Septic Smells

[paulsharvey]

When I worked at a large Buick dealership (late 70's), someone traded in a car and left a full milk carton (the waxy paper kind) in the trunk. It was in there for quite a while (hot summer months) and leaked all over. BOY DID THAT STINK. We never got the smell out of it and had to wholesale the car.

Wife's old durango developed a scent... couldnt track it down for a while, and eventually found a 1# bag of lunch meat that had fell out of a grocery bag, into the crack for the spare tire cover thing. It had turned to 90% liquid...

 

[the old grind]

OT, but: We were wiring a timer in the barn for a line to the pond aerator and my guy said "Something died in here!"

Actually not. Dead critters have been found in corners, and have dried out before they smelled that bad. 'Coons 'possum, trapped crawl-offs,etc. Often just bones by the time of discovery, identified by skull vs by a wad of hair here & there.

Anyway, there's an old bag of weed & feed that has small tear and its >50% CaCl had drawn enough moisture to drip onto the floor. I know urea when I smell it, and it's only on humid days that it reeks.

Now back to removing a lid that has been 'glued' shut: I'd probably use rope caulk for that instead.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, it's not 100% the same; but sanitary manholes that get public odor complains are often dealt with, by either a poured sealant in the lid to ring joint, or by laying some tar into the ring and placing the lid back in. They are kinda annoying to pull later, but it is 100% doable. Difference is sewer generally doesn't really smell unless it's a drop manhole, or a one with a Lot of kinda violet flow that stirs up the gasses.

 

[paulsharvey]

Oh, so, another thing not really talked about, and I don't think it's going to come up, but it's worth mentioning;

Safety, DO NOT enter the tank under any circumstances; hydrogen sulfide gas WILL Kill you. It happens several times every year around the country. It will smell like rotten eggs at first, but one of the very first effects of the gas is killing your sense of smell, next you get light headed, and next you pass out and die. The worse part is, often people go in to rescue the victim, and they become the next victim.

Not generally a safety freak, but sewer gas is no joke in a confined space.

I've seen guys pass out, luckily never anyone that didn't have a recovery rope attached, so no fatalies. Hydrogen sulfide is heavier than air, and in a well ventilated area not an issue.

 

[grsthegreat]

Let me see…..should i climb i to my septic tank……errrrr.no way in hell

 

[paulsharvey]

Let me see…..should i climb i to my septic tank……errrrr.no way in hell

I didn't think anyone would, but it's dangerous enough to point out. Never know what someone might try if they pumped it out, and had an idea

 

[ponytug]

So, it's not 100% the same; but sanitary manholes that get public odor complains are often dealt with, by either a poured sealant in the lid to ring joint, or by laying some tar into the ring and placing the lid back in. They are kinda annoying to pull later, but it is 100% doable. Difference is sewer generally doesn't really smell unless it's a drop manhole, or a one with a Lot of kinda violet flow that stirs up the gasses.

One tiny difference; sanitary manholes are cast iron, and there's a way to get real leverage on them. Plastic lids won't tolerate that amount of force, but they are also easy to replace.

All the best,

Peter