I don’t know a whole lot about septic system problems. So here is a question or two.
HO mentions today that septic service is coming to pump out tank. HO said reason was because ever since the toilet was replaced last week they smelled sewer gas thru the house every time they ran water anywhere in the house. HO rationalized maybe the septic system was backing up. I confirmed that the new toilet seal was properly sealed, so something else is going on.
HO then says “oh BTW” and proceeds to tell me their sump pump keeps running and they went down to find out why and found that the sump pit was overflowing with water. Said the smell of sewer gas was prevalent in the sump area.
I mosey on down to the basement and see the sump pit is half full and it has a tiny trickle of water going into it. This is a stone/rock fouindation, very old house. The far corner of the floor where it meets the two foundatoin walls is slightly broken out, as if a sone were missing and that was the source of the trickle. About an hour prior, however, the septic service was there and cleaned the tank. The tank is about 5 feet from the sump pit on the other side of the wall in the grouind naturally.
The water looked “gray” and it smelled very “sewery.” Reminds me of that smelly water that is in a washer machine base. I believe this is probably septic wastewater or something. It sorta looked like effluent to me. I wonder if she has a broken house drain pipe? It is CI going from the house to the Septic tank. I see no leaks in her plumbing, just a trickle of water from that corner.
Thoughts anyone??
Replies
Could be a leak
Or could be septic was backed up to the point of running out the clean-out & into the ground
tough call with out actually seeing it.
"There are about 550000000 firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is...........How do we arm the other eleven?" Yuri Orlov
Isn't there a dye that you can flush down the toilet and then see if the water coming is picks up that color or not.
Yeah, but sometime it can be tough depends on how much the ground is filtering it.
Those blue toilet bowl add ins work really well"There are about 550000000 firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is...........How do we arm the other eleven?" Yuri Orlov<!----><!----><!---->
Isn't there a dye that you can flush
There is, but (I think it was Piffin suggested this) witchhazel will be cheaper and possibly more definitive.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
It would help to know which is closer: the sewer outlet to the tank or the effluent outlet from the tank?. Either way, it sounds like the ground water is carrying nasty stuff to the sump. This is dangerous if the well is nearby.
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
Edited 3/21/2006 12:31 am ET by Scott
Is there a riser for the pipe from the house to the septic tank? It's required in some states. If there is, by all means have it opened and see if there is a blockage. Snake if needed.
The pipe could be Cast Iron, or maybe even clay. Roots could have damaged it, I suppose. Also, my septic guy has warned me that the old tanks are thin and brittle, and need to be kept far away from trucks and other disturbances.
If all else fails, perhaps some dye could be added to the sytem to track teh source?
I imagine a bit of digging could get to the answer as well.
Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
I worked at a environmental company for a while and have seen this. First step hire a camera company (TUNNEL VISON) (Hingham MA.) cast iron pipes shear at foundations all the time. The dye dose work use double recommended dose and add plenty of water to increase flow If it is break out you may be in trouble try water activated epoxy / grout around foundation to stop infiltration....... If not $ 100,000.00 for vaulted septic system with remove and replace. (sorry)
$100,000?!?!
I know septic systems are expensive. My friend has to have his replaced & he's only looking @ $20,000
removal and replacment + TRUCKING !!!! +disposal + vault !!! mabey slightly exagerated P.S worst speller in the world spell check not working
That 5 foot measurment indicates to me that this is a old system. Years ago they used steel tanks and they would rust out. If that is the case you are SOL, if not, I would look for something that has deteriorated or broke near the tank. The dye is a good idea. Check with your local plumbing supply house, water tracing dye is what you are looking for. Luck.
Why was the toilet replaced?
Assuming aotlet to septic tank is near, could be a leak in the pipe outside the wall running down along wall into pit.
One thing to look at is the difference in elevation between the septic tank and the sump pit. If the septic tank is deeper, then it isn't likely to be the source of the water. You've already looked at that, I'm sure.
Next step, as someone mentioned (Bill Hartman?) is dye the drainage system. In my experience, powdered flourescein dye works better than the liquid dyes. If you use the powder, be careful to not spill it--it stains anything porous. Just pour a couple of tablespoons of dye into a tissue, ball up, drop in commode and flush. If you use the liquid dye, remember that it takes quite a bit to dye the typical 900-1000 gallon volume of a septic tank.
If it appears to be the tank, it could be a number of things, from a cracked tank to a loose pipe, to a back-up out of a clean-out port. The only way to find out, most of the time is to start digging. Cost of replacing a tank--if it comes to that--shouldn't be too bad, actually. In this neck of the woods, a couple of thousand, depending on how easy it is to get the backhoe and the delivery truck to the site.