A neighbor recently asked me that age-old question: “How frequently should septic tanks be cleaned?” This query popped up because our county requires an assessment of a tank every three years to determine whether the tank should be pumped. How often the tank needs to be emptied depends on a number of factors, including tank capacity, number of people using the system, whether there is a garbage disposal and how water is used in the house.
Before we go further, one note on the common words used to indicate the tank needs to be pumped. Like my neighbor, many laymen use
