Septic tank
- Thread starter threeputt
- Start date
TractorJeff
Well-known member
Dead Chicken stuffed in a Burlap Bag(Pillow Case)!
Read it in a book, not on the Internet, so it could be false?
Read it in a book, not on the Internet, so it could be false?
TomC750
Well-known member
I was an excavation contractor. My county kept no records. I chased many a system.
BillK
Well-known member
I have not done that much plumbing in my life but I would bet that if the toilet is not flushing very well that the problem is most likely well before the septic tank. The pipe out to the tank should be big enough to take a couple of flushes at least before filling up.
I would start by having the drain snaked out. That might be all that is wrong. How does the bathroom sink drain ? They are usually hooked up to the same drain as the toilet.
I would start by having the drain snaked out. That might be all that is wrong. How does the bathroom sink drain ? They are usually hooked up to the same drain as the toilet.
A couple of bathrooms in 1961 -- my guess you have leach pit (s) vs a field. They can be a whole assembly -- rings built up -- or even cinder blocks. They sit on stones and are surrounded by same. covered with soil . Some system were built w/o a formal septic tank -- the pit was pumped.
I would check with town or country -- you may get lucky and find a layout. Then hire a pumping company. The pumping companies do this all the time -- they have cameras and beacons that they flush and retrieve. I have needed to do it with a couple properties.
You could have a clogged or broken pipe w/ the age ... I'm sure CI back then. Typically you need min 100' separation well to septic
I would check with town or country -- you may get lucky and find a layout. Then hire a pumping company. The pumping companies do this all the time -- they have cameras and beacons that they flush and retrieve. I have needed to do it with a couple properties.
You could have a clogged or broken pipe w/ the age ... I'm sure CI back then. Typically you need min 100' separation well to septic
First thing I would do is contact the county environmental health dept and ask if they have an as-built site plan. In my county they only keep fairly new stuff in their office. I THINK they keep older stuff in archives, but getting them to get off their lazy **** is might near impossible. They also want you to know the owner's name at the time it was installed or the contractor's name that installed it. It would be great if they stored it under address or tax ID #. But those often change over the years.
Second thing is to hire a good septic tank company to locate it and then pump it.
Second thing is to hire a good septic tank company to locate it and then pump it.
Last edited:
58Yeoman
Well-known member
My house was built in '79, and the local health department has no records.
Is there a product you can pour in a gas tank to clean an air or oil filter, or unclog a converter?
It's also common for concrete baffles to fail. Baffles keep the solids, fats and grease (scum) from entering your drain fried.
RidX is snake oil, btw.
Most of the old tanks I have encountered are simply tanks ..many round back then.
Been almost 18 months since I last posted and so far all is good. It still flushes good and not used very much.
Still a mystery where it is located.
Someone asked me yesterday if I could ask my Dad one question what would it be. I told them I would ask him where the dang septic tank is lol
He passed away 31 years ago and nobody left living that would know anything about this old shop layout.
I was only 31 when I bought this shop and never once thought to ask questions like this. I doubt I am not the only one who buys property and never thinks to ask something like this.
I would now for sure
My tip on buying a home in the country to ask. How much is your power bill and where it the septic system located. My neighbors didn't ask and I didn't want to **** in. They are now finding out how things work
Still a mystery where it is located.
Someone asked me yesterday if I could ask my Dad one question what would it be. I told them I would ask him where the dang septic tank is lol
He passed away 31 years ago and nobody left living that would know anything about this old shop layout.
I was only 31 when I bought this shop and never once thought to ask questions like this. I doubt I am not the only one who buys property and never thinks to ask something like this.
I would now for sure
My tip on buying a home in the country to ask. How much is your power bill and where it the septic system located. My neighbors didn't ask and I didn't want to **** in. They are now finding out how things work
Torque&Recoil
Well-known member
Where I live, the County HEALTH Department has records of every septic tank and field installation. You just go to the Health department and ask them for a copy. It may be hand sketched (like mine was), but it will get you started. In my area, everything must be at least 20' from a structure. I can confirm the other persons' post about driving over this stuff - my new neighbors had a moving truck accidentally back over their septic tank when moving in. The tank collapsed and the truck fell in. It took 3 wreckers to get it out. Quite a scene, let me tell ya ...
Jeepster04
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2013
- Messages
- 3,093
3 pages and no one has recommended witching rods?? I can remember my dad finding the water line going into the hose, the pipe going to the septic tank, and the septic tank at the house I grew up in. Lead him right to it, took maybe 10 minutes probing around till he hit it... Wild how vividly I remember it.
All of the other stuff, forget it... Witching rods. Google it.
All of the other stuff, forget it... Witching rods. Google it.
Post 25 mentions it but so far it didn't work for me. I am no Witching expert though but I have seen well people do it back in the 60's.
The area in front and sides of my shop is either blacktop or concrete and no clean out to be found. We used to work on lots of heavy stuff .
I would be in a mess if this thing backed up but I guess I worry too much.
58Yeoman
Well-known member
No such records here that far back.
I would have hated to work on the truck that fell in
When I had my first house built in '74, the town I lived in was just getting sewer to my end of town. I connected my house to it. My neighbor, on the other hand, still had a septic tank in the empty lot between us. For him to connect, he had to have his tank pumped, then run a pipe between the inlet and outlet, then connect that to the sewer.
The honey dipper that came to pump it out was a guy whose son I hung out with in grade school and HS, and I used to go out with them to pump tanks. Ray walked to where the tank was (he knew where every tank was in a couple counties), and was getting ready to dig to find the cover. I walked over the tank area, and my foot/leg went right through the rusted metal tank. He laughed his *** off.
That Guy Scott
Well-known member
Post 25 mentions it but so far it didn't work for me. I am no Witching expert though but I have seen well people do it back in the 60's.
The area in front and sides of my shop is either blacktop or concrete and no clean out to be found. We used to work on lots of heavy stuff .
I would be in a mess if this thing backed up but I guess I worry too much.
I was just successful with witching rods the other day. I looked it up on YouTube. I used some tig welding rod. I couldn’t believe it worked.