My intention for this message is to be short and to the point.  It really is just a reminder to make sure you pump your septic tanks on a routine basis.  I have attached the University of Minnesota “check sheet” that homeowners can use to help figure out how often your tank should be pumped.  If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to go thru the check sheet and figure out your needs. It is really simple and quick but helpful in knowing how often.

http://septic.umn.edu/sites/septic.umn.edu/files/septic_tank_pumping_frequency_guidelines.pdf

Our Board also thought it would be helpful to guide our members as to what the best time is to get the tank pumped.  So, we talked to a couple of local septic tank contractors :  Carol from Dales Septic and Frank Vogeltanz from DREC Construction.  Carol said this:  “While every year is different, and all homes and cabins are different the latest time to pump your septic tank is early October.   Earlier than that is fine, but it also is important that your septic system is in good working order to prevent it from freezing.  If you have large groups in the home of cabin that has a factor in when you clean out your system.”

Frank said this: “ Latest time mid-August – mid September. Need time to have enough material in the tank for the heat. The fewer the people using the tank the earlier pumped the better.”

So, we encourage you to take a minute and think about your home or cabin and take any needed action. 

Enjoy the last weekend of summer!

Dan Fitch

President Garfield Lake Association