Aerobic Septic System

[strength_and_power]

First off, I apologize if this is in the wrong spot, a septic system feels a bit like an ancillary system of a shop much like AC.
That being said, barring a locust swarm, Armageddon or the like, I will be closing on a house and shop at the end of the month. It’s a bit out in the country and I’ve probably only stayed at a place with a septic system just a handful of times. What I know of the property is that they have the septic system serviced quarterly, no idea what the service includes although I’m sure I will find out.
From the little I know of septic systems, pouring cooking grease down the drain is a no-no along with wet wipes, feminine products, paper towels etc.
What knowledge can y’all impart so down the road my next septic related thread isn’t titled, “ septic system nightmare, please help!”
Thanks in advance.
Scott

 

[cvairwerks]

You've got the basics down already. If it's aerobic system, you only need to be sure the air pump is functioning, the spray pump and heads are as well and that the chlorinator has chlorine in it. The quarterly service, if it's like Texas, is to make sure everything is operating, and to do a sample report to verify the chlorine level in the discharge tank. In Texas, you can take a 1 day course, pass the test and get a Class D wastewater operator permit and do the inspection and reports yourself.

 

[PCustoms]

I'd you didn't eat it, it doesn't go down the drain.

No food scraps/disposals, "flushable" products, wipes etc.

Minimize the flushing of cleaning chemicals as much as feasible.

 

[juddspaintballs]

I don't eat toilet paper and it goes down the drain.

 

[lzenglish]

All Good Advice given above, including Do Not Eat the toilet paper, lol. When you live on property that has a Water Well, and or Septic System, Remember, it is not just an adventure, it's a "Lifestyle", and needs to be Maintained. "Grease" is Enemy number 1, followed by "Cleaning Products" that kill the enzyme action, and also "Washing Machine Lint" is Not Good, as it can plug the Dry Well, and or Leach Line Rock Drainage Crevasses. Look into Graywater for your Washer, like I did, "I Love it". It takes some of the load off the septic system, keeps the lint out of the septic system, and waters the trees, all in one, and free.

Good Luck, and Welcome to the World of Septic System Owners,

LZ

 

[strength_and_power]

All Good Advice given above, including Do Not Eat the toilet paper, lol. When you live on property that has a Water Well, and or Septic System, Remember, it is not just an adventure, it's a "Lifestyle", and needs to be Maintained. "Grease" is Enemy number 1, followed by "Cleaning Products" that kill the enzyme action, and also "Washing Machine Lint" is Not Good, as it can plug the Dry Well, and or Leach Line Rock Drainage Crevasses. Look into Graywater for your Washer, like I did, "I Love it". Takes some of the load off the septic system, keeps the lint out of the septic system, and waters the trees, all in one, and free.

Good Luck, and Welcome to the World of Septic System Owners,

LZ

Septic system is already in. Would a gray water system still be possible?

 

[jar944]

You've got the basics down already. If it's aerobic system, you only need to be sure the air pump is functioning, the spray pump and heads are as well and that the chlorinator has chlorine in it. The quarterly service, if it's like Texas, is to make sure everything is operating, and to do a sample report to verify the chlorine level in the discharge tank. In Texas, you can take a 1 day course, pass the test and get a Class D wastewater operator permit and do the inspection and reports yourself.

Not all aerobic systems use chlorine


Quarterly seems aggressive

 

[kj_mustang]

Yep, I have a Fast system for my home. Virginia requires a once a year inspection.

 

[dcg9381]

Septic system is already in. Would a gray water system still be possible?

Generally, no, as it would involve a 2nd "main" line for gray water. I've seen one house with a gray water system and it was designed for it.
And not all places allow for gray-water discharge.

 

[lzenglish]

Septic system is already in. Would a gray water system still be possible?

Yes, it has nothing to do with your septic system itself. You simply disconnect your washer water discharge line from the house to septic plumbing system and run it thru a hose to a distribution box outdoors. You Could do all your sinks and bath, but i just did my washer discharge. I could have made a good horse blanket from a year's worth of lint.

One more Thought: When closing the house sale Get all the info you can regarding the septic system itself, as well as the location of your distribution box, and dry wells or leach lines. Make a house File and keep safe.

