A septic tank does its work quietly until the day the toilets gurgle, the drains run slowly or the lawn above the soakaway turns green and wet. Septic tank cleaning, also called a pump-out, removes the sludge and scum that build up in every tank so the system can keep separating solids from the water that drains away. Tell us about your tank and where you are, and honey sucker operators who work in your area send you a quote directly.
What happens during a septic tank clean
The operator parks a vacuum tanker as close to the tank as the driveway allows, opens the lid or inspection hole and lowers a suction hose into each chamber. The pump draws out the floating scum, the liquid and the thick sludge on the floor of the tank. A good team breaks up a hard crust with the hose or a little water, checks the inlet and outlet tees, and looks at the level the liquid returns to afterwards.
The waste is taken to a municipal treatment works or licensed disposal site, which charges a dumping fee. Ask for the disposal slip if your estate or business needs proof.
How often a tank needs cleaning
Most household tanks in South Africa need a pump-out every two to five years. The interval depends on three things:
- Tank size: a 2,500 litre tank fills faster than a 5,000 litre one.
- People: four people produce roughly twice the sludge of two.
- What goes down the drain: cooking fat, wet wipes and harsh bleach slow the bacteria and fill the tank sooner.
Pump before the sludge and scum take up a third of the tank. Waiting longer pushes solids into the soakaway or french drain, which is far more expensive to fix than a clean.
Signs your septic tank is full
- Toilets flush slowly or gurgle, and the shower drain bubbles.
- A sewage smell around the lid, the soakaway or the vent pipe.
- Wet, spongy or unusually green grass over the drainage area.
- Water backing up into the lowest drain or floor trap in the house.
If water is already standing on the ground, ask for an urgent pump-out and say so on the job card. Many operators keep a truck free for emergencies, especially after heavy rain.
What affects the price
Most operators charge per load or per kilolitre, plus travel. The price goes up with a bigger tank, a long hose run from the road, a lid buried under paving that must be dug open, a hard sludge crust that takes longer to pump and a long drive to the nearest disposal site. Compare quotes on the same basis: litres removed, travel, dumping fees and VAT. See septic tank prices for tank costs, and septic tank pumping for larger and commercial jobs.
What to include in your request
- Tank size in litres, or the length and width of the lid area if unsure
- How many people use the system and when it was last pumped
- Distance from where a truck can park to the tank lid
- Whether the lid is visible, buried or under paving
- Any symptoms: smells, slow drains, a wet soakaway or backing up
Septic Tank Cleaning for different properties
- Houses: a pump-out every few years for the tank and soakaway at an off-sewer house
- Smallholdings and plots: a full clean of a large tank with a long hose run from the gate or road
- Estates and complexes: scheduled pump-outs of shared tanks for a complex, with disposal slips for the body corporate
- Farms and game farms: cleaning the homestead and worker housing tanks in one trip to save on travel
- Lodges, guesthouses and venues: pump-outs before and after the busy season when guest numbers fill tanks quickly
- Restaurants, shops and offices: regular cleaning of tanks at restaurants, shops and filling stations, often after hours
- Schools, churches and clinics: planned cleaning of large tanks at schools, churches and clinics during holidays
- Factories, mines, sites and events: bulk pump-outs of site and factory tanks with waste manifests for compliance
Frequently asked questions
How much does septic tank cleaning cost?
Can I clean a septic tank myself?
Do septic tank additives replace a pump-out?
Does a clean fix a soakaway that is flooding?
Septic Tank Cleaning by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg