Imagine having a milkshake but the opening for your straw being just barely wider than the straw. You would not be able to see what you were doing, or get everything out of the cup. Where you would struggle the most is the walls of the cup. Based on the thickness of the milkshake, you may only be able to suck a hole the size of the straw in the milkshake.

This analogy describes pumping out of 4” pipes. 4” pipes can greatly limit the effectiveness of pumping. We are equipped with the best tools in the business to make us as effective as possible, but still it is nearly impossible to get a thick tank clean out of 4” pipes.

See the pictures below to see the difference in a 4” opening and a 12” opening.

So what is the answer?

Our recommendation is to have larger openings put on the tank. Since 2012, TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) requires 12” openings at least 2” above the ground surface. This allows for a thorough cleaning and inspection of the tank. By making a larger openings, we are able to inspect the baffle wall or sanitary tees on both the inlet and outlet of the tank. These items are vital to the leach field (lateral line) health as well as ground water cleanliness.

Here is step by step what we propose to do to solve the access issue:

1. We will dig up the tank at the front and the back, where the plumbing is.

2. We will remove the existing lids if there are some. Most tanks, 2000s and beyond have existing 12” openings on them that we can remove. In the case that there are not existing lids, we will concrete saw a 12” openings into the top of the tank.

3. We will install plastic riser material from the top of the tank to the top of the surface of the ground.

4. We will have good access to fully empty and inspect the tank every 3-4 years when pumping.