Originally Posted By: sasilverbullet
So I live in South Texas, don't know squat about septic tanks. Mine was installed in 1990 and I know it's not one that has a pump and a spray field.
Anyhoo, wifey says her friend in the area says it should be "pumped" occasionally. I've never had that done and we've never had a problem with it. We do use Rid-X about every other month and use TP that decomposes easily.
So, should I get it pumped?
Rid X is the equivalent of flushing your money down the toilet and "septic" toilet paper is a marketing scam. Just use your toilet and other facilities as normal and use toilet paper that works best for your backside.
A septic tank is generally designed to hold 2x to 3x the maximum daily flow your system was designed for. This is to allow solids to fall out of suspension and to provide some primary treatment in an anaerobic environment. As it gets filled with solids, its holding capacity diminishes until solids start flowing to your drainfield. If it hasn't been pumped since 1990, you should have it checked out. A maintenance company can measure the level of solids and scum in your tank and if it totals 33% of the tank volume...pump it.
Since you also have a pressure distribution system, you should have a maintenance provider check you pump, floats, pump screen, and flush out your pressure laterals which are almost certainly half full of sludge.
Al of this will cost some money, maybe $1000 for a full maintenance inspection and pump out. But given the cost of a new system (can run as much as $25k for an advanced treatment system). The best analogy I can give for how most people treat their septic system is to compare to a car. Imagine spending $25k on a new car then welding the hood shut and only getting service done when it breaks down on the side of the road.
Systems should be evaluated (not necessarily needing to be pumped this often, depends on a lot of factors)every 3-5 years for standard gravity systems and more often as they get more complicated (some as often as every 6 months).