A septic tank usually goes a few years between pumping visits. However, the time it takes to fill a tank varies based on a number of factors. If your lifestyle changes, that could affect how fast the tank fills with waste and needs to be pumped. Here are four things that affect how often you need residential septic tank pumping. 

1. The Size Of Your Family

The more people that live in your house, the more often your tank needs to be pumped. When your septic system was first installed, the size of the tank was determined by the number of bedrooms in your home as a way of estimating how many people would live there. So, if you live alone, you'll go much longer between septic tank pumping services than if you have a large family and growing kids that share bedrooms.

The same effect happens if you live alone but have people over almost every evening and throw large parties on the weekends. If you go from being alone most of the time to suddenly being surrounded by family or friends, then expect your tank to fill faster and plan to pump your tank before the regularly scheduled time.

2. The Frequency You Use A Garbage Disposal

If you want to stretch out the time it takes your septic tank to fill, then consider not using your garbage disposal at all. A garbage disposal counts as a person when a plumber calculates how long it should take to fill your septic tank. A garbage disposal is handy, and you may want to use it sometimes to speed up cleaning, but if you use it daily, you can expect your tank to fill up faster.

3. The Balance Of Microbes In Your Tank

The microbes in your tank are responsible for breaking down solid waste into sludge. If your tank isn't healthy, the microbes might not work as well or as efficiently. This could delay the time it takes to break solids down, and that means your tank fills up faster. The microbes in a septic tank usually stay balanced on their own, but when you use a drain in your house or garage to dump chemicals routinely, you might accidentally kill off beneficial microbes in the tank. To avoid this, dispose of chemicals properly and in accordance with local sanitation department regulations.

4. The Types Of Things You Flush

The only thing besides human waste that should go in a septic tank is toilet paper that dissolves fast. Things like wet wipes, tampons, and paper towels take longer to break down, so they take up more space in the tank. Buy toilet paper made for septic tanks. This type of paper dissolves fast. You can test it yourself by putting some paper in a glass of water and noting how long it takes to dissolve compared with other paper products.

Contact a local residential septic tank pumping service to learn more.