What a tank service in Kent covers that an empty does not, on a cesspit, a septic tank and a treatment plant, and how Kent's ground changes what gets checked.
Plenty of Kent homeowners assume a tank service is just an empty with a different name on the invoice. It is not, and the difference matters. An empty removes what is in the tank. A service tells you what condition the tank, its pipes and, on a septic system, its drainage field are in, and what is likely to go wrong next. This guide sets out what KP Cesspool Services check on a cesspit, a septic tank and a treatment plant, and how the ground in different parts of Kent changes what we look for. The full scope is on our septic tank servicing page.
An empty and a service are different jobs
On an empty, the tanker takes the contents away, we glance at the cover and we leave. That is the right job when you know the tank is sound and simply full. A service starts the same way, because most checks are easier on an empty tank, but then we look properly. We go round the inside of the tank, along the pipes in and out, and on a septic system out across the garden to the drainage field. You come away with a straight account of the condition, what needs doing now, what can wait, and what it will cost.
On a cesspit
A cesspit has no moving parts and no outlet, so the service is about whether it is still sealed and still big enough.
We look at the walls and joints for cracks and open mortar, and at the level and the way it is rising for signs that groundwater or rainwater is getting in. We check the cover and frame, the inlet, the vent and the alarm if there is one. And we compare how quickly the tank fills with the size of the household. A cesspit that leaks is releasing raw sewage into the ground, and one that is too small means paying for more empties than you should. How to maintain a cesspool safely covers the owner's side.
On a septic tank
A septic tank has more to check, because its job is to keep solids in and let only liquid out.
We measure the depth of the sludge on the bottom and the crust on top, which tells us how close the tank is to sending solids out to the drainage field. We check the dip pipes or T pieces at the inlet and outlet, which stop floating crust leaving the tank, and the baffle between the chambers. Missing or collapsed dip pipes are one of the commonest reasons a drainage field fails early. We look at the outlet pipe and any distribution chamber, and then we walk the drainage field, looking for wet ground, standing water, a lush strip of grass or a smell. Signs your septic tank needs servicing explains what each of those means.
We also note where the outlet actually goes. A septic tank must never discharge to a ditch or stream, and if yours does, you need to know.
On a treatment plant
A treatment plant adds machinery to the list. Depending on the design, that means the blower or air pump and its filter, the rotating discs with their motor, gearbox and bearings, or the pumps, timers and float switches of a batch plant. A property that pumps its sewage uphill to the tank has a pumping station too, and that is covered by pumping station servicing. We check each part, clean what needs cleaning, and replace worn parts before they fail. We look at the sludge in the first chamber and at what is leaving the final one, because a clear outlet is the proof the plant is working. What each type of treatment plant needs at its service goes into the three designs, and treatment plant servicing and repairs covers booking.
How Kent's ground changes what we look for
Kent is not one kind of ground, and the same tank behaves differently depending on where it sits. On our septic tank and cesspool services in Kent the pattern is fairly consistent.
On the Weald clay around Smarden, Headcorn and Biddenden, the drainage field is the weak point, because clay drains slowly and saturates in winter. We spend more time on the field there. On Romney Marsh, the high water table means groundwater getting into older tanks is the thing to look for, along with the condition of any outfall to a dyke. On the chalk of the North Downs, drainage fields usually work well, but long drives and wooded lanes make access the first question, and the chalk carries drinking water, so a leaking tank matters more.
How often a service is needed
A septic tank is usually emptied once a year, so it makes sense to book the service alongside septic tank emptying in Kent at the same visit. The General Binding Rules say the sludge must be removed before the tank reaches capacity, which should be at least once a year or as the manufacturer advises. A treatment plant needs servicing every six to twelve months. A cesspit is emptied every few weeks, so a fuller check once a year, or whenever the fill rate changes, is plenty.
What you are left with
Besides the empty, a service leaves you knowing the condition of the system and with a record of the visit. That record is worth keeping. The binding rules make the owner of a septic tank or plant responsible for keeping it in good working order, and when you sell, you must give the buyer a written description of the system and its maintenance history. Selling a house with a septic tank in Kent covers the rest.
Booking a service
KP Cesspool Services has over twenty years' experience with private drainage across Kent and East Sussex, and you can read our reviews on Checkatrade. Call 01233 720725, email kpcesspoolservices@hotmail.com, or contact us and tell us what system you have, if you know.
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