PS: Did they Pump it, and or do a Perk Test?

Congrats on Your New House,

LZ

 

[Hubmonkey]

Heavy Quilted toilet paper like Cottenelle or Northern do not break down easy. we use Angel Soft on the advise of our Installer and warranty folks.

As mentioned, dont even use a garbage disposal, our guy stated he tells people to not even install them on new construction as they are a issue. Use drain screens to put that in the trash.

With Aerobic Systems water usage is something you need to be aware of so you don't get high water alarms that can freak people out. Don't save up laundry and do it all in one day, that is asking for issues. We do a load a day a couple times a week and avoid the issues.

 

[rancherbill]

There's lots of good advice already. I add septic bacteria - Septobac every month or two. I do it just to be sure. I know a properly functioning system works by itself, but I have no way of testing.

We had a tank that had been over 10 years before I had it cleaned and there was only about 6 " of stuff in the bottom. The septic truck guy was impressed.

 

[strength_and_power]

Thanks to all who chimed in. A quick question, on the rare occasions that north Texas has freezing temps, is there anything that needs to be done to the system to prevent poopsicles?

 

[LopezBart]

Thanks to all who chimed in. A quick question, on the rare occasions that north Texas has freezing temps, is there anything that needs to be done to the system to prevent poopsicles?

So long as it's buried, no issues. Properly built and maintained septic systems are quite trouble free. Do remind guests about not abusing the system, esp. if you have large parties.

 

[jar944]

Thanks to all who chimed in. A quick question, on the rare occasions that north Texas has freezing temps, is there anything that needs to be done to the system to prevent poopsicles?

Assuming it's under ground, no. Not sure how Texas does it though?

 

[dcg9381]

Thanks to all who chimed in. A quick question, on the rare occasions that north Texas has freezing temps, is there anything that needs to be done to the system to prevent poopsicles?

I've not seen anything that impacts septic, even during our "record" freezes. Because it's underground, it's generally protected by the heat retained in the ground. We generally don't get a frost level in soil. Most foundation based homes the main drain lines are underground.

I can see a spray head freezing up possibly... But I didn't see any issues with neighbors systems.

I have seen a few homes that were typically elevated non-foundation where main drains got frozen and stopped flowing.. Those particular pipes were not insulated, but any pipe that's external and exposed is at risk.

 

[Hubmonkey]

Pretty sure the OP is asking about the sprinkler system on his aerobic system. The tank freezing is not a problem, the spraying of the treated water is what he is referring to.

Our Aerobic system has not had issues in winter , even record cold snaps a couple of years ag. I do go out and check the spray heads often to make sure they are not stuck up. makes some pretty interesting icicles on the trees in the pattern. I have not had any issues with them freezing as the treated water is much warmer that the air due to the tank being under ground.

Hub

 

[aggie113]

Loathing the day my septic fails. It's non-aerobic and can't be "repaired" if needed. Must be replaced with aerobic system. I have a grey water line for the washer and get it pumped every 3 years of so. It's near the end of it's rated life so doing all I can to delay that bill...

 

[Ak Jim]

We use a lot of paper towels when we do dishes. Every thing with food type stuff on it gets wiped off with a paper towel. If I cook something greasy I’ll first clean the pan with some windex and a paper towel. Where we live the experts say it’s too cold for a septic system to function correctly so the tank is really just a holding tank for the solids. We get it pumped every other year. When the kids were living here we had it pumped every year. The original system lasted 28 years so I think our techniques work fairly well.

 

[juddspaintballs]

I just finished installing our anaerobic system. It's traditional with 100' of line per bedroom in a gravel bed, so 600' of lines with a 1500 gallon single chamber tank. The health department approved the install last week.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

I've not seen anything that impacts septic, even during our "record" freezes. Because it's underground, it's generally protected by the heat retained in the ground. We generally don't get a frost level in soil. Most foundation based homes the main drain lines are underground.

I can see a spray head freezing up possibly... But I didn't see any issues with neighbors systems.

I have seen a few homes that were typically elevated non-foundation where main drains got frozen and stopped flowing.. Those particular pipes were not insulated, but any pipe that's external and exposed is at risk.

