Question and advise about septic tank cleaning...

[Redbug]

Holy Cow Dargo! That's something right out of a Stephen King novel! I can't imagine anything worse than that in a septic tank...other than a bunch of bodies in the very bottom! Then who would know about what that little old lady was up to?...

I think most septic people would have said to put in another tank and stir up some more business. But you lucked out and got the right guy. You know...the septic guy and helper that came out to my place did not use gloves or any protective clothing other than their company shirts. And one of them was smoking! I kept watching him putting his hands on that cigarette and into his mouth and handling that suck hose at the same time. Then handling his cell phone. Maybe septics are not that bad??? And we worry about getting a cold from a door handle...

But, that's how you learn about stuff is to just do it, or attempt to. There's no better way to learn other than to watch others or possibly forums like these.

Now...where is my wrench...I can't find it anywhere...Heyyyy Prokop have you seen my wrench?

 

[PILOON]

Well you folks are lucky.
In Quebec the government now mandates a 2 year pumping for permanant dwellings and 4 yr for seasonal.
Because it is now law, prices are rising from the pre law $140-150. and they want to pump back the liquids into your tank thus carting only solids.
Slick move in that the tanker can do many more tanks per load.
Our city needs us to fwd the receipt and they log that into the files in order to know when to send a fine.
What with blue algae, and contaminated municipal water supplies they just have gone around the bend.
Cost of a septic system installation went from $3-4000. to well over $10,000.
Same thing for wells that also flew to the $10,000. figure.
Now we need a surveyor to locate the wells and septics and must respect specified seperations.
That means that not only we must survey our own land but also all the ajoining neighbors as well to assure specified distances.
Naturally all existing systems are grandfathered but if your unbuilt lot is between two properties with septic fields grandfathered up to your property lines you simply cannot dig a well, and therfore your lot is useless.

 

[coachgrd]

Sooo this pump truck showes up at the house with a crew of two to pump the septic. The truck owner and his apprentice, little Johnie. They remove the lid, put the hose in and start pumping. All goes well for a while but than it stops and whatever the truck owner tries, it just does not work. He has no choice, cloths off and in the septic tank he dives. After 20 seconds he shows up and says:

"Hey, Johnie, hand me the 9/16" wrench"

He takes it and dives in again, later on he comes for a hammer and another wrench and finally he gets out, tries it and the truck pumps like new.
Satisfied the truck owner is cleaning off all the @$#%# and says to his apprentice:

"Remember, Johnie, if you don't study and learn the business, you will be just handing wrenches all your life!!!"

OMG, that is priceless...thanks for laugh!!!

 

[955er]

Well you folks are lucky.
In Quebec the government now mandates a 2 year pumping for permanant dwellings and 4 yr for seasonal.
Because it is now law, prices are rising from the pre law $140-150. and they want to pump back the liquids into your tank thus carting only solids.
Slick move in that the tanker can do many more tanks per load.
Our city needs us to fwd the receipt and they log that into the files in order to know when to send a fine.
What with blue algae, and contaminated municipal water supplies they just have gone around the bend.
Cost of a septic system installation went from $3-4000. to well over $10,000.
Same thing for wells that also flew to the $10,000. figure.
Now we need a surveyor to locate the wells and septics and must respect specified seperations.
That means that not only we must survey our own land but also all the ajoining neighbors as well to assure specified distances.
Naturally all existing systems are grandfathered but if your unbuilt lot is between two properties with septic fields grandfathered up to your property lines you simply cannot dig a well, and therfore your lot is useless.

Just another example of the government wanting you to suck off their water hoses and dispose in their pipes. They are finding all sorts of prescription drugs and man made contaminents in city water in the US.

When the **** hits the fan, those with a clean well and a functioning drain field will have a measure of independance that those on the grid will not.

 

[IH3444]

Dargo, what a couple of men you two guys are. great story.

YouTube - Mad TV - Honey Dipper Dan

 

[lakngulf]

Great story, Dargo, and you are pretty good at painting the mental picture.

I bought my place at the lake in '96. Had to get water flowing, rerun electrical wires, etc. as the place had not been used for several years. Was glad to find that the toilet worked once I got some water flowing to it. Things worked fine for about a month, with little use, THEN it started to back up.

I knew 0 about a septic tank, but knew everything about the amount of money I had to spend ( also 0) on any kind of repair or repacement. So, with shovel in hand I began to search for the problem.

First I found the intake line, actually had a cleanout valve on it. Water (and stuff) was getting to there. That lead me to the tank itself. I dug and dug and dug and dug and found that the tank had two lids, and roots everywhere. I pryed open the first lid and found just what you did, only mine was more hair net roots that were not that much problem to cleanout. I did have some significant roots at the intake that had to be sawed out, pipe replaced and cemented, etc. I had the thick lids as well, and I removed them with chain and come-along hooked to my truck.

While I was at it I dug to the exit line, cleaned it out good, had to replace some pipe, etc. I learned that rock salt was a good root determent, and I put some root kill in it every year. In the last 3 years I have had four huge trees removed that should cut down on root production. Also, had to totally redo my field lines about five years ago. Knock on wood that it is functioning properly now. I don't want to go in there again

 

[arpt209]

I had to repair my septic system when I found a school of brown trout swimming in my basement. I did not previously realize that the floor drain piped under the basement bathroom had about a 4 inch rise between the bottom of the gooseneck & where it hooked to the main sewer outlet. I found out when the nice man with the big yellow tractor and an entire crew of of interesting & entertaining gentlemen dug up my entire drain pipe to the septic tank that the main drain was 4 inch cast iron to where it cleared the outside of the basement footing & then was necked down to 3 inch orangeberg. Of course the 3 inch orangeberg was home to a 3 foot muskrat. We ended up replacing the muskrat habitat with 4" PVC & since the inlet side looked like that might as well check the outlet. Same thing so continued with the muskrat eradication program. Now there is new 4" PVC going to the new 935 feet of drainfield. There are pumpouts on the drainfield, cleanouts on both the inlet & outlet sides of the septic tank all on the outside of the house. I also have all new drains under the basement floor & even gained some experience in finishing concrete.
I've come to the conclusion that after having had the many splendored joy of swimming with the brown trout in my own basement it was the best 6500$ I've ever spent. Sometimes what goes down is much better appreciated if it NEVER comes back up.
I did enjoy the reaction of the crew when I went into the trench with a manequin that my son had made up to look like a mutilated corpse for halloween & lightly covered it with dirt before the crew arrived for day 2 of the excavation. They all used the ladder going into the trench but I don't recall anyone standing in line at the foot of the ladder waiting for their turn to climb back out. Some times a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Just have to find fun where you can.

 

[grsr3]

Your last line about "keeping entertained" made me LMAO.
Geo.

 

[ultrarunner]

$175? Wish I could get that. Used to be around $150 here but last time it jumped to the $350 range. Explanation was that they are no longer allowed to dump on farm ground and had to install a complete sewage treatment facitlity to dump into. Only company around this area of course.

I pump every 5 years (when I remember) and it is about time again. I may boost that to 7 years as no 'problems' have ever be in evidence in the past.

Harry K

Just pd $350 in WA for a 1200 gallon pump-out

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Excuse me while I go move a couple trees