Prepare for Your Septic Service

Find out what happens during servicing of septic tanks and how homeowners prepare.

Before the Service

When making an appointment with Kingfish or any other septic pumping company, you will be asked to make sure both your lids are exposed.

In older systems the lids were buried, and this means that you are being asked to have the lids dug up fully so that the service technician can lift them off without further digging required.

Newer systems have risers on them (lids that come to the surface). If this is the case, please ensure that the sod has not grown over them or the screws that fasten them down.

NOTE: Please read about what to do for a cold weather appointment below.

Your Appointment

When we arrive, we will remove the lids and assemble the hoses needed to reach your tank from the driveway.

Once this is done, it’s a matter of pumping out the contents of both sides of your septic tank. Often we will need to break up or stir up the contents in order for it to go up the hose properly.

If we notice that you have a effluent filter, we will normally rinse it with the water from the tank and place it back where it belongs.

After that, it’s a matter of placing the lids back on and packing up the hoses. Should we notice anything of concern, we will pass the information along to you.

You are then free to cover your lids back up if they were buried, while we dispose of the waste.

Cold Weather Servicing

There is a difference in seasons however. If the temperature is expected to be below freezing at any time between you uncovering the lids and us arriving to pump the tank, you should insulate the lids if they were buried or shim them up.

If the cold gets to the lids it can cause them to freeze onto the tank, in which case we will not be able to remove them. We will normally remind you of this when you make a booking.