Septic tank emptying - average cost?

[jamma-plusser]

As a rank amateur and the one who has to unblock the damn thing I'm inclined to agree with you there. :-)

I should have mentioned, the inlet pipe had a few inches lopped off it soon after taking those photos.That helped a lot, but obviously it's now at the stage where the sludge build-up combined with the poor design is causing repeated blockages in the inlet area.

From what I can see, the outlet pipe from the second tank is also too high.

Indeed. I assume that it would, generally speaking, be a major undertaking to lower the outlet of the second tank?

Or is there any way that it could be 'fudged' or 'artificially' lowered so that the water level in both tanks is kept lower and hence resulting in less bockages in the first tank's inlet area?

Have now booked it to be emptied tomorrow morning.

[cynic]

We had a septic tank many years ago. It ran for fifteen years before the first emptying out and for twelve from then until the second, just before we left the property so don't go chucking your money away on annual emptying without cause. If your input system flows correctly and you should notice if it doesn't and the outlet (second chamber) is clear(ish) fluid and not above the normal level its ok

As to cultures if you have a neighbour with a tank simply get a bucket of juice from it and chuck it in unless you come across a bit of road kill which has become "high". Crap eating bacteria aren't particularly fussy creatures. Having said that I used to be responsible for an aerated sludge industrial effluent plant which the process operators could kill by pumping caustic effluent to it without neutralising first. We got restart bacteria from Yorkshire Water and found that our sugar rich effluent was best dealt with by bacteria sourced from a Doncaster treatment works. We reckoned the local population must have had a high sugar diet. Shit is a more complex subject than you would give credit!

[jamma-plusser]

Unless you have an apparently badly designed system like I do. Wish I knew who installed it. Must have been at least 20 years ago that it was put in.

I rarely look at the contents of the second tank so am not sure what the normal level is. However, the water is clear-ish.

Not something that I tend to look into that much. ;-)

[The Medway Handyman]

And I thought it 'just happened'

:-)

[PeterC]

Not a fan, then?

[JTM]

Do you (or family friends) travel to France? Most of the brico places have something. The one we're using at the moment is called 'WC NET'. Sachet of grey powder twice as big as a tea bag that you flush away every month or three. Less than a tenner for about a year.

You might get something similar at a boat or caravan centre

We emptied our tank once in over 20 years (and I'm sure the previous owners didn't empty it before selling to us)

John (in France)

[James]

Hello, if it helps our average cost is now =C2=A3150 to empty a septic tank or empty a ce= sspit for up to 1,000 gallons, as long as we can get within 30 metres of your tank with ou= r tanker that can be the size of a dustcart. Our cost are having to be increase due to ris= ing fuel cost and sewage disposal charges from the Local Water Authorities. More inf= ormation on Septic Tank emptying please visit us at

uk

url:

[The Natural Philosopher]

empty a cesspit for up to 1,000 gallons, as long as we can get within 30 metres of your tank with our tanker that can be the size of a dustcart. Our cost are having to be increase due to rising fuel cost and sewage disposal charges from the Local Water Authorities. More information on Septic Tank emptying please visit us at

[Andy Burns]

How much was it in 2009 when the question was originally asked?

[The Natural Philosopher]

bit less even that that ;-)

[Brian Gaff]

That sounds pretty reasonable.

Brian