Ok, more education time for me. How do you know when it is necessary to pump/clean a septic tank? Does water start to go down slower, or not at all, or…what are the signs that signals it’s time to clean it out?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
The "She Build" initiative is empowering women in Seattle, WA by ensuring they have safe, healthy homes.
Featured Video
How to Install Cable Rail Around Wood-Post CornersHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
it could be when all the raingutter runoff fills it up from a bad seal.
be forgiving for no other reason
Edited 6/24/2005 12:08 am ET by razzman
Edited 6/24/2005 12:08 am ET by razzman
When your yard becomes a smelly swamp.
When an "artesian" well springs up in your backyard but the water is brown and smells funny.
~Peter
just did my mother in laws. yup, toilet took a few flushes and all of it didn't go down. btw, I suggest you come up with a schedule. $80.00 every 3 to 5 years is nothing.
i had mine pumped out last year. it cost me 325.00. it started seeping out the top. then just 2 months ago it started seeping again. and you guessed it had to put in a new field for 2500.00. oh the joys of homeownership.tyke
Just another day in paradise
$2,500? Be thankful. Where we are in CT, the ground is mostly ledge so systems are sometimes built in mounds and require special sand that needs to come from the other side of the state. A 5 bedroom system cost me $35,000 two years ago. Only $2,000 or so was for the tank and the rest was for the fields. $35K was the lowest of 4 bids. If I wanted good topsoil for cover, it would have cost another good chunk of change. We got screened fill and have nutured it to grow grass.
So to the other poster's point, $80 or $300 every 2 years is nothing to take care of your system.
When I saw you live in Ct I clicked your bio. You live in Wilton - thats why it cost you so much.
The Gold Coast. How's the traffic today?
"When I saw you live in Ct I clicked your bio. You live in Wilton - thats why it cost you so much."
Ha. I think you are right. It's funny because I've never felt discrimination in my live until I moved here. Prices for everything jump when they hear the address. Truth is, this is my project house that I'm living in but it was the 3rd cheapest house in the town when we bought it. Doesn't seem to matter though.
Traffic sux.
>>Prices for everything jump when they hear the address
I live close enough to fairfield county to work there full time if I wanted to. The aggrevation and traffic is not worth the money. I know guys are charging $120 plus per hour for General carpentry services. Still not worth it IMO
Mojo, that is an unheard of cost to install a sand mound system. I won't be moving up your way, that is beyond absurd. Around here in certain counties you must install a sand mound system. They run an average of $11K here.
my complete system, tank, lines, gravel, backhoe, labor , permit was $1285 two years ago.
I should reiterate this was a big system. It's 130 feet by 30 feet by 3+ feet high (to meet MLSS). This was the lowest of several bids but all bids were within 10% of each other. It is expensive where we live and I tried to get installers from a few towns away but no one wanted to haul their machines this far. For a point of reference, I'm aware of 3 installations in less expensive towns near here where a 3-4 bedroom system that used native soil cost $13K-$17K. It's painful stuff.
I know this is dumb, but, I dunno where the septic cover is. It is part of a log cabin I own in the TN Smokies. The cabin is built on the side of a steep slope and that is also where the tank is, in the steep slope. I have an idea where the tank is from the site plan I got when I bought the house, just never looked for the cover. Since it's all woods I don't have any grass and I'd never go over into the leach field (no reason to) so I'd never know if the leach field is sogged or not. Below my drain field further down the slope is another resident. I suppose if he ever complains about crap and crap-water flowing into his yard then I'll know I have a problem. :)
This cabin was built in mid 2002. To my knowledge the tank has not been cleaned. All its life it's been a rental cabin so it's never always occupied, only when it rents, an average of several nights a month, so given that low usage the tank is prob still pretty clean I'd imagine, unless someone begs to differ.
