Septic tank pumping and cleaning around Oklahoma City

Every septic tank slowly fills with two things the bacteria can't finish off: a sludge layer on the floor and a crust of grease and scum on top. The liquid between them is what drains out to your lateral lines or on to the aerobic unit. A pump-out removes the sludge and scum before they creep down far enough to ride out the outlet. Once solids reach the trenches, they seal off the soil, and no pump truck can undo that.

What Oklahoma requires of the pumper

Oklahoma has specific rules for the pump truck itself. Under OAC 252:645, a licensed pumper must:

• Empty the tank. The rule defines that as leaving no more than five percent of the tank volume behind. Skimming off the liquid and driving away doesn't meet it.
• Tell you in writing how many gallons came out. Keep that paper; it's the best record you'll have for the next pump-out or a home sale.
• Haul without spilling and take the load to a permitted outlet: a public wastewater plant, a permitted land application site, a permitted landfill or treatment facility.
• Run a registered truck. Each vehicle is inspected and registered with DEQ every year and shows its DEQ number on both sides of the tank.
• Carry a $25,000 surety bond naming DEQ, which pays for cleanup if the company causes a spill.

Septage from aerobic units counts too: the rule's definition of septage includes material removed from an aerobic treatment system, so the same licensed pumper handles your trash tank.

Finding the lids before the truck comes

Half the time on a first visit goes into locating the tank. DEQ's homeowner guide for subsurface systems suggests these clues (DEQ guide):

1. Look for the sewer cleanout outside the house, usually within about three feet of the wall, and note which way the pipe heads.
2. Check the original inspection report for the system. The local DEQ office can give you a copy if you don't have one.
3. In summer, a shallow tank often shows as a strip of dry or dead grass.
4. Many concrete lids have a metal handle, so a metal detector can find them.

Newer installs are easier. The rules call for cleanout openings that rise at least two inches above the ground with a locking or tool-only cover, and concrete tanks get a data plate on a riser lid listing the maker, the liquid capacity and the date of manufacture (OAC 252:641-7). If you can read that plate, you already know your tank size.

What a good visit includes

• Opening every compartment, not just the one nearest the truck.
• Breaking up the scum mat so it comes out with the rest.
• A look at the inlet and outlet baffles while the tank is open, since a missing outlet baffle lets scum flow straight to the field.
• A note on the liquid level when the lid came off. A tank sitting above its outlet can mean the field isn't taking water.
• The written gallon count the rule requires.

You don't need to leave anything behind to "re-seed" the tank, and it doesn't need scrubbing or disinfecting afterward. DEQ's guide says incoming sewage brings all the bacteria the tank needs.

How often

DEQ's general guidance is every three to five years, adjusted for household size; our pumping schedule guide has the state's table and a way to measure sludge yourself. For pricing, see the cost guide, and ask for the quote before anyone starts digging.

Frequently asked