BLIMP said:
tank shouldnt be cleaned "spic & span" cause residual bacteria should be left behind. some leftover sludge provides such i think. i'd buy a box of rid-x & flush, which is the digestive bacteria i think.
Sorry, totally false on all counts. Tank should be totally cleaned and either left totally empty or refilled with clean water. The first turd has all the bacteria you'll need. Further, rid-x is a scam and is never needed to "help" your tank do its job.
Any pumper that doesn't pump the entire tank empty is doing a half-a$$ed job and knows it. His disposal costs are directly related to volume and ripping you off by leaving anything in the tank is directly increasing his profits. The sludge on the bottom is important to remove but so is the floating scum layer on the top. Both will ruin your drainfield. Using the pumped junk in his truck to backwash the tank is fine so long as he leaves your tank empty at the end.
I really like the effluent filters. They are no trouble unless you send junk towards your drainfield and then they clog. That clog lets you know that you waited too long to have your tank pumped and saved you the expense of a new drainfield. Too many septic system owners just wait until the system fails to do maintenance, without a filter the failure will be very expensive.