60-second calculator
Time to Pump Your Septic?
Are you unsure when your tank was last pumped? Pick your tank size and household size to see the interval from our pumping table.
Interval comes from BBB Septic’s pumping table. Call the office to get on a schedule.
| Tank size | 1 person | 2 people | 3 people | 4 people | 5 people | 6 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 gallons or less | 5.8 years | 2.6 years | 1.5 years | 1.5 years | 1 year | 8 months |
| 1000 gallons | 11 years | 5.2 years | 3.3 years | 2.3 years | 1.7 years | 1.3 years |
| 1500 gallons | 18.9 years | 9.1 years | 5.9 years | 4.2 years | 3.3 years | 2.6 years |
| 2000 gallons | 25.4 years | 14 years | 9.1 years | 6.7 years | 5.2 years | 4.2 years |
How to read the interval
The table and the calculator use the same published figures. A 1,000-gallon tank with three people is 3.3 years. With two people it is 5.2 years. With four people it is 2.3 years. A tank of 500 gallons or less with one person is 5.8 years, and with six people it is 8 months. Those are the table values, not a quote for your house.
The Environmental Protection Agency 3 to 5 year range is a reasonable starting point, and a tank should generally be pumped every one to three years or so. Household size, diet, certain medical conditions, a garbage disposal used like a trash can, and what gets flushed all change the real interval. If you cannot remember the last pump-out, or the seller cannot tell you, it is time to clean the tank.
When a tank is working, solids stay in the tank and have to be pumped. If solids wash into the drain field, there is a problem and the house may be using too much water. An effluent filter is there to stop solids from leaving the tank. How fast that filter fills is a clue. Measuring solids in the tank and the distribution box is the check the maintenance plan was written to report. The older pumping video is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiEuhal2dnE
The calculator is still the fast version: pick a tank size and a household size. The table is the same data in the page HTML so you do not have to run the widget to see the figure. Neither one is a price. Pumping prices wait on Jon.
Read the rows the same way the widget does. A tank of 500 gallons or less is 5.8 years with one person, 2.6 years with two, 1.5 years with three, 1.5 years with four, 1 year with five, and 8 months with six. A 1,000-gallon tank is 11 years, 5.2 years, 3.3 years, 2.3 years, 1.7 years, and 1.3 years for one through six people. A 1,500-gallon tank is 18.9 years, 9.1 years, 5.9 years, 4.2 years, 3.3 years, and 2.6 years. A 2,000-gallon tank is 25.4 years, 14 years, 9.1 years, 6.7 years, 5.2 years, and 4.2 years. Those figures are the published table. They are not a quote and they are not a promise that every house matches the row. If your tank size is not listed, call and use the closest published row as a starting point, then schedule the visit. The table is not a price.
To schedule a pump-out in Northwest Arkansas, call (479) 271-0058. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Saturday and Sunday are closed. Shop: 2523 Janda Dr., Rogers, AR 72756. Office: 4149 Cook Rd., Bentonville, AR 72713. Licenses: AR Septic Installers 0855111 and AR Septic Tank Pumpers 000042. BBB Septic and Portable Toilets started in 1987. It runs 16 trucks plus in-house excavation equipment. Preferred Customer Program members get priority service on weekdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are no overtime charges. Program fees start as low as $20 per month.
Questions
The published table lists 3.3 years. Two people is 5.2 years. Four people is 2.3 years.
The EPA 3 to 5 year range is a starting point. The table changes with tank size and household size. If you cannot remember the last pump-out, schedule one.
No. It is only the published interval. Pumping price ranges are not on this page.
Talk to BBB
Ready to get on a pumping schedule?
Office hours Monday to Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm. Licensed, family owned, since 1987.