OK to drive over septic system ???

bebster · Nov 22, 2003

Good point! I think a Bobcat did all the finished grading, and it's probably not that much lighter than a JD 4410. I'm getting less and less concerned the more I hear from my TBN friends. But I'll probably leave off some weight just to be safe, and not spend much time on top of it.

mahlers · Nov 22, 2003

I wouldn't worry too much about it if you have a relatively new concrete tank. I just put one in, and that thing is stout - looked like 8" walls and top with beveled lids, and a ton of rebar according to the people that built it.

My old system was a 100 year old redwood tank - and I managed to 'find' it by having it collapse under me. Not that I have cat-like reflexes anymore, but I sure did jump out of there faster than I thought was humanly possible.

Shortly after that, a buddy of mine doing some Bobcat work around my property 'found' an old abandoned well. It was an old (100 year +) hand-dug 8'x8' redwood-lined well that went down about 40 feet. It looked like they capped it about 50 years ago with 4x12 redwood planks and covered it with about 2 feet of dirt. I had no idea it was there - and I'm sure he didn't either. Needless to say, we are a bit paranoid about driving over things around here...

JASTN70D · Nov 23, 2003

I just built a new home last year and my friend that has been in the septic businesses for 30 years has always used a backhoe to backfill. And in my case I think the builder used a D4 Dozer to final grade he was only concerned about the location of the lids

BillyP · Nov 23, 2003

I have no idea where my septic tank is so I may or may not have driven over it /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I do know it was installed in 1979 but we didn't buy this place till 1999.

frank_f15 · Nov 23, 2003

you did say 15 feet? right?

RoyJackson · Nov 23, 2003

"I have no idea where my septic tank is so I may or may not have driven over it "

Been there since 1999 and haven't had it pumped out yet? You might want to look into that. Should have that tank pumped out on a 2 year cycle.

dieselsmoke1 · Nov 23, 2003

( Should have that tank pumped out on a 2 year cycle. )

What purpose does bi-annual pumpout serve to a well functioning septic system? I've never done it and would like to know if I should.

8561 · Nov 23, 2003

Dieselsmoke - how often you should pump is really a function of how large the tank is and how many people reside in the house. Like Roy, I do mine every other year, but I know some who do every third year. I think every other is safer. If the tank fills with solids (there is some natural breakdown that occurs through bacteria), one of two things will likely happen. One is the solids will exit the tank and go to the leach bed, which will in turn coat the leach bed making it impermeable, causing it to fail and forcing the liquid to the surface. The other is if the solid fills the tank, and can't exit to the field, guess where it ends up - back in your house. I used to adjust insurance claims, I've seen it happen, you don't want to live through this option.

I noticed you are from Eastern NC. My father used to have a property on the Outer Banks and he always thought it was odd that folks seemed much less concerned about the septic systems than we do in the Northeast. At least that was his casual perception, he could have been wrong. I don't know why, maybe there is some design difference. He just thought it was strange. Good luck, and I'd suggest you contact a pumping company or a septic system designer/installer to get their opinion. They will know a lot more than I do.

Junkman · Nov 23, 2003

The reason to pump your septic system is to remove the fats that accumulate on the top of the liquid in the tank itself. This fat layer comes from human waste, dish washing, bathing, etc. If you don't remove the fat layer by pumping, it will continue to get thicker and at some point it will block the tank inlet, leading to a back up. This is the reason that it is important to have the system pumped every two years no matter how many people are living in the house. A lot of people don't wipe off the butter knife before they wash it.... it is only a few grams of fat...... but think of it x 730 days (2 years). That alone amounts to a lot of butter going into the septic system. If you figure the cost of pumping a 1000 gallon tank at $150 (high figure) then it only cost $75 per year or $6.25 per month. A very low figure if you consider what it will cost to replace the system that you presently have. In many localities, you will be required to install a bigger and better system than you presently have if the present one fails. The standards today are a lot different than they were 20 years ago....... this translates to many $$$ and possibly an engineered system that cost even more $$$$$.

Junkman · Nov 23, 2003

( you did say 15 feet? right? )

When I built the house, I wanted to have the pipe below the cellar floor because I wanted a bath in the cellar at some time in the future. I also built the house with a 10 foot cellar wall.... 6' below ground and 4' above. After the house was finished, we decided to landscape the rear of the house that had a steep drop off..... Moved about 20,000 yards (my guestimate of total) of material from the side yard to the rear and filled it in.... It was originally about 12' below the surface.... now it is 15'. The look on the guys face that pumps it is classic..... I do have a 3' concrete riser so service is easy..... just hope that it will never have to be dug up for any other reason.......