As a home owner of a rural property, cleaning and maintaining your septic system is crucial. A yearly septic system service can make your septic tank and septic field last.

• With regular septic servicing and inspections your system can last up to 20 years.

• Without regular cleaning the soaps, detergents and harmful chemicals break down your tank and system costing thousands in replacement, repairs and damages.

What is a Septic Tank?

A septic tank is a buried, watertight tank designated and constructed to receive and partially treat raw domestic sanitary wastewater. Heavy solids settle to the bottom of the tank while greases and lighter solids float to the top. The solids stay in the tank while the wastewater is discharged to the drainfield for further treatment and dispersal.

Depending on the capacity of your tank and the amount of wastewater your household generates, you can expect to need a pump-out every two to four weeks.

Most holding tanks are equipped with alarms that will sound when they are nearly full and will require pumping shortly thereafter. Failure to pump a holding tank will lead to waste water backing up into the house or onto the ground.

What Is a Holding Tank?

A Holding Tank is NOT a Septic Tank

A holding tank stores household waste and does not allow any of its contents to leak into a drainfield, whereas a septic tank will allow waste water to flow into a drain field.

Holding tanks can be made of concrete, fiberglass or polyethylene. Holding tanks can be installed above or below ground.