If you've got health department codes in that area........that new of a system should be designed to adequate size and all that. If only used infrequently, you're probably good to go for a while, but it may depend on what those occasional inhabitants decide to flush down the toilet.If HD codes are in place then it is likely that there are records at the county seat showing the location of everything including the location of the lid(s).Some locales require an exposed and obvious access to the tank and others don't. Around here, you can bury the access so it doesn't show (no risers). In these cases, I recommend burying a large hunk of metal several inches down under the turf that's easy to find with a detector and then leave notation of this in an obvious location (basement wall or similar) for the next guy.......and yourself. Saves a trip to the HD to scour the records.Another method of discovery is......... If the tank has been pumped, that company usually makes note of where the lid is and keeps it on record. A few calls to the local septic services and you'll find out who did it last and where that lid is.Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Edited 6/24/2005 11:32 pm ET by GOLDHILLER
A metal detector could probably find that critter.
A person with no sense of humor about themselves is fullashid
Most pumper operators are pretty good at finding the tank. Where the soil permits they use a rod to probe for it, if it isn't completely obvious.An infrequently used tank, and especially one that doesn't get a lot (or any) laundry water is going to fare better than your average one. Of course, they may have sized it smaller on these assumptions. And you can never be 100% sure what a renter may have put down the drain. (Antifreeze, eg, would pretty well shut it down.)
Dare I ask...why would anyone put antifreeze down in the septic?
Also, for the other poster, there are strict HD codes in TN. Can't build a house there until the septic size it determined and permit issued.
To get rid of it, after changing antifreeze.
We do the tanks we have every 3-4 years. Cost $200 the last time I did it. The system cost $8500 new & we got no room for a replacement.
Slow-running water is one clue. However there could be other things going on to cause that - slow at a sink could mean a blocked trap,eg. Or slow emptying toilet might mean Ninja Turtles down there..(I've heard they live in sewers - kids might want them to go bac there!). Or roots growing thru a cracked feed line.
Some people say that a tank is a living organism on its own - don't disturb it. Pump operators say empty every 3 or 4 years. Err on the latter - get it emptied, as sometimes city folk throw things down that aren't good for the system, or if you use a garburator. And a good opertor will run a pressure-test on the leachfield at the same time.
cheers
***I'm a contractor - but I'm trying to go straight!***
I'm getting stupid in my old age, but I'm willing to learn. How do you pressure test a leaching field?
Sorry old chap - haven't a clue. Just passed on what a HO said when we went looking. Ask your pumper guy...I'd like to know too!cheers
***I'm a contractor - but I'm trying to go straight!***
If you wait until it tells you, it's too late. You should have a new tank pumped after 2-3 years (sooner with a large family, longer if you live alone). A "used" tank, when you don't know it's history, should be pumped right away, then again in 2-3 years.
When the tank is pumped, ask the pumper guy how full it was, and how long he estimates it should be until the next pumpout.
I've got a pump (2 tanks) to infiltrator system. Has to be inspected every five years 'cause health inspector says that's about how long it takes the tanks to fill up 25% with solids. I just had an inspection ($100), he said it was time to pump it, of course<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
they no time period to pump. operator say pump ever two years but he making money off it. alot of people say pump when the yard get soggy or slow flow, thats the field lines not the tank. if evrything is done right, they is no reason to pump. my parent tank has not been pump since 1972 when house was build, and 90 % of the houses in that neighborhood are the same way. if you take care of the sysytem there no reason to pump.
How do you know there is something wrong? You'll know but it will already be too late.
What do you do to keep a good septic system working?
I am sure it depends on the environment you build on but generally, I must agree with the last post.
I have had a sytem in Bedford, NH since 1973. It was built right and I saw no fault with it when the installer buried it. It has worked great and never been cleaned. The leach field is grassed. How do I know it is working great? I have a 30" diameter concrete 2' high section on top of the cleanout hole so inspection and possible pump out is easy to do. I am a pants belt and suspenders kind of guy.
My works well for several reasons.
I used to work for a plumbing and heating wholesaler and have read all the pros and cons about food waste disposers. I believe in them and am convinced they are what keeps the septic tank functioning properly. It was recommended that I never put egg shells, coffee grounds and chicken bones in the disposer. It's all stuff that can go in the trash bin.
There are no females living here but when I did, nothing but human waste and toilet tissue was ever sent down the toilet. Napkins and tampons went into bags and out with the trash.
