Should I have my septic tank emptied?

[simonnicholaswe]

I've researched this topic on Google and am inevitably confused by contradictory "advice", thus would welcome some expert guidance please.

We've lived in our house (not in the UK) for around a year, but have only just discovered that our soil drains to a septic tank.😳 We have done nothing to treat it, but do not have any smell or problems with waste backing up. The septic tank however is nearly full - say 12 inches from the top - and full of black, solid waste. There is no sign of a particularly lush area of garden where the liquid is discharging to and given that we live in a country where building standards are "flexible", I cannot be certain the installation would meet British standards.

I've received conflicting advice locally whether the septic tank should be pumped out or not. Can somebody guide please? I've also been told to put "EM Water" into the tank as a digester(?). Any thoughts?

Guidance would be really welcome please.

 

[AWheating]

personally id leave it alone, install a large cooling fan at the tanks access and hit the beer and take aways.

come back with some pictures when the hit sits the fan!

 

[Howsie]

They should be periodically emptied because some things don't decompose.

 

[Centralheatking]

Usually these tanks are two chamber types - 1st takes evertything and should be emptyied as Howsie says not all things degrade. 2nd takes the 'liquor' the water from off the top of the 1st - then it
discharges to soakaway.

Do not use houshold bleach be kind to your microbes and let them live. If you do kill them
you have to start again - get a test-tube of microbes from Newport (South wales) pour into tank and
off they go.

Make sure you know where your tank is and that the covers and top are sound and secure -
little people and big people can drown in them. Also check that your neighbours ar not linked in
as they can share the cost of the Sludge Gulper visit. Some people when the wind blows in the right direction
have been known to drop a decent submersible pump in and run a long discharge pipe to a nearby ditch:44:

centralheatking

 

[Centralheatking]

As you should realise this forum is a 2WAY process - we all learn from the questions asked and how our answers make out - when we give info out and get no reply this disrupts the process and
we can get grumpy.........centralheatking

I've researched this topic on Google and am inevitably confused by contradictory "advice", thus would welcome some expert guidance please.

We've lived in our house (not in the UK) for around a year, but have only just discovered that our soil drains to a septic tank.😳 We have done nothing to treat it, but do not have any smell or problems with waste backing up. The septic tank however is nearly full - say 12 inches from the top - and full of black, solid waste. There is no sign of a particularly lush area of garden where the liquid is discharging to and given that we live in a country where building standards are "flexible", I cannot be certain the installation would meet British standards.

I've received conflicting advice locally whether the septic tank should be pumped out or not. Can somebody guide please? I've also been told to put "EM Water" into the tank as a digester(?). Any thoughts?

Guidance would be really welcome please.

 

[TerryWaite]

personally id leave it alone, install a large cooling fan at the tanks access and hit the beer and take aways.

come back with some pictures when the hit sits the fan!

Made me laugh!