We have a 1,200 gallon concrete septic tank and there are 10 of us that use it. How often should it be cleaned out? How long should we expect a concrete tank to hold up? Is there a way that I (the homeowner) can test it to see if it needs to be done?

Thanks.

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Tanks are often pumped every 3 to 5 years. I know some that have gone longer. If it is getting full of liquid, there could be a issue with the drain field or even the baffles inside the tank.

The liquid in the tank should be going out into the drain field and merely the solids settling into the bottom of the tank.

I always had a clean out and/or opening so I could check the levels of mine, many don't

Not sure where you are located but where I am the tank size is based on the number of bedrooms and people using it. A 4 bedroom home in my area (4-8) people requires a 1500 gallon tank. You may not have this code but I think you are pushing the limits of your system, especially if you also have a water softner and garbage disposal. You should still be good with the 3-5 year range but here are a few tips. Require the pumped to show you the empties tank and to also show/tell you how deep the solids were. I have had pumped dig up a tank lid , throw their hose down and start the truck but they actually not pump the tank down. The level of solids will tell you if you need to pump more often, tank should never reach half full or more of solids. BTW your tank does not fail but your field fails if solids get past the baffle and into the field.

Septic tanks are always full.

The concept is.

Your sewage flows into the tank from your home through the intake pipe. There is sits for a while and the solids dissolve into a liquid. After the tank has filled for the first time, the addition of more sewage from your home forces the sewage in the tank (with the dissolve solids) out the output pipe. The output pipe or drain line distributes the sewage out into the drain field where it is absorbed by the soil and evaporated by the sun. There are baffles in the tank to prevent the new sewage from flowing directly out the drain line. The drain line is slightly lower than the intake line.
The only problem is that certain parts of the sewage do not dissolve or do not dissolve completely. These undissolved particles settle to the bottom. If these solids build up too much in the bottom of the tank, they can find their way out the drain line into the drain field. There they block the absorption by the soil. When that occurs you usually have to put down new drain lines in another location.

The size of the septic tank is determined by the size of the house. A 3 bedroom 2 bath home will have about a 1000 gallon tank. All based the idea that a certain number of people will occupy a house of that size. The more people, the more sewage, and the shorter the time the sewage will sit in the tank to dissolve. Also the more sewage water that is put in the septic field to be absorbed and evaporated.

The purpose of pumping is to remove the undissolved solids at the bottom, not to empty the tank. You will probably refill the tank within a day or two after pumping.

You will probably get any number of answers as to how often it should be pumped. It all depends on the type of soil in the septic field and the number of people using it.

There is no way to tell specifically when it should be pumped. Pumping is a preventive measure to extend the life of the septic field. Ask Your neighbors how often they have theirs pumped and factor in the number of people in your home.
Its cheaper to have it pumped more often than necessary than it is to put down new drain lines 10 years before you have to.
The tank is a rectangular concrete tank with a flat concrete top. It will last forever as long as you don't drive a truck or car over. The top is just not designed to take that kind of weight.

Comment on Bob's post.
In my opinion, you should not use a garbage disposal on a septic system, that is unless you double the size of the tank.

In addition to the above suggestions:

It depends on percolation properties of your soil. As Harold said, septic tanks are always full. Sewage w/o solids exits the tank and is absorbed by soil. If you have too much sewage draining into the tank than soil will saturate and wet puddles of sewage will appear in the leach field. As far as solids go, you can purchase enzyme and flush it down the toilet in suggested intervals. Enzymes help to dissolve solids. Back to you. Milo

PS: Please, remove your email address from your post. Thank you

I am sorry to disagree with Milo on one small point. Most of us think the enzyme treatment is a waste, does little with many solids. I pump tanks every 6 years for $150, money well spent.

