mudcat47537
Silver Member
4 of us have lived in our house for 20 years we have never had it pumped out. I have made an appointment for next week to have it pumped out. Going to cost $160 they said, now I have to dig it up and open it.
Finding my septic tank
- Thread starter Nevada Ragnar
- Start date
Redbug
Veteran Member
At my place, it's just my wife and I. We had not had the septic cleaned since we bought the place 18 years, ago. I had it done 5 months ago for the first time. We have always been careful not to put vegetable oil, colored toilet paper, etc. down the drain.
I removed the soil on top of the tank myself, just to check things out. I found two clean out doors on top. Then, I called the septic truck. It was interesting and fun to watch. The clean out guy used a pick axe to pry the door tops off which are designed to wedge themselves in the tank top. Then, he got a long metal rod and stirred all the stew in the pot. It had a 6 inch crust on top. It smelled, but I have smelled worse things. Then he put the suck hose in the tank and pumped the liquid in and out of the tank several times while stirring the hose end to loosen all the solids in the bottom. Finally, he sucked it nearly dry. All the time he was doing this, he was smoking cigarettes and even ate a sandwich between sucking and spewing. I kept watching where he put his hands. He did not bother washing his hands or anything. One hand would hold the cigarette while the other would hold the hose. How come I get the runs over nothing...when that skinny septic guy smokes and wipes his eyes and mouth with sewer hands and not be sick?
Anyways...he said that our septic really was not bad, really did not need to be cleaned. He said to keep doing what we were doing to keep it going good in the years to come.
I removed the soil on top of the tank myself, just to check things out. I found two clean out doors on top. Then, I called the septic truck. It was interesting and fun to watch. The clean out guy used a pick axe to pry the door tops off which are designed to wedge themselves in the tank top. Then, he got a long metal rod and stirred all the stew in the pot. It had a 6 inch crust on top. It smelled, but I have smelled worse things. Then he put the suck hose in the tank and pumped the liquid in and out of the tank several times while stirring the hose end to loosen all the solids in the bottom. Finally, he sucked it nearly dry. All the time he was doing this, he was smoking cigarettes and even ate a sandwich between sucking and spewing. I kept watching where he put his hands. He did not bother washing his hands or anything. One hand would hold the cigarette while the other would hold the hose. How come I get the runs over nothing...when that skinny septic guy smokes and wipes his eyes and mouth with sewer hands and not be sick?
Anyways...he said that our septic really was not bad, really did not need to be cleaned. He said to keep doing what we were doing to keep it going good in the years to come.
amigauser
Veteran Member
My parents lived in their house 35 years and only had it pumped out when they sold it. They were told it looked good. Their house was built back around 1900 though and had a separate gray water setup. The also did not have a dish washer or garbage disposal but five of us lived there (Mom and Dad with us three kids) for over 20 years of that 35 year run.
When I purchased my existing house almost 7 years ago, a new 1000+ gallon tank was installed but the existing leach field from 1955 (when the house was built) was used. I had it pumped after four years and they septic guy said it looked good. I need to get it done again next year. He only said to clean out the filter going from the tank to the field every year. You basically remove the cover, pull the filter out and hose it out then replace it. It is made of some kind of plastic and prevents solids from getting into the leach field.
When I purchased my existing house almost 7 years ago, a new 1000+ gallon tank was installed but the existing leach field from 1955 (when the house was built) was used. I had it pumped after four years and they septic guy said it looked good. I need to get it done again next year. He only said to clean out the filter going from the tank to the field every year. You basically remove the cover, pull the filter out and hose it out then replace it. It is made of some kind of plastic and prevents solids from getting into the leach field.
buildingup
Member
Where do you buy those risers?
kg7il
Silver Member
Evergreen Pre-Cast
13212 Valley Ave E
Sumner, WA
(253) 863-6510
Category: Septic Tanks/systems-cleaning/repairing
stone and related · septic tanks
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=47.2...&spn=0.002469,0.003862&num=1&t=h&z=18&iwloc=A
Tx Jim
New Member
I built a house with a septic system in the country in 1973 sold it in 2001 and the septic tanks were never pumped and the plumbing in the house worked fine? It all in what goes down the drains.
OP
Nevada Ragnar
New member
This exactly what I did. Saves paying the septic company to dig down to the tank lid every time. Here is the finished appearance.
