(How often to clean out a) septic tank

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Archives- from C-side : One Thread

(How often to clean out a) septic tank

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Hi. We are new to the country. Grew up city folk. What do we have to do with the septic tank? How often does it have to be pumped? I don't know how big it is. We are a family of 5. I believe it was last pumped a year ago, before we moved in. Thanks for your help.

-- ken (daddash@netzero.net), May 06, 2000

Answers

Response to septic tank

There are a number of different styles of septic systems and a number of varied opinions about how to take care of them. Many will hold quiet strong to their opinions. Nevertheless, having worked in the real estate field since 1988 in a suburban to rural area I've seen a lot of septic problems and repairs.

Key usage points: don't put grease down sink, use single ply toilet tissue (cut back on amounts thrown in if possible, too), try to cut back on amount of water that you use (use shower water savers & shut off valves on shower head to use less water while shampooing, etc.), don't put chemicals down drain, don't wash a lot of food scraps down drain, etc. You might want to check around and find out common practices for pump-out etc. in your area.

Basically, all the pump-out companies will tell you you need to pump out every year, some old-timers haven't done so in years, people who sell friendly bacteria additives to your tank say you need to put that in, and others say additives can actually be counter- productive. I have been trying to find scientific proof positive on this issue, but I'm still searching.

Just use common sense. Have it pumped out and inspected next year. Have it checked during the wet season (spring during rains and high water table). This is when a system most shows if there are problems; if water is running back in tank from drainfields after it is pumped, wet spots in yard over fields, tank backing up, etc.

You can often find out the details on the system if your county has permits and records kept at the health department (environmental health dept.) It is public record and you can get the specs. on the system and your well, too. Most systems are designed for a certain number of people, too. When you get info at health dept. don't volunteer everything about your family though. Some bureaucrat might decide you need to improve (cost you $) to handle usage. You just have to play it by ear. I've seen all kinds. Some are VERY helpful and could give you a lot of info and assistance. Some guy might know all the background about your system, too.

If this is not available, you can ask your septic pump-out company for details on the system. They can at least tell you some info when they are there pumping it out. I always try to be on hand to see firsthand how the system is operating when its being pumped out and I always ask questions; "how does it seem to be working...any problems?"

Most systems do fine and last many years with proper care and good environmental conditions. If you have any other questions you can e- mail me or call me at 1-800-878-9727. I live in Eastern Maryland.

-- Derrick Comfort (dcomfort@ccnmail.com), May 06, 2000.

Response to septic tank

One other note. You may have excellent soil, system and drainage conditions and much of what I've said you can just make a mental note of. You could (and should) be able to use all the water you want and not give it a second thought. Again, it all depends on your system's performance. These are just general items to take note of. It just requires some different thinking. Almost every system and area will dictate more or less how you operate. Check around locally, too.

-- Derrick Comfort (dcomfort@ccnmail.com), May 07, 2000.

Response to septic tank

on the other hand my Mom and dad have lived in the same house for 45 years and raised a faimly (5 of us) and never had theirs pumped out. we used all the water we wanted and flushed paper. No grese is a good idea enev on non septic systens. we have lived here 10 years and have had ours pumped twice. The system had set dormant for about ten years before we hooked up to in. The reason we had to have it pumped was that the over flow line had gotten cloged near the outlet. (Ran over by a truck) once we fixed that...no trouble Grant

-- Grant Eversoll (thegrange@earthlink.net), May 07, 2000.

Response to septic tank

You've gotten some great answers already. I'll add just a little. Take good care of your septic system. It is possible to ruin it, requiring you to put in another one, frequently in a different location. That can be very difficult especially for those who own small pieces of property. There are some ways to create an area to put a new septic system in, but they cost a great deal more than properly caring for the one you already have.

Even if your system will handle all the water you can run into it, it is a good idea to conserve water anyway. Potable water is becoming an increasingly difficult commodity for many people to obtain. Unfortunately for your kids, that doesn't mean they never have to bathe. Just think about how water gets wasted (running while you brush your teeth, that sort of thing) and try to reduce the waste.

You can test your tank's sludge depth yourself, if you can find your access cover. Find your main sewer vent stack in the house. Generally the tank will be about 10' out from the neares wall. The access cover will be about 1' below ground. If it is metal, you can find it with a metal detector, if plastic you'll have to probe with an unbent coat hanger. If your tank is very old, bad news, they generally don't have an accessible access hole. That means you get to dig about 10' down to find it! Hopefully if this is the case, you'll be able to use some of the ideas above to locate the thing. Since your tank was pumped a year ago, you may be able to tell by the disturbed ground where it is.

Once you get the access hole or the tank itself located and opened up, you wrap a light colored rag around the end of a long metal pole. Stick it in and pull it out. How much should be sludge and how much should be liquid depends on a great number of factors-style of your tank, size of your tank, shape of your tank, how well the tank is working, how well the drain field is working, etc. I don't know what the rule of thumb is in your area, that also depends on many things, but if you get mostly sludge, it needs pumping. I'd try to stay well under 2/3 sludge myself, more than that, I'd contact the pumper. Keep track of it yourself for a while and compare your findings with what the pumping people tell you. After a few years, you'll have a good feel for how your system works and when it needs pumping. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), May 07, 2000.

