Septic Tank Pumping in Jacksonville, FL

How a septic system works, in one minute

Everything that goes down a drain flows into a buried tank. There it separates. Solids sink to the bottom as sludge, grease floats to the top as scum, and the liquid in between flows out through an outlet baffle or filter to the drain field — a set of perforated pipes or chambers in the soil, where it soaks away and is treated by the ground.

Bacteria in the tank digest part of the sludge, but not all of it. It builds up, and if it is not pumped out it eventually reaches the outlet and is carried into the drain field, clogging the soil. Pumping is cheap. A ruined drain field is not. That is the whole case for maintenance.

How often to pump, and what it costs

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's guidance is to have a household septic system inspected about every three years and pumped every three to five. The right interval for your house depends on the size of the tank and the number of people using it: a 1,000-gallon tank serving a three-bedroom home typically needs pumping around every three years. A garbage disposal, a large household or a small tank shortens the interval.

HomeAdvisor puts the national average at $428, with most homeowners paying between $292 and $565. Tank size drives the price: about $325 to $700 for 1,000 gallons, $375 to $900 for 1,250 and $450 to $1,100 for 1,500. Expect more if the lids are buried and have to be dug up, if the tank is long overdue, or for emergency and weekend calls.

• Ask whether locating and uncovering the lids is included
• Ask whether both compartments will be pumped and the outlet filter cleaned
• Ask for the sludge and scum depths to be noted, so the next interval is based on evidence
• Have risers installed to bring the lids to the surface if they are buried — it pays for itself at the next pumping
• Keep the receipt; a pumping record helps at resale

Signs the tank is full or the system is failing

A septic system gives warnings before it backs up. The trouble is that the same signs can mean a full tank, a blocked line or a failing drain field, and only the first is fixed by pumping. A technician can tell which by checking the liquid level in the tank: at the outlet pipe is normal, above it means the water has nowhere to go.

• Slow drains throughout the house, not just at one fixture
• Gurgling in the pipes when water drains
• Sewage odor indoors or near the tank or drain field
• Wet, spongy ground or standing water over the drain field
• Unusually green, fast-growing grass in a strip over the field
• Sewage backing up at the lowest drain — a tub, shower or ground-floor toilet

Why Northeast Florida is hard on septic systems

A drain field needs dry, unsaturated soil beneath it to treat wastewater. Much of Duval County is low and flat, with a water table close to the surface that rises further in the wet season. When heavy summer rain or a tropical storm saturates the ground, a field that works in March can stop accepting water in August. Toilets flush slowly, and nothing is wrong with the tank.

That is also why many systems here are built as mounds, with the drain field raised in imported sand above the natural grade, and why Florida's rules set a minimum separation between the bottom of the field and the wet-season water table. During a prolonged wet spell, the practical advice is to cut water use sharply — spread out laundry, shorten showers — and give the ground time to drain. Do not have a tank pumped while the ground is flooded; an empty tank in saturated soil can float.

Who regulates septic systems in Florida

Since July 1, 2021, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has been responsible for the state's onsite sewage program, which moved from the Department of Health under the Clean Waterways Act of 2020. Day to day, according to DEP, the county health department offices continue to handle permitting and inspection — in Jacksonville, that is the Florida Department of Health in Duval County.

Installing a new system, replacing a tank and repairing or replacing a drain field all require a permit, and the work must be done by a registered septic tank contractor or licensed plumber. Pumping must be done by a licensed septage hauler. Florida has also tightened requirements for new systems in designated water-quality protection areas in recent years; whether those apply depends on the location of the lot, so ask the county health department before designing a new or replacement system.

Septic to sewer in Jacksonville

Jacksonville has tens of thousands of septic tanks inside the city, many in older neighborhoods on small lots with high water tables, and the city and its utility, JEA, have been working for years on a program to phase out septic tanks in priority areas by extending sewer lines. If your street is in a project area, connection may eventually be offered or required.

If you are facing an expensive drain field replacement, check with JEA and the City of Jacksonville first to see whether sewer is planned for your neighborhood and what the terms are. It can change the decision.

New systems and lift stations

A new or replacement septic system starts with a site evaluation: soil, water table, lot size and setbacks from wells and surface water decide what kind of system is permitted. On difficult lots that may be a mound or an aerobic treatment unit, which has mechanical parts and needs a maintenance contract.

Some properties also have a pump tank or lift station that moves effluent uphill to the drain field or to the sewer. These have a pump, floats and an alarm, and they need periodic pumping and inspection like any tank. A sounding alarm means the water is high — reduce water use and call for service.