I especially avoid any of those really dumb gimmicks that the cleaning products giants come out with like the toilet brush with a disposable, flush it down, head. You have to be kidding. Talk about begging for trouble.
Everyone here is trained from a very early age to know just how much toilet paper you really need for a good pass and still keep your fingers clean. Kids are senseless when it comes to this and need to be trained. 18", fold, fold, go. 8:)
Jerry
When a septic system hasn't been pumped in 35 years, and is still "working properly", it's only because the soil conditions are such that the failure isn't obvious.
he soil conditions are such that the failure isn't obvious.not neccasary, that there is a failure, remember from past post, everything within 100 miles here is basically sand.
But when solids begin to flow into the laterals, the disinfecting ability of the system drops dramatically, such that you're basically pumping untreated sewage into the soil.
Do you have an access hole or inspection tube that you can slide a pole down into to check the level of solids?
My town has a requirment to pump every 5 year. Part of a recently passed sewage avoidance program. Trying to stave off requirements that a town-wide sewage treatment program/plant be put in place.
Tough to enforce, but they have their ways. Example, to get the permit to install my pool two years ago, I first had to show proof that the tank was pumped.
Pump man said the 1500 gal tank (been in use 6 years) was clean as a whistle. No sludge. Suprised, but that makes me happy. If I ever have to replace my field, it'll be a nightmare due to landscaping/logistics.
When the water stops flowing, like other have said, that can be a sign that worst-case the field has already failed. Best case (least worse?) is that the solids in the tank are high, or the plumbing from the tank to the D-box, or the D-box itself has solids. Once the field drain piping is clogged it's trouble. You be $hit outta luck.
Clogged field pipes can sometimes be renewed, but if the soil/stone around the pipes has become compromised...the soil/stone voids being clogged with particulate...your field can be considered dead.
http://www.inspect-ny.com/septic/tankpump.htm
http://abe.www.ecn.purdue.edu/~epados/onsiteOnline/os_13_300.htm
How do you know when it is necessary to pump/clean a septic tank?
When it's an even year. I pump mine every other year; it's convenient to remember to pump on the even numbers (or odds).
There are all manner of considerations that go into determining when it is time to pump a tank. There is no one-size-fits-all answer and it IS far,far better to pump a bit "too" frequently than to miss the mark and then pay the big price.
http://babyurl.com/r99fXQ
Some of my PHD toting, rural-livin' neighbors figured they'd sooner spend money on leisure fun toys than on pumping their tank on the recommended schedule. They too...."knew better". This pumping deal is all a money making scam, he convinced himself. Wifey figured hubby knew best and wasn't much interested in thinking about the subject anyway. <G>
Last summer, I got the call. Too late now, I told 'em. The drainfields had turned into a 200' turd-impacted tube which he insisted would be fine if he could only wash out the contents. Hadn't pumped it in twenty years. Once in a lifetime should be sufficient, he had assured himself.
So he borrows my pressure washer and jetter hose, then starts blasting his way in there. 50' later he's covered from head to toe, grumbling about how unfair it all is and then proceeds to dig down every 50 lineal feet to the piping to cut it apart, making new entrances for PW hose and a place for the water to escape. Worked the whole 200' that way. Took him the better part of two complete days, but at least he went thru alot of martinis, too. Of course, there was nowhere for the water to go and so he worked under "water" feeding the jetter hose up and down the pipe. Thank heavens, those leisure-time waders came in handy tryin' to land some toilet-trout.
Well at the end of that procedure, things just wouldn't take water like he thought they were gonna........ so in desperation to have his way and in yet another attempt to prove he was correct........he reached out to the internet for products to "rejuvenate" his drainfield. Now there's the scam, I told him. Wouldn't listen to that, either. $180 later and three weeks of waiting for the miracle cures to do their thang, he called for the health department and a backhoe. Ka-ching. $$$$$
Oh........ and don't be fooled by those greedy oil companies, either. You never really have to change the oil or filter in your engine. That's all a big scam, too. ;-)
On a serious note............if you're on a septic sytem, pay heed to what you buy for toilet paper. Some of it (think megalo-mart brands for cheap) does not decompose at all. Ask my in-laws about the Thanksgiving Day three years ago that we spent pulling a mountain of the stuff out of their tank where it had completely blocked off the inlet pipe. Happy Thanksgiving everybody. Now put on your boots and rubber gloves.
