Septic issue

[brownbagg]

having it pumpwill not solve the problem, you got more water going in than going out the field lines, there should be no water in the inlet line except when the toliet flush. the water enter the tank, the solid sinks in first chamber the water goes over the baffle and then out the field lines when new water comes in

my system has not been pump in 21 years, my mom was build in 72 and never been pump.

a correct system is maintance free, pumping is just so they get money from you

 

[tdkkart]

Because people (Like me) didn't have our tanks pumped when we should our county now requires proof of service every 5 years. I didn't have an issue but when the septic company opened the service lid it was a flush or two away from floating the top off!.

Your tank will always be full, or nearly full, because the outlet is just below the top of the tank. There will be "clean" water, probably with a layer of grease floating on top, on top of the solids in the bottom. The depth of the solids in the bottom will depend on how much waste is being dumped into the tank. The only time you'll have trouble is if you dump more solids than the bacteria can consume.

 

[brownbagg]

another thing, in my area, grey water is allowed to be dumped on the ground, that sink water. dishwasher, washing machine, bath tub. you can go that route so the tanks will have longer for the bugs to eat the solids

 

[danfromsyr]

agreed, and the 1st thing you should do if you have a septic is throw the garbage disposal out the window. garbage is disposed of in the garbage.

and that carries over to the feminine product area. if the women of the house won't comply, then the septic bill costs are their responsibility.

nothing that comes out of your **** will plug anything but the toilet.

solids that get pumped out are things like corn kernals and fiber and seed husks that bacteria can't break down.

Greases that float on the top of the tank (cause grease is lighter than water) should be minimized too. wipe out the frying pan and while this should be obvious, NEVER allow the cooking grease to be dumped down the drain.. not even with 'plenty of hot water'
had to change that behavior with Ms Danfromsyr when we first moved out.. *SMH. caught her plugging the sink trap with burger grease.. made her pull and clear it with me.. cooking grease goes in a soup/veggie tin then the trash.. and the frying pan gets wiped out/off with a paper towel of it's grease..
need I remind. that ALL GREASE FLOATS and is BAD for septics.. IT NEVER (should) leave the tank.. that's problem #1. and if grease leaves the tank then that's a problem #2 as it will plug up the absorbsion of the leaching field.

it's because JOHN and JAN Q PUBLIC can not be trusted to abide by simple procedures that communities require septics to be pumped on far greater intervals than should be necessary.

and yes more modern septic installations have a outflow filter that needs to be pulled out and cleaned off in a regular interval. far less work than say a pool and yet people balk at it because 'poop'.. which is really funny when the things and duties that god graced the finer *** with having to endure and deal with. that they balk at other 'dirty' things.

Your tank will always be full, or nearly full, because the outlet is just below the top of the tank. There will be "clean" water, probably with a layer of grease floating on top, on top of the solids in the bottom. The depth of the solids in the bottom will depend on how much waste is being dumped into the tank. The only time you'll have trouble is if you dump more solids than the bacteria can consume.

having it pump will not solve the problem, you got more water going in than going out the field lines, there should be no water in the inlet line except when the toliet flush. the water enter the tank, the solid sinks in first chamber the water goes over the baffle and then out the field lines when new water comes in

my system has not been pump in 21 years, my mom was build in 72 and never been pump.

a correct system is maintance free, pumping is just so they get money from you

 

[yeldogt]

Number of people -- type of system -- size of tank. What goes in. Soil types can be the make or break when the tank is overloaded. All determines pumping frequency ... can tell you that it's quite possible for a family to overload a system in 5 years.

That's why so many places went to 3 years.

You can fill them up -- or clog the screen

 

[Robbie B]

Could be that you have a clog at the end of the line like we did. Pumped it twice in 2 years. First time it needed it second time it had a clog at the end of the line where it dumps into the tank. Broke it up, line drained had him go ahead and pump the tank while he was in there.

 

[charbar]

Pump it if you want to. Depending on number of people in the house and what goes down the drain it could need a pump. Having said that, I had to put a new septic tank in probably 5 years ago because we accidentally hit the old tank with the excavator when we put a new foundation under a few walls of the house.....the old tank probably hadn't been touched for 25 years. If everything is working right and only a few people in the house, a decent sized tank shouldn't really need to be opened up for pumping.


Personally Id grab a shovel and start digging. Make sure the outlet of the tank to the leach field isn't plugged somehow.

Also check the inlet pipe to the tank. Seen a few times where the pipe will come out of the tank due to improper install, or if the pipe wasn't supported well from the house to the tank. If fresh dirt was just thrown under the length of the pipe it can settle and get a 'U' shape in it, creating a low spot or pulling the pipe from the tank.

A garden hose with a nozzle can sometimes make quick work of a clog from the cleanout to the tank, or from the leach field end back to the tank.

 

[steve308]

Your tank will always be full, or nearly full, because the outlet is just below the top of the tank. There will be "clean" water, probably with a layer of grease floating on top, on top of the solids in the bottom. The depth of the solids in the bottom will depend on how much waste is being dumped into the tank. The only time you'll have trouble is if you dump more solids than the bacteria can consume.

It was full. The septic pump service was impressed.