Let me add to the great answers giver above. Along with MGD and most of the other experts here I think that Enzymes such as Rid-X and Septic Savior are a rip off. Read more.
Let me give you a few pointers. Since the septic tank is such an essential part of a sewage system, here are some points to remember about the "care and feeding" of that part of the onsite sewage treatment system.
A "starter" is not needed for bacterial action to begin in a septic tank. Many bacteria are present in the materials deposited into the tank and will thrive under the growth conditions present.
If you feel that an additive is needed, be aware that some may do great harm. Additives that advertise to "eliminate" tank cleaning may cause the sludge layer to fluff up and be washed out into the drainfield, plugging soil pores. Some additives, particularly degreasers, may contain carcinogens (cancer-causing) or suspected carcinogens that will flow into the ground water along with the water from the soil treatment unit.
Send all sewage into the septic tank. Don't run laundry wastes directly into the drainfield, since soap or detergent scum will plug the soil pores, causing failure.
Normal amounts of household detergents, bleaches, drain cleaners, and other household chemicals can be used and won't stop the bacterial action in the septic tank. But don't use excessive amounts of any household chemicals. Do not dump cleaning water for latex paint brushes and cans into the house sewer.
Don't deposit coffee grounds, cooking fats, wet-strength towels, disposable diapers, facial tissues, cigarette butts, and other non-decomposable materials into the house sewer. These materials won't decompose and will fill the septic tank and plug the system. To use a 5-gallon toilet flush to get rid of a cigarette butt is also very wasteful of water. Keep an ash tray in the bathroom, if necessary.
Avoid dumping grease down the drain. It may plug sewer pipes or build up in the septic tank and plug the inlet. Keep a separate container for waste grease and throw it out with the garbage.
If you must use a garbage disposal, you will likely need to remove septic tank solids every year or more often. Ground garbage will likely find its way out of the septic tank and plug up the drainfield. It is better to compost, incinerate, or deposit the materials in the garbage that will be hauled away. As one ad says, "You can pay me now, or pay me later."
Clean your septic tank every 1 to 3 years. How often depends on the size of the tank and how many solids go into it. A rule of thumb is once every 3 years for a 1,000 gallon tank serving a 3-bedroom home with 4 occupants (and with no garbage disposal).
Using too much soap or detergent can cause problems with the septic system. It is difficult to estimate how dirty a load of laundry is, and most people use far more cleaning power than is needed. If there are lots of suds in your laundry tub when the washer discharges, cut back on the amount of detergent for the next similar load. It's generally best not to use inexpensive detergents which may contain excessive amounts of filler or carrier. Some of these fillers are montmorillonite clay, which- is used to seal soils! The best solution may be to use a liquid laundry detergent, since they are less likely to have carriers or fillers that may harm the septic system.
Each septic system has a certain capacity. When this capacity is reached or exceeded, there will likely be problems because the system won't take as much sewage as you want to discharge into it. When the onsite sewage treatment system reaches its daily capacity, be conservative with your use of water. Each gallon of water that flows into the drain must go through the septic tank and into the soil absorption unit. Following are some ways to conserve water that should cause little hardship in anyone's standard of living:
Be sure that there are no leaking faucets or other plumbing fixtures. Routinely check the float valve on all toilets to be sure it isn't sticking and the water isn't running continuously. It doesn't take long for the water from a leaking toilet or a faucet to add up. A cup of water leaking out of a toilet every minute doesn't seem like much but that's 90 gallons a day! So be sure that there is no water flowing into the sewer when all water-using appliances are supposed to be off.
The most effective way to reduce the sewage flow from a house is to reduce the toilet wastes, which usually account for about 40 percent of the sewage flow. Many toilets use 5 to 6 gallons per flush. Some of the so-called low water use toilets are advertised to use only 3.5 gallons per flush. Usually the design of the bowl hasn't been changed, however, and often two flushes are needed to remove all solids. That's 7 gallons! Toilets are available which have been redesigned and will do a good job with one gallon or less per flush. Using a 1-gallon toilet rather than a 5 gallon toilet will reduce sewage flows from a home by about a third. This reduction may be more than enough to make the sewage system function again. While prices may vary, 1.6 gallon toilets can usually be purchased in the $200 range, far less than the cost of a new sewer system. Baths and showers can use lots of water. "Setting up camp" in the shower with a shower head flow of 5 gallons per minute will require 100 gallons in 20 minutes. Shower heads that limit the flow to 1.5 or 2 gallons per minute are available and should be used. Filling the tub not quite so full and limiting the length of showers will result in appreciable water savings.


-Is the water from the faucet cold enough to drink? How long do you let it run to cool down? Keep a container of drinking water in the refrigerator. Then it won't be necessary to run water from your faucets in order to get a cool drink.
There may be other ways to conserve water that you can think of in your home. The main idea is to consider water as a valuable resource and not to waste it.
Following a few simple rules like not using too much water and not depositing materials in the septic tank that bacteria can't decompose should help to make a septic system trouble-free for m, too! Any years. But don't forget the septic tank does need to be cleaned out when too many solids enter the system.
With a water meter you can determine how much water your automatic washer uses per cycle. Many washers now have settings to reduce the amount of water used for small loads. Front loading washers and suds savers use less water than top loading machines. If your sewage treatment system is reaching its maximum capacity, try to spread the washing out during the week to avoid overloading the sewage system on a single day. Septic tanks need tender, loving care too. Good luck and thank you for rating my answer, Tom