If your home is attached to a septic tank that handles all your wastewater, it’s important for you to have the septic tank inspected on a regular basis. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends inspecting septic tanks at least once every 3 years, but many homeowners choose to do it even more routinely to make sure their septic tanks are in good condition. Moreover, routine septic tank inspections help homeowners get out in front of potential issues. Those purchasing homes with septic tanks will often conduct septic tank inspections as well. Here is how a septic tank is inspected during an inspection.
The cover for the septic tank is located and the area surrounding it is evaluated.
The first thing that a septic tank inspector will do during a septic tank inspection is find the cover for the tank. It’s most often located somewhere in the backyard of a home. From there, the inspector will take a good, long look at the area surrounding the cover. They’ll look for depressions in the soil that could indicate the potential for a collapse. It’s important for the area surrounding a septic tank to be in good condition before proceeding.
The inside of the septic tank is inspected.
Once a septic tank inspector has looked around at the area that surrounds a septic tank, they’ll open the septic tank itself up and look inside of it. Since septic tanks contain harmful gases, they’ll rely on tools like extension poles with lights and mirrors on them and cameras for this portion of the inspection. They’ll check the scum and sludge levels in the tank, evaluate the condition of the baffles in a septic tank, and see if they spot any problems within the tank.
The septic tank is pumped out.
While septic tank inspections can be performed without doing septic tank pumping, most homeowners will choose to do septic tank pumping at the time of an inspection. After a septic tank inspector is done looking at the tank, they’ll bring in the proper equipment to pump the tank out. They’ll also continue to monitor the tank to see how it responds to the pumping to make sure everything is functioning the way it should.
Is it time to have your home’s septic tank inspected and pumped out? Carolina Septic Pro specializes in performing septic tank inspections, both for those who live in homes with septic tanks and for those who are thinking about buying homes with septic tanks. Call us at 980-500-1022 today to schedule a septic tank inspection with us.