Hello all,
I have a 50 year old septic tank which has been trouble free for the last 10 years I have owned my home.I have it pumped out every 3 years and have had no problems.
Till now- when we drain a tub or run the washing machine there is a strong sewage smell around the tank, Is this a vent problem? drain field clog? where should I start?
Thanks in advance any help
Replies
Lots of possibilities. From just the lid not seating well to more major problems. Single tank or double with pump? Breaker could be off, pumps go bad. Could be a clogged pipe. If there's a pump, suspect that first. Check the breaker, reset it. Can be just a float switch or a pump problem. Bad capacitor or pump. There's a control box with lights and sometimes relays. Could be in there. Look to see if the lid is ajar or not sealing well. A little caulk can fix that. Unlikely the drainfield is clogged, but possible that the line to the distribution box is clogged. Pull the tank cover and see if the level is over the exit pipe. If so, uncover the D box and snake back to the tank. Whoever pumps your tank can do all this for you.
My system is a single tank w/no pump. My house is around 1200SF. I will check tank seal. Thanks
Been there..look for a soft spot..or really green grass..and wet.
No? good, just a natural vent smell and maybe due to a low pressure system (atmospheric that is) and not "rising" fumes..
open the lid and stick a pole in and check the depth of the scum an fluid..too much may mean a clog or drain field collapse..any traffic over it?
try pumping again and wait till things dry up a bit..wet spring? Ground thawing?
where are ya? I shoulda checked yer profile but can't access it right now..
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
I am in Maryland about 2 miles up stream(on the Potomac river) from Washington D.C.
How much do you know about your system? Assuming there is no pump, waste from the house usually flows to a tank where the solids settle. The liquid is supposed to go fom the tank to a leaching field. The field can be of seveal types: Many feet of perforated pipe in gravel, big concrete honeycombs, etc. If your system is 50 years old, perhaps it's a cesspool: A stone-lined pit with no outlet.
The first thing to check is to see if the outlet of the main drain from the house is under water. If it is, water is not getting out of the tank fast enough. This could be caused by a clogged pipe, or possibly a bad leaching field. Maybe it's just the weather. Have you had a wet spring?
I spent many hours fretting over my system last year. When we had it pumped, we discovered that the water in my tank was higher than the outlet to the leaching field. (In my case, four 4' concrete cubes in series in a big bed of gravel.) After weeks of watching, digging holes in the yard (by hand) and wondering how I was going to pay for a new system, I discovered that if I avoided peering into the dark pit in the days right after heavy rains, all would be fine. The water level would rise after a storm because of the fine texture of the soil in my yard, but in time, it would go back down. It is affected more by natural precipitation than by anything we put in it.
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Is the drainfield as old as the tank?
Yes vintage 1950.
Not knowing the particulars of the installation, I'd follow that suggestion to access the lid. Is the fluid level at that time higher than the bottom of the inlet port, is the first question. If it is, then this would indicate that the discharge is impeded for some reason.
Let's assume that when you initially look, the water level is not higher than the bottom of the outlet port. In other words, it's at an acceptable level. Now have someone discharge a largish volume of water like that washing machine while you watch what happens. Or maybe two successive loads of water, one right behind the other. Does the water level rise substantially above the bottom of the outlet port during this procedure or does the outflow keep even pace with the inflow? If the water rises appreciably to the volume injected into the tank, thenthat would indicate that something is obstructing/limiting the flow.
It may be a collapsed or partially collapsed discharge pipe or tile. A system of that age may well be comprised of clay tile or even orangeburg. Could be cracked or rotted and therefore slugged/impeded with dirt or even tree or shrubs roots.
Or it may be that the drainfields are simply exhausted and can no longer absorb and dispense of the incoming water. Unfortunately, they don't last forever. Or perhaps you have a leeching well instead of a drainfield. Same scenario is possible. Exhausted.
You could even have a problem on the incoming line to the septic tank allowing material to leech out into the ground. There would be no indication of this by the comparison of inflow and outflow to the tank. You'd simply have a leak and that could definitely cause this type of odor. No evidence of any water leaking back in around where the outlet pipe passes thru the wall?
Edit: Out of curiosity, where is the main stack vent on the house in relation to your septic tank and the area in which you smell the odor? Does wind direction or relative humidity have any relation to
the notice of odor or is it an "everytime we ........" sorta deal?
You haven't mentioned that you experience any backups into the lines of the house.........yet.
Hope this is nothing more than a bad seal on a lid, but if that lid(s) is buried more than say a foot or so, I'd kinda doubt that's it. Maybe, if you have sandy soil.
Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Edited 5/2/2004 12:47 pm ET by GOLDHILLER
50 years is getting pretty old for any septic system.
I too live in MD and take this advise. Get a septic cleaning service that doesn't clean the system through the inspection tube. Expose the manhole and have it pumped, if water backdrains from the drainfield it's probably shot. If you need a new drainfield block the old one off at the D box, the old one may become usable again one day given time to recover.
Also whatever you do do not call the county health dept about your problems. They are quick to give out 30 day condemnation notices. Also at least in Harford county new systems are designed by the health dept to have a 15 year life. Not very long in my opinion so be careful on who's designing the system.
Also if you get a new system take the day off when it's installed to make sure it's done correctly. I've seen more then one that was half as big as contracted for but when you come home from work and the holes are all covered how do you know?
I have learned this through personal experience and hope this helps.