Locating a Septic Tank

[rlk]

A long time ago when I was single (1970) I put a well and septic tank on a lot. Lived there in a mobile home for a few years, then bought the farm next door and built a house on the farm. Now that I'm building a farm pond, I need to drag some trees across the lot with the well and septic tank. I know where the well is, but I'm trying to locate the old tank so the equipment dragging the trees will not fall into the septic tank. This is very large equipment - I'll post some pictures of the equipment later.

The problem is, I can not remember where the tank is (I don't need any comments about old age and loosing my memory - I'm getting plenty of them from the wife). I have the area narrowed down to about a half acre, but can not get any closer. The tank has not been used since 1972, so looking for green grass doesn't help. The county agencies don't have any records to help me.

I have probed the ground some, but the ground is so hard and dry, that I can only get the probe to go in about a foot. I think the tank will be deeper than that.

I told the wife that if I had a post hold digger for the BX 2200 I could go along digging holes every few feet until I found it. She did not think much of that idea, so I guess I can't justify a post hole digger.

Should the septic tank have rebar in it that would show up with a metal detector?

Anyone have any ideas how to locate the septic tank?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[njrqs]

<font color=blue>I have the area narrowed down to about a half acre</font color=blue>

Bob - Good luck !!!!!!

If you can't find it, what are the chances the machine will find it??? (Pretty good I suppose)

 

[ICGREEN]

Most septic tanks use rebar to make the handle for the cleanouts on the top of the tank. That would be an awful small target for a metal detector. It would take an awful big piece of equipment to break the top of a tank. Most of them are 6 inches of concrete. I wouldn't worry to much about it if I were you.

 

[OCDLubeman]

If you do try to locate that tank with a metal detector, get (rent) the type that surveyors use (Schonstadt). They are designed to locate rebar buried several feet below the surface and are much better than the "beach comber" types.

Randy

 

[rlk]

I promised to post a picture of the machine that "skids" trees. Attached is one view. The tires on this thing are over 6' high. I have watched it grab 4 oak trees that are each 18" across the big end and over 60' long, and pull them up a 20 degree bank. This is one heavy machine, and is why I want to find the septic tank before it finds it.

Thanks again for any help you might be able to offer.
Bob

 

[rlk]

Another view of the same machine.

 

[beenthere]

If it were me, and I didn't need the septic tank, I wouldn't worry if this skidder did find the tank and caved it in. It won't hurt the machine, and I doubt the machine would even hesitate going right on over a caved in tank. If it is concrete, I doubt even this monster will bother it, especially if it is 3-4 ft down. Those tires spread the weight out over a large area.

If you want to save the tank for some future use, then I guess you will have to find it first. Good luck.

 

[njrqs]

Yeah that beast will not even notice it.

"What pothole"????

 

[heehaw]

metal detectors are used quite a bit around here to locate concrete septic tanks. the top has rebar in it, and the doors on the top have a higher concentration of rebar, plus the handle, but i have never seen or heard of a tank being more than a foot under ground, usually less.
heehaw

 

[Knight9]

<font color=blue>but i have never seen or heard of a tank being more than a foot under ground, usually less</font color=blue>

My tanks (plural) are over 8 feet under ground.

Kevin