(And don't let anyone flush those baby wipes or similar down your toilet. The alcohol will kill off the colony and the paper won't decompose either. Same goes for cig butts and such.)
A Google on "septic tank care" should turn up plenty of reliable info and advice.
Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Edited 6/24/2005 5:21 pm ET by GOLDHILLER
Edited 6/24/2005 5:25 pm ET by GOLDHILLER
One technique I've heard of that may actually work if the field isn't too badly clogged is to run industrial strength hydrogen peroxide through it. This will supposedly denature the c**p and turn it into relatively soluable stuff. Dangerous, though, not cheap, still requires digging up the ends of each lateral, and will not restore things to "brand new" status.
Yup. I've heard and read a bit on that also.....but have no experience with it, so can't say one way or the other whether it holds any real initial nor lasting solution.......implied or otherwise. Didn't sound cheap to me when pricing. I suspect it depends upon the type of soils you're trying to revive and the degree of problem. This fella's field was "way gone". Beyond revival short of a minor miracle, IMO.The whole ordeal this guy put himself and his wife thru trying to resurrect the drainfield was pretty damn humorous and it went on for weeks and weeks on end. He made what he called a "septometer" and mounted it in place of the lid. Consisted of a plastic float disc in the tank and a vertically exposed rod which told him at a glance out the window whether the water had gone down any overnight. Hash marks and all that. Those weeks went by painfully slow with hopeful morning checks (binoculars) to see if he thought the tank level had diminished any so that there might be enough room in the tank to take a quicky shower or flush the toilet....... or if they'd have to again head for "other resources".........7 miles away. <G> His septometer never moved a friggin' iota. Eventually, he caved and admitted that he shoulda been pumping the tank on the recommended schedule. Ahhhhh yes, the value of that degree .......in electronics, no less......didn't dissuade the laws of poop and soil physics. LOLKnowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Heck, didn't the guy at least know that he could have the tank pumped at intervals and just use it as a holding tank? Not cheap, but a lot more convenient than "showering" in the bathroom at the local Quickie Mart.
Pump the tank? He wasn't gonna fold that easy. <G> Afterall, he'd spent the last twenty years saying it was a waste of money.I'd offered them the use of our bathroom facilities (and key to house) immediately upon knowledge of their dilemma, but I think pride got in the way. (And no, I never once said, " I told ya so.") They never used our bathroom. Not my call. What can I say?He did, however, eventually have the tank pumped when they found out it would be another two weeks before the new field could be dug and laid. Kept track of the gallons of input daily so they'd for sure make it on to glory. (These folks make good coin, so there was no reasonable reason to pinch the pennies on tank pumping all those years. They just had other things they'd rather spend it on. Toys and such. The plan didn't work out too well in the end. <G>)Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Edited 6/24/2005 11:09 pm ET by GOLDHILLER
Great story.
A guy I knew when we lived in Mt. had the septic back up. My exc. guy was called. He asked the guy if he knew what he wanted to do about the system failure. Guy said, "add another ten feet of leach line". Head scratch... Only add ten feet? How much do you have now? Answer: Ten feet.
Family of four had lived for almost ten years on a septic tank and ten feet of leach line... that was about 20 feet from a creek that ran straight into the middle of Helena.
Anyway, that explained why they "never had a problem".Sigourney Weaver: "Are you sure you know how to use that thing?"
Bill Murray: "Uh, well, I think so."
Yikes! Ten feet of leech line next to a stream?Hence that old sage advice to "always drink upstream from the herd". <G>Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
never it was put in about 10 years ago by (my landlord whom i bought the house from) it replaced the bottomless septic tank which was also the front porch that started to leak at the time.
tyke
Just another day in paradise
Winston Rothschild III of 'The Red Green Show' fame has all the answers to your septic tank question.
For professional advice:
http://www.redgreen.com/index.cfm?app=cart&a=view_cast&castID=14