 

[Whiskeymike]

Thanks all for advice and guidance. Septic service is coming out, hopefully everything is good.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

That's just not true. What do you think happens to the solids in your waste? They just dissappear? The bacteria makes them vanish? Because you are cheap and don't want to spend $200 to pump your tank every few years you will eventually be hit with a $10k+ plus septic repair.

No that is true. The solids are eaten by the bacteria, unless you are introducing solids that shouldn't be there. Garbage disposal etc.

My grandparents built in 1964, when we split the farm in 1997, my cousin bought the part with the house, the bank demanded the septic be pumped. It had not been pumped since installed, the pumper said it didn't need pumped when he did it because nothing that shouldn't be flushed ever was flushed.

I studied this subject extensively when I built my house to the point of becoming licensed to install my own system, because I have the equipment to do it.

 

[jkeyser14]

No that is true. The solids are eaten by the bacteria, unless you are introducing solids that shouldn't be there. Garbage disposal etc.

My grandparents built in 1964, when we split the farm in 1997, my cousin bought the part with the house, the bank demanded the septic be pumped. It had not been pumped since installed, the pumper said it didn't need pumped when he did it because nothing that shouldn't be flushed ever was flushed.

I studied this subject extensively when I built my house to the point of becoming licensed to install my own system, because I have the equipment to do it.

And the bacteria turn the solids into??? (I'll give you a hint: Liquids, gases, and more solids). If you never pump you will get solids building up and it will eventually kill the drain field.

 

[yeldogt]

No that is true. The solids are eaten by the bacteria, unless you are introducing solids that shouldn't be there. Garbage disposal etc.

My grandparents built in 1964, when we split the farm in 1997, my cousin bought the part with the house, the bank demanded the septic be pumped. It had not been pumped since installed, the pumper said it didn't need pumped when he did it because nothing that shouldn't be flushed ever was flushed.

I studied this subject extensively when I built my house to the point of becoming licensed to install my own system, because I have the equipment to do it.

The vast majority if people use a septic just they way they do a city .... that's the reality. So -- if you are fanatical ............ many old timers with lots of experience are ... you can go a long time with a big tank w/o pumping. It's as much lifestyle as anything else ... and -- the number of people.

As I mentioned -- it's actually cheaper now with the schedule. The pumpers know that they are not going to spend 1/2 day at your house. Also -- fixing a field today is a nightmare in many areas now.

 

[Showkey]

The no pump theory may work if the load on the septic is very very low. Those old timer systems often had by-pass for gray water especially laundry was just dumped on the lawn.


Typical modern home:
Over time, sludge will build up in the bottom of the tank. Even though bacteria does help control the amount of sludge in the bottom of the tank, this bacteria cannot break down sludge fast enough to completely eliminate sludge and keep the tank clean. When the tank is pumped, the sludge is removed and the tank is emptied.

If the tank is not pumped, the solids will build up in the tank and the holding capacity of the tank will be diminished. Eventually, the solids will reach the pipe that feeds into the drain field, causing a clog.
When the drain field pipe becomes clogged, homeowners may see a variety of symptoms.

Most homeowners need to pump their septic tank every 3-5 years depending on the size of the tank and the amount of wastewater produced by the household. It's very important for the septic tank to be sized properly for the number of people living on the property. This happens when a 3 bedroom is home for 10 people. This will guarantee a septic failure without question, just a matter of time.

Drain field or mound redo here is $7500-$10,000. Complete systems at $20-$30k. A System over 50 years old are required to have a drain field renewal at time of sale by code That’s when those gray water by-pass system are found.

 

[Bubba Fett]

If it isn't flowing correctly, there is either a clog, or the ground is saturated with rain water. It's also possible that the leach field has developed a membrane from bacteria that isn't properly allowing water to drain. There are products that can help this - basically bacteria that eats the clogging bacteria. The other solution is to pump compressed air into the ground to break it up, but that's usually expensive. There may be a clog in the pipe that leads to the distribution box. This is another reason to get it pumped. A good Septic guy will check all of this.

In theory, you shouldn't have to get it pumped, but the reality is that some things go down there that shouldn't. Often it's food particles from washing dishes, or toiletries that should be thrown away instead of flushed. It happens.

It's better to spend a few hundred to get is serviced and checked. Replacing the system is extraordinarily expensive.

 

[Whiskeymike]

I got it pumped today. There was a clog of crud and wipes at tank entrance slowing exit from house. He cleared all of that, warned us on wipes and pumped it out. He said it was over due, but everything looked good. Thanks guys for the advice.

 

[Showkey]

That’s as simple and low cost as it can get...........

Wipes are HUGE a problem even for municipal systems.........it’s surprising they are not banned.

The fact they are sold as flushable is the real joke.

Q

 

[yeldogt]

I got it pumped today. There was a clog of crud and wipes at tank entrance slowing exit from house. He cleared all of that, warned us on wipes and pumped it out. He said it was over due, but everything looked good. Thanks guys for the advice.

Guess he checked the outlet as well? ... think he would.


Things can build up obviously ... would keep an eye on it.

It could have been an unlucky one time event ... or you could have had a build up on the top of the tank that stopped/ slowed the flow .. causing the back up. Pumping will have solved that and don't let it go as long next time

Or ..... it could have been something further down -- that's why I asked about the outlet. Systems can get overloaded -- wet ground and a party at the house .. strange stuff.

With the fitting coming off -- it had some pressure ... that's why I say to watch it.