Filling septic tank with stone????

Henro · Mar 3, 2005

Hi... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Sewers went in last year. Been waiting to tie in. Actually put my line in as fast as I could last fall, fearing they might tell me to do it in the winter...

Anyway just got the letter today saying to pay up and tap in. But they also say there is a state law that septic tanks must be "drained and filled with sand or stone" but that "neither the county or towhships monitors this."

So I wonder if I should do it or not. I kind of think I should. My tank is only about 6" below the surface. While it is not the correct thing to do, I could use my backhoe to dip out what is in there, and dump in into a ditch, that carries road run off, and be done with it that way.

I could fill the hole with crushed limestone, and cover with soil.

Or I could just forget about it...

I am up in the air about this...

Anyone have any thoughts on the matter? I would appreciate anything as I either want to do something this spring, or probably just forget about it...

Thanks... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

db2 · Mar 3, 2005

Henro: You are asking for trouble. If someone finds out you release raw sewage you may regret that action.

Want to sleep at night? Spend the coin. Get a truck in and suck out the tank and fill it as per the local requirements.

Raw sewage with all it's pathogens (virus' ecoli etc) should not be free to roam.

Just my two cents

Regards

Henro · Mar 3, 2005

DB2,

I appreciate the input.

I guess it is a matter of degree...I doubt anyone would find out...one good rain and it is history...heck, the city sewage plant dumps raw sewage into the river after a heavy rain. It is not like it doesn't happen on a large scale.

But let's assume then that I get it pumped out, and it is dumped on a farmer's field by the pumper truck...or even lets assume I just get it pumped and don't worry about where it goes.

I suppose I confused the issue by saying I would dump it in a ditch... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

My real question though, was should I do something with the septic tank, or do nothing? I don't know if I expressed myself well in that first post. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I don't think I have to worry about the tractor breaking through the top in the future and falling in...so I just wonder what would be prudent...I am pretty sure most around here will do the easy thing and just forget about it...

db2 · Mar 3, 2005

Henro

Regardless what you do with the stuff in the tank I would fill it with stone or sand. If not with time fluid will find it's way in and will eventually become a mess that has to be delt with. Barring that, the tank will deteriorate collapse and you will have to fill the hole.

Fill it in and be done with it. My suggestion anyway.

I had a shallow well that wasn't being used. Stagnant water in that well polluted a well 60 feet away. I had to pump out both wells clean both and fill the unused well with sand. Problem was solved

rockinmywaypa · Mar 3, 2005

I don't think you solved the problem but created a new one. You now have a porous conduit going down into your aqufier. The proper method of sealing your old well would have been to fill it completly with bentonite clay so that it is really sealed off and then no matter what spills around the surface or flooding nothing can soak down the column and jeoperdise the source. Around these parts farmers have been taking environmental farm plans that teaches us all the different hazards that possibly can happen and how to take due dillegence to avoid them and associated lawsuits.

BigAl · Mar 3, 2005

Henro , I think I would have a "sewer pump truck" come in and pump it out properly and dispose of it . You will have a reciept showing it was properly disposed of . This just might save your butt in the future should a question arise over what "Good Old Henro " did with all that sewer waste from his place .If you ever sell your place and did not disclose this you won't believe how fast and how much this will end up costing you, if the new owners find out . Even if it made no difference at all ,I can guarantee you that every ache and pain ,cough, cold sore, rash , pimples,or car trouble they ever had would be blamed on this and you would pay dearly . Besides turn the table around and look at it from the other side . I would be "hot" /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif if my nieghbor dumped his sewer out on the ground . I am not a sue person , but I can guarantee you someone would be cleaning it all up while I sat on my butt and watched .People are "Sue Happy" and this case would be easy money in there pocket !!!
As far as filling the tank up ,I would use "river sand " and fill it to the top .
Big Al

db2 · Mar 3, 2005

My place is located on a drumlin. Forty feet of sand and gravel on top of the shield. The stuff I put in the old well is essentially the same as the surrounding material. I just filled a cavity to prevent stagnation.

I had a Cat 235 high hoe dig the second good well.

Everything is fine and has been for 15 years.

cag · Mar 3, 2005

Henro sooner or latter the pumping of your old septic tank will come up, maybe this will happen if you ever decide to sell your house you might have to produce the bill proving that you had it pump.. A guy I know drain is septic in a similar fashion your talking about, he contaminated is neighbor well the environment got involved and it cost a **** of lot more then what it would have cost to get it pump in the first place...cag

BigAl · Mar 3, 2005

Cag,
Thank you for reinforcing my point exactly !!!
Big Al

shoppintractors · Mar 3, 2005

How about going to your freindly neighborhood rental and renting a trash pump with the appropriate length of hose, then pump the contents of the tank, into the new sewer, that you're now connected to?