We had a freeze a few years ago where it stayed at 17 degrees for like 3 days straight. My friend from new jersey said all my pipes were going to crack even the ones underground. I was like, no the ones underground should be fine because it has plenty of warmth from the soil. Nothing underground cracked

 

[Copymutt]

Had that type of system for years till the newly formed sewer district threatened to condemn wells if u didn’t hook up. Co. Winters, many nights below 0 never froze. Its moving water. Takes an extended period to ice up.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

We had a freeze a few years ago where it stayed at 17 degrees for like 3 days straight. My friend from new jersey said all my pipes were going to crack even the ones underground. I was like, no the ones underground should be fine because it has plenty of warmth from the soil. Nothing underground cracked

The ones not underground did though because they ran under the house and we lost power the whole 3 days. If we didn't lose power it probably would have been fine. I need to so something about those exposed pipes though, because even leaving the water running it still freezes. Well water is already really cold to begin with compared to city water

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Had that type of system for years till the newly formed sewer district threatened to condemn wells if u didn’t hook up. Co. Winters, many nights below 0 never froze. Its moving water. Takes an extended period to ice up.

I'd take city water over a well any day. I'd rather have city sewer though

 

[Copymutt]

I'd take city water over a well any day. I'd rather have city sewer though

Happy camper w/ my well. Tested out over 12gpm of great water. While its on the hard side, I’d rather have the minerals than the fluoride. Monthly charge for municipal water @ $40.00 month x 40 yrs. is just short of $20,000. In that time I replaced the Gould pump one time. Test every couple years. I’ve never tasted better water. Never understood the bottled water deal as a general population addiction.

 

[elmer]

I Live in a house with septic tank and drain field.
Go to get it pumped out, call my local turd herder he comes out pulls the lid off .
I look down in the tank and there are all these rubbers floating on top.
At the time I have a wife a teen age son and teen age daughter.
Turd herder says look who ever it is at least they are using protection.
Never did find out who they belonged to.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

I Live in a house with septic tank and drain field.
Go to get it pumped out, call my local turd herder he comes out pulls the lid off .
I look down in the tank and there are all these rubbers floating on top.
At the time I have a wife a teen age son and teen age daughter.
Turd herder says look who ever it is at least they are using protection.
Never did find out who they belonged to.

I love how the wife is a suspect

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Happy camper w/ my well. Tested out over 12gpm of great water. While its on the hard side, I’d rather have the minerals than the fluoride. Monthly charge for municipal water @ $40.00 month x 40 yrs. is just short of $20,000. In that time I replaced the Gould pump one time. Test every couple years. I’ve never tasted better water. Never understood the bottled water deal as a general population addiction.

How do you get so much pressure? That's my complaint, the limited flow/pressure

 

[Copymutt]

How do you get so much pressure? That's my complaint, the limited flow/pressure

You’re referring to 12 gpm?
That’s just the test. At 12gpm for a specified period level did not drop. At my fixtures it’s much less. At my freeze proof located at the well house it’s 12gpm, 1” line.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

I'm almost positive it takes more than a minute to fill a 5 gal bucket at my house

 

[Copymutt]

Typically a low recovery rate such as 3 gpm needs a cistern set up which provides the volume needed for an anticipated period. During non use ( most hrs.) the cistern is refilled from the well. Very very common around here and considerably more repairs and maintenance.

 

[My Old Tools]

I'm on my third aerobic system (3rd house). We have a garbage disposal, flush wipes, etc. No problems at all. Had it pumped once as it was a 20 year old house when we bought it. Didn't get much out at all. I change my air pumps when they die. Amazon has plenty of them. Inspections depend on how good the county keeps records. One county would start issuing fines if your service contract lapsed 30 days. My current county apparently doesn't even know we exist. These things aren't magic. As long as the air pump works and the water pump works, they just chug along. If the air pump works there isn't much smell at all. Sun light does most of the real work. Study by NIH shows most bacteria die within an hour in direct sunlight.

Roles of sunlight and natural ventilation for controlling infection: historical and current perspectives

Infections caught in buildings are a major global cause of sickness and mortality. Understanding how infections spread is pivotal to public health yet current knowledge of indoor transmission remains poor.To review the roles of natural ventilation and ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov