Septic stink

[guyrj33]

A properly functioning septic system should not have any effluent running out on the ground.
You could test your leaching field by plugging the outlet pipe and looking for wet spots developing in your leaching field.
A proper leaching field will allow the water to evaporate thru the surface while allowing the biological components to aerobically decompose.
This is an unhealthy situation.

 

[ByronBob]

Your system is vented. Look on the roof of your home. See the pipe sticking out of the shingles. It's the vent you don't know about.

 

[ByronBob]

You have no topsoil on the tank top? You have water which retains heat exposed to -20 Deg weather in ground with no topsoil. The temp difference isn't good, you could crack the concrete couldn't you?

At a minimum you should have 3 inches of soil on top of the tank for anything to help cover the odor's

 

[mwechtal]

rswyan,
If you have clay, and you have an outlet pipe, you most likely have a sand filter, not a leach field. A sand filter has a layer of perforated drain pipe at the bottom of the trenches, covered by a special type of cloth, then the trench is mostly filled with sand, then what looks like a leach field is installed above the sand, and finally it's buried. The sand has to meet county specifications around here. The effluent goes into the top layer of perf pipe, trickles down through the sand, into the bottom layer of perf pile and then drains out the outlet pipe. If you have heavy clay, a leach field will do exactly nothing.

Mike

 

[woodlot]

I have soil covering my tank. There is a riser or extension comming off the tank that supports the lid. About 12" of riser and the lid are above ground. If this is a problem please let me know. I have not had any problems with freezing in the two years I've owned the tank. I have seen the exposed riser and lid on other systems so I was assuming this set-up is ok. I also hope the septic guy would have said something if my situation was wrong or bad, then again I think he steams frozem systems in the winter.

 

[ByronBob]

Oh a riser, this is normal..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Highbeam]

The exposed lid is normal and now required here in Washington. You will find that when it snows, those lids melt the snow pretty quickly.

"A proper leaching field will allow the water to evaporate thru the surface while allowing the biological components to aerobically decompose" This is not correct. The effluent is supposed to flow into the earth. As it falls through the soil it is aerated and the aerobic bugs eat the leftovers. This is why you can't put a drainfield in real deep or pave over it. The drainfield lines need the air.

I would be worried if you have a surface outlet for your drainfield after only being treated by a septic tank. Here in the NW when the water table is high or the ground impermeable we build mounds above ground of sand to provide the aerobic treatment bfore the effluent hits the groundwater.

 

[guyrj33]

I know it doesn't make sense when you first read it, but a properly functioning leach filed does allow water to evaporate thru the surface. To refine your point, effluent should not flow into the groundwater. The whole point of aerobic decomposition in the leach area it to clean the effluent, letting only cleaned water flow into the ground water. That's why the leach field has to be above the high water mark in the soil. Also why mounds are built.

 

[hobbyfarm]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( So why the stink? Is it me? too many burreto's? )</font> /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

woodlot,
I doubt it's the burritos. It must be you. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif But seriously, perhaps your nose is too sensitive! Maybe you need to go volunteer at the homeless shelter for a few days. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif That should fix that sensitive nose. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I happened to think that maybe your drain field is saturated. Or, it could just be level of beneficial bacteria in the tank is insufficient. This is similar in purpose to a compost pile - if it smells, something's wrong. That said, with compost piles, it is usually too much moisture or not enough. It has to be balanced. You might be right about diluting it with too much liquid. Oh yeah, what most of the guys said - don't vent the tank.
One more thing - about your nose - this IS a septic tank and it has a dirty job to do. It will never smell like an early morning bakery, the clean, fresh smell of the air after a thunderstorm or rose garden! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[cisco]

Hmm, some of the replies have raised an issue I need to think about. The garage/apartment on my country property was my first experience with wells or septic, so I probably overbuilt each (or, more correctly, had the contractors do such). The septic tank and field are substantially larger than needed, with the tank lid buried about 12" deep, and the leach field 3 feet, with lots of gravel around perforated and linen draped pipe, in soil that's semi-sandy. Odor, wet spots - none, ever.
BUT --- when I retire I'll build a house on the property, I'll need to think about prevailing winds and neighbors. I've 2, 1 being a church retreat camp about 1000 feet away, behind trees, and on weekends, when a bunch of folks are camping there, there seems to be a bit of strain on the septic system, as just the faintest of odor can be present when I walk over to say "hi" to folks. My closer neighbor (300 feet) in real rainy weather tends to have a slightly discolored slick on the grass over his septic, and also just the faintest of odor when I walked over to get a closer look.
So, may not matter if my septic systems are working - if my neighbors have issues as their systems further age, I darn well better select a place on my property that's downwind (well, most of the time) from them.
Thanks - never had considered the issue before.