Don

JJT · Mar 3, 2005

Around here a 1000 gallon pumpout is $100. Pay for the pumpout. If your tank is steel, you have the equipment, pull and recycle. If it's concrete, fill it with sand.

Poppa · Mar 3, 2005

Henro,

Get the tank pumped, whitewash the inside of the tank, put in enough shelves to hold eighty cases of tuna fish and know you are ready for when the russkies drop the big one.

no wait...that was a good idea fifty years ago...no, it was never a good idea.

Yeah, fill it with rock or sand or rent it to Bob for his MIL.

Mike

dummy · Mar 4, 2005

Do the right thing, fill it and forget about it. Now, to fill it "properly" (by our standards) requires removal of the in and out plumbing and crushing the lid. Yep, crush it, then add your fill.

Molerj · Mar 4, 2005

If it were me, I would leave it as it is. No harm in that. If you were still using it you wouldn't be worried about it caving in etc. If there is a problem later you can pump it & fill it in. It all comes down to what you are the most cofortable with. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Bob_Skurka · Mar 4, 2005

I'm not sure why this is even a question. There is right and wrong. Maybe not in the moral sense, but at least in the eyes of the law, health department, etc. Pumping it out should cost under $200. Filling it with rock, sand, etc is also cheap. You might even just bust the top with the BH and then fill it in with dirt from your property. But one thing I would wonder about if I left it alone is what would happen when I tried to sell the property, (or worse yet, if my widow tried to sell it) and the buyer, the RE agent, or whoever asked about septic on the property. All of a sudden there is an issue that should have been resolved years ago. Resolve it the right way and move on to something else.

<font color="green"> Yeah, fill it with rock or sand or rent it to Bob for his MIL.
</font>

Poppa /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif !!!
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

JDGREEN4ME · Mar 4, 2005

Pump it out and fill it. That is what we did and never regretted the decision.

gsxr1100 · Mar 4, 2005

When mine was filled. They removed as much as they could and then filled it. Leach fields still there.

Henro · Mar 4, 2005

Thanks for the input everyone...I did not mean to divert the original question with the "what to do with the stuff inside" aspect... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

As for the pumping it out issue, that sure would be the best solution. I don't have a way to get a truck closer than about 100 feet, maybe 120'. And the lift from the top of the tank to the point on the ground where the truck would sit would be about 20'. My guess is that would make the total lift from the bottom of the tank to the inlet to the truck maybe 30 feet. Probably just about the limit for a vacuum truck to suck the contents...the truck is certainly a more fun way to get the tank empty!

An alternative might be just to dump stone in the tank, with the top off and let the liquid flow out into the "leech bed." Quotes needed because almost no one around here has a propertly functioning septic system, with the heavy clay soil we have in the area.

So first thing I need to find out is if a truck can pump out the tank given the lift necessary...I'm really not trying to save the money it costs...IF it can be done in the normal manner.

At this point I've concluded just to get it pumped and to fill it. Easiest for me to do that as messing with what is in the tank is not something I like to do. By the way, I get enough of several neighbors "juice" flowing in the ditch behind my pond that it would not bother me to make a "final dump" of mine there, it is just not worth doing if the pumper truck will work.

The letter that came telling me I had 90 days to hook up (after paying $3,000 tap in fee first) specifically said that pumping the septic tank into the public sewer is not permitted. It also said it is state law to empty and fill the tank with stone, but also specifically pointed out that neither the county or township would monitor whether this was done or not... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I wonder why they state it that way...and not just say it is state law, period?

I appreciate eveyone's thoughts on the matter. Guess now I'll be obligated to post some pictures of the action, at least if the pump truck works out...otherwise I will just keep my activities under wraps...I really hope that pump truck works out! (Been there done that speaking now... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif )

MossRoad · Mar 4, 2005

Henro,
By not knowing if the pumper truck will work, I have to ask... haven't you ever had your septic tank pumped for routine maintenance?

That's why most septic systems fail and entire neighborhoods are forced to hook up to municipal systems. There is a neighborhood NW of here that has more than 50% septic system failure. The neighborhood is only 15 years old. When they ask people about routine maintenance, they say they never had the systems pumped. Our system is really old, but the previous owner and I have always had it pumped every two years. It is only about $100 per 1000 gallons, so it is always under $200 for me. Money well spent.

LarryD · Mar 4, 2005

Aside from the primary waste disposal, wouldn't one want to make some sort drainage out the bottom? The tank will still hold water, just not 1000gl. Might brew some interesting microbes /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif