in the septic tank area

Opening the Septic Tank Pumping Access Port

The septic tank should be cleaned from a cleanout port - usually located in the center of the tank. Pumping the septic tank through a small access opening such as over the intake or outlet baffle does not provide enough space to adequately reach and remove sludge from the septic tank bottom, and it risks future clogging of the tank inlet or outlet by incompletely-removed floating scum. In this example we knew from prior work, the measurements to the exact location of the septic tank cleanout cover. The photo shows the septic tank cleanout port which we found and excavated to prepare for opening the septic tank. The cover is about to be removed using a wrecking bar. Note that we excavated far enough back from the tank opening itself that when we remove the cover we won't have a lot of dirt falling into the septic tank.

The Septic Systems Online Book - Where Are We?

Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Technical Reviewers

Particular thanks are due to experts and also consumers who read these articles and suggest corrections, changes, and additions to the material.

• Daniel Friedman - principal author
• Special thanks to M & O Sanitation, Dutchess County NY (845) 471-0308 for permitting us to photograph steps during septic system service at our demonstration property.
• Technical reviewers are invited to comment or ask questions - contact us

Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

More expert information on this topic

More Information on Septic System Diagnosis, Maintenance, & Repair

• The Septic System Information Website home page for this topic
• Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information
• The Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems
• Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
• Table of Required Septic & Well Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.


• Additives & Chemicals: Septic System Maintenance - Are they even needed? Are they even legal?
• Baffles, Septic Tank septic tank baffles defects and inspection suggestions
• Buyer's Guide Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems Inspection & Testing - What to Do, Step by Step.
• Cesspool failures (MA)
• Cesspool Safety Warnings include dangers of cave-in and fatality
• Cesspools Home Buyer's or Owner's Advice
• Clearances & Distances from septic system components to other site features, property boundaries, waterways, etc.
• Clogged Drain Diagnosis - is the problem the septic system or the Building drain system?
• Don't Flush these things into a septic system: a list of what's ok and what's not ok to put into septic tanks and building drains
• Drywells Home Buyer's or Owner's Advice
• Filters for Septic Tanks & Graywater to protect septic drainfields and reduce drainfield clogging
• Flood Response what to do after a septic system has been exposed to flooding
• Garbage Grinders and garbage disposal units - effects on septic systems
• Levels: Inspecting the Level of Accumulated Solids, Sludge and Floating Scum in Treatment Tanks - Measuring the Sludge and Scum Levels in Septic Tanks
• Liquid Level in the Absorption System - drain fields, seepage pits, galleys
• Outside Inspection - - Simple Visual Site Inspection Gives Key Information About Septic System Condition
• Retention Time in Septic Tanks Septic Tank Pumping Guide discusses retention time and "net free area" in a tank (allowing for sludge and scum layers)
• Septic & Cesspool Safety - Septic System, Septic Tank, & Cesspool Safety Warnings for Septic Inspectors, Septic Pumpers, and Homeowners.
• Septic Sludge & Scum Levels in Septic Tanks - Measuring the Level of Accumulated Solids, Sludge and Floating Scum in Treatment Tanks
• Septic Tank Location - How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location
• Septic Tank Pumping Frequency Guide for Septic Tanks: When, How, What to Watch For when pumping or cleaning septic tanks
• Septic Tank Inspection Procedure - How to Inspect Septic Tanks and evaluate the septic tank condition, baffles, sludge levels, damage, evidence of septic failure, etc.
• Septic Tanks, Concrete defects and inspection suggestions for concrete septic tanks
• Septic Tanks, Fiberglass or Plastic defects and inspection suggestions for fiberglass or plastic septic tanks
• Septic Tanks, Home Made defects and inspection suggestions for home made or site built septic tanks
• Septic Tanks, Steel defects and inspection suggestions for steel septic tanks
• Septic Tank Sludge and Floating Scum: what makes up the contents of residential sewage
• Sewer Gas Odors diagnosing, finding, and curing septic tank and sewer line smells
• Sewer Gas - Methane and other septic system gas explosion or asphyxiation hazards such as hydrogen sulfide
• Tank Location - How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location
• Ten Steps to Keeping a Septic System Working, suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits and additions by DJF
• Planting Over Septic Systems: trees, shrubs, groundcover over the septic system: what can you plant over or near septic system components without causing a problem?
• Spotting Breakouts - Spotting Dyed Septic Effluent Breakout Outside - Where Septic Dye is Likely to Show Up During a Septic Dye
• When Not to Pump a Septic Tank to avoid damage, unsafe conditions, or wasting money

Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to domestic wastewater treatment systems include

Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-161, Septic System Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment

Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-162, The Soil Media and the Percolation Test

Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-l64, Mound Systems for Wastewater Treatment

Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-165, Septic Tank-Soil Absorption Systems

Document Sources used for this web page include but are not limited to: Agricultural Fact Sheet #SW-161 "Septic Tank Pumping," by Paul D. Robillard and Kelli S. Martin. Penn State College of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension, edited and annotated by Dan Friedman (Thanks: to Bob Mackey for proofreading the original source material.)

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