Response to septic tank

To be very precise - it all depends! How big is the tank? And how big is the leach field? Here's how this system is supposed to work. Liquid and solid waste enter the tank, where they are attacked by the friendly little critters who live there. They break down the solids to liquids, and through a baffle system, as the level rises, this liquid it sent (usually by gravity) into the leach field, a system of perforated pipes that releases the liquid into the soil, where most of it sinks in, but a percentage (up to 20%) is dispersed upward through evaporation. (That's why that grass is so green there!) How old is the system? If 50 years or so, it may be a 500 gallon tank and a 50' one pipe leach field. Newer, and most probably a 1000 gallon tank feeding a substantially larger field. And finally, the soils. But here's my advice: I personally, with a family of 5, would pump at least every 3 years, and here's why. Failure occurs because some solids are either indigestible (by our friendly little critters), and they form the sinking or floating sludge. When the floating layer gets thick enough, and especially during periods of heavy usage, some of this will bypass the baffle and enter the leach field. Here, SOME will break down further, but much will begin to clog the pipe, or the gravel, until you eventually reach the point where it does not disperse, and things back up into the tank, from whence they back up into the inflow pipe, from whence the house, and the ball game is now over, and you lose! Pumping costs (around here in Maine)run from $75 to $150. The low end is if you have a field where the pumpings can be spread. This is not bad if you have a hayfield and spread after the last cutting, or some waste (not wet) land that you don't harvest. A new leach field will cost you many, many, many more $ than 20 or 30 years of pumping, at least if you don't build the new system yourself, and few are capable of same. Have the guy who pumps inspect, check baffles, and give you his advice. Unless he is a dolt, he will be a big help, because you are a once and future customer. And to those who have had the gods (pagan, I'm sure) on their side and haven't pumped in 25 years, I mention a friend who recently spent in excess of $5000 dollars for a new leachfield. His comment? " I can't understand it! We've never even had to have it pumped in the 22 years since it was put in, and now, all of a sudden, it fails catastrophically!" It wasn't "All of a sudden!" It had been dying for years! One view! Good Luck!

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), May 07, 2000.

Response to septic tank

Just a short note to warn you of a possible problem. I have a 1,000 gal. concrete septic tank. I have allways checked for sludge at the inlet end. Never much sludge and no problems. Then last year as I was washing a wheelborrow out I noticed a small hole in the ground about the size of a half-dollar. As I washed it became bigger and soon I was looking at the plastic outlet tee. Didn't take me long to remove myself from that spot. Didn't want to go swimming! Anyway, over the years some drain cleaners had eaten the concrete top up and the part over the outlet line had been eaten away as well. I had about a 3'X 2' hole to repair on the outlet side and a hole of about the same size on the top to repair as well, plus had to make another outlet plug. The pumper that I called to pump the tank said that he always finds the outlet end to be in much worse shape than the inlet. So, you might want to check yours.

-- Terrell (terrell@tanet.net), May 08, 2000.

Response to septic tank

I meant to mention this in the previous post, but forgot! (I hate it when that happens!) Anyway, one of the worst things you can feed you septic system is liquid fabric softener. It forms a waxy build-up that tends to persist and clog. Even if you have a separate dry well for the washer, I wouldn't use it. I have been told that hair conditioner is nearly as evil, but cannot personally confirm that. GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), May 08, 2000.

Response to septic tank

We also don't pump ours. We have the kitchen sink, washer and tub water diverted out into the woods pasture, I also can divert it to water the garden. The toliet water and bathroom sink go into the septic. I actually treat it like a living creature, which it truly is full of living creatures who eat everything up. I do clean my sink and toliets but use comet very sparingly, and make a point of cleaning milking buckets in the sink, and pouring down any old milk, yougurt etc. We have never used any of the store bought areobic stuff sold, though we did start a new system (built a new guest house for college daughters) with a dead chicken. We also use single ply toilet paper, and don't flush any gal things down. Diverting your kitchen and washing room from your septic will cut down on all of your problems because of chemicals, soap scum, that turns rock hard when mixed with urine, and grease. Vicki McGaugh

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), May 08, 2000.

Response to septic tank

Vicki - I suggest you get it pumped! It's cheap insurance! But you reminded me of the "start-up" procedure. Never heard of starting the process with a dead chicken, although I will have to admit that is probably less traumatic than a live chicken. Hereabouts, based on the info from our pumper guy, who is certainly no more than a centurian, the answer for start up bacteria is a good sized bucket of horse apples! Not cow manure, not goat raisins, not sheep M&M's, only horse doughnuts! Maybe an urban myth, but it seems to work. If you ask me why, I'll answer like Lesley's Amish neighbors when asked why it works: "I don't know, it just does!" Gotta check out this chicken thing! Do you suppose this is what happened to Jimmy Hoffa? Bet that sucker will work for eons! GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), May 08, 2000.

Response to septic tank

the national small flows clearing house at w. virginia university is sponsered by the u.s. environmental protection agency. they have many free articles/phamplets, etc. on septic systems and other alternatives for onsite wastewater treatment. the following are free order numb. wwbrpe17 septic systems, a guide for homeowners, wwbrpe18 the care and feeding of your septic tank, wwbrpe20 so now you own a septic tank, wwbrpe21 groundwater protection and your septic tank. send e-mail to nsfc_orders@mail.estd.wvu.edu. by the way, i work for the city of richmond, va. as trainer and a chief operator at their wastewater treatment plant. glad to be of help to anyone with questions.

-- Bruce Burdge (burdgebruce@richmond.com), September 08, 2000.



-- (stinky@pot.com), July 01, 2001


Moderation questions? read the FAQ