Septic Pet Peeve

[turnkey4099]

I am hearing that our systems here in Washington musst be inspected every few yeas (?5?). Inspector shows up, takes quick look and hands over a bill. My tank is buried with no inspection port. Big tank and new field installed in 1976, pumped every 5 years. . They want to inspect, there's the shovel.

 

[Pettrix]

15k would be a bargain in my area of Puget Sound...

Neighbor did a system last year and he said when it was all said and done about 60k

WOW!


I paid a little over $10k for a 2,500 GAL two-chamber concrete tank and 360 feet (4 lines) of Infiltrator leach field chambers, installed.

The concrete D-Box I have has an access panel than allows me to monitor flow and adjust the flow to the chambers and increase or shut down lines if needed.

 

[CalG]

The house we bought 30 years ago has a|minimalist system. A concrete liquefaction tank and a concrete block "dry well". It likely cost less than $2000 to install.

I added 50 feet of "leech line" to the dry well in the first years, to cure a "damp area" in the slope the system is located on, All has been maintenance free and perfectly satisfactory. We raised our three kids and enjoy unlimited water use without problems.

It is fortunate that any one person's "pet peeves" don't dictate a lot of unnecessary excess "stuff" to the simple act of living in good health.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

We are considering doing a split system, where the "gray" water goes straight to a drainfield, and the "black' goes into a traditional septic system with it's own separate drainfield. This keeps one drainfield from ever seeing solids, and the other will only deal with a smaller volume of water. It appears this setup is getting more an more common, and it works well for us because we won't have to but in one big drainfield, but rather two smaller ones. (No water wells nearby to worry about.)

That makes perfect sense to me.

It's against code where I live! No greywater systems allowed! It all has to go in the same place!!!

 

[CalG]

In Vermont , and New Hampshire, You can have a grey water system, It just needs to be built the exact same way as a full septic system. ;-)

A smart move would be to have a "laundry" system that could do something with the phosphates etc. Some sort of "digester" prior to dumping into the liquefaction tank.

 

[ultrarunner]

My friend in AZ said grey water has to be part of all new home builds...

In California it was fought tooth and nail but now there are guidelines for my city...

 

[Pettrix]

Another good addition to the septic tank is the SludgeHammer air system which turns an anaerobic system to an aerobic system.

Aerobic systems are way better and the effluent doesn't smell and doesn't cause the leach field to clog. The effluent is much cleaner.

The system is pretty much maintenance free and just requires an air pump that costs around $6 a month to run.

 

[Pettrix]

Failed or failing septic systems is a HUGE PROBLEM in some areas. It contaminates the ground water and it causes health problems. Someone looking to save a few bucks by installing an undersized system can create a lot of problems down the road.

The effluent in the leach field eventually gets into the ground water. In some places the water table is shallow and that can contaminate other peoples drinking water.

 

[CalG]

Failed or failing septic systems is a HUGE PROBLEM in some areas. It contaminates the ground water and it causes health problems. Someone looking to save a few bucks by installing an undersized system can create a lot of problems down the road.

The effluent in the leach field eventually gets into the ground water. In some places the water table is shallow and that can contaminate other peoples drinking water.

What you say is true.
In some areas.

In other areas, 30 feet through the ground will purify .
Any domestic waste water on the surface is bad.

Can you site an example where a single family home leach field has contaminated ground water? Or is it here say and unsubstantiated anecdote?
We have "failed systems" in our area (I served on the board of selectmen) But no health Disasters were reported. 'Fortunate perhaps....

 

[CalG]

Another good addition to the septic tank is the SludgeHammer air system which turns an anaerobic system to an aerobic system.

Aerobic systems are way better and the effluent doesn't smell and doesn't cause the leach field to clog. The effluent is much cleaner.

The system is pretty much maintenance free and just requires an air pump that costs around $6 a month to run.

Ahh.. Are you sure of the benefits?
Ch08