Brandon Twp.-Ryan Sidock slips on a pair of rubber surgical gloves then a pair of thick rubber work gloves. Dressed blue work pants, a long sleeve work shirt he carefully drops the end of a heavy 3 inch wide-20 foot long hose down into the dark abyss of a 1,000 gallon commerical septic tank.
As the waste material is agitated by the hose a fine mist of gas rises up from the tank’Sidock seems oblivious to the vapors and ammonia-like odor that rises upward’an immunity that he says took time to develop.
‘It made me sick during the first two weeks I started doing this job,? he said. Now I can eat lunch and really don’t notice the smell.?
For the past two years Sidock, 26, has pumped septic tanks for Harrison Hoe Sanitation’a job he says requires good driving skills and a little sense of humor.
Despite earning the nickname from his wife and co workers as the ‘Foo-foo pumper,? Sidock douses the sterotype often associated with the occupation.
‘The job is only as dirty as you make it,? he said. We really try to keep clean and are very careful in handling product.?
‘I really have a weak stomach’but it’s really not too bad. The cooler months are easier’still a hot summer day is the worse it’s bad on those days.?
Regular truck washes, flushing hoses with bleach water, and attention to drips’Sidock’s white Petebult truck and polished silver stainless steel 3,600 gallon tank is relatively clean’a priority in a rather unclean business.
‘I make sure the customer takes a look inside the tank before we pump and after we finish,? he said.
Sidock reflects on customers facination with septic tanks.
‘I’ve found many odd things inside a tank. Model cars, golf balls, even a shirt. Little kids think it’s neat to flush things,? he smiles.