Septic Systems - Aerobic vs. Conventional

[jinman]

Pettrix, you really need to tell us where you are located or at least the state. The only info I can give you is that I've had an aerobic system for 12 years and NEVER had a problem with the absorbtion field because I don't have one. My effluent is completely odor free and clear. It's pumped to two sprinkler heads just like a lawn sprinkler system. The water sprays on top of the ground and evaporates or soaks in.

Whatever system you use, I strongly suggest you DO NOT run your laundry water through the system. Laundry water is not sewage, it's grey water. You technically don't need to run bath water or laundry water through the septic, only your toilets and kitchen sink/dishwasher. Laundry water is a killer for the way a septic works. All your soap and bleach does is inhibit biological activity that treats and purifies sewage. Laundry water also contains loads of solids that include detergent and lint from clothing. That detergent and link will clog filters and become sediment in your tanks. On a new house, there is no reason you cannot have a separate grey water system for at least your laundry. It's harder to get a plumber to separate the showers from the commode drains, but making the laundry a separate system is a snap.

After 12 years of use, I've had to replace my aerobic's aerator pump one time ($395) and several sprinkler heads (around $20 each). My system gets inspected once each 4 months. My inspectors always tell me that my system is clean and trouble free. My neighbor has the same system and runs laundry drains through his. His is a nightmare of grey sludge and clogged filters.

 

[Grateful11]

This is what my brother had installed a few years ago, darn thing is made out of packing peanuts.

How to Construct a Residential Septic System : How-To : DIY Network

Also my cousin does septic systems for a living and he said a good way to get a system going is to flush raw chicken fat and innards, makes good bacteria growth. Wife killed our system once by using to much Clorox when cleaning the toilets. Had to have pumped and start all over.

 

[Bird]

Pettrix, you really need to tell us where you are located or at least the state. The only info I can give you is that I've had an aerobic system for 12 years and NEVER had a problem with the absorbtion field because I don't have one. My effluent is completely odor free and clear. It's pumped to two sprinkler heads just like a lawn sprinkler system. The water sprays on top of the ground and evaporates or soaks in.

Whatever system you use, I strongly suggest you DO NOT run your laundry water through the system. Laundry water is not sewage, it's grey water. You technically don't need to run bath water or laundry water through the septic, only your toilets and kitchen sink/dishwasher. Laundry water is a killer for the way a septic works. All your soap and bleach does is inhibit biological activity that treats and purifies sewage. Laundry water also contains loads of solids that include detergent and lint from clothing. That detergent and link will clog filters and become sediment in your tanks. On a new house, there is no reason you cannot have a separate grey water system for at least your laundry. It's harder to get a plumber to separate the showers from the commode drains, but making the laundry a separate system is a snap.

After 12 years of use, I've had to replace my aerobic's aerator pump one time ($395) and several sprinkler heads (around $20 each). My system gets inspected once each 4 months. My inspectors always tell me that my system is clean and trouble free. My neighbor has the same system and runs laundry drains through his. His is a nightmare of grey sludge and clogged filters.

We did have our laundry, in fact everything, going into our aerobic system. The aerator pump got noisy and was going bad after two and a half years. The same pump would have cost $310 plus $25 labor to replace, but instead we got a new but rebuildable pump for $408 plus $25 labor. And probably because of the laundry, after four and a half years it needed to be pumped out so we had that done.

 

[gghb]

have designed and installed septic systems in western washington for 40 years. the best anyone can tell you is check with your local regulaters they will determine what you need. ornco products are state of the art but not neccessary unless local conditions require that level of treatment. a simple gravity system can serve you well if the conditions are right for it and it is dieigned and installed properly. if the soil conditions are poor then you need to work up the chain til you find the right treatment level for you conditions

greg

 

[charlz]

I have an aerobic system with a leach field. Works pretty good. One of the downsides is you have to have electricity 24x7 to pump air into the system. My system is one of the earliest ones installed in this state and has a few design issues, it is a little undersized and there is no large cleanout port on for the back half. This means I have to clean out every 3 years or so and it was $350 the last time as it takes the guy a while to clean out the back half. I also have to pay an annual service fee which covers the testing.

I understand now they put a regular septic tank in front of the system to help with settling out solids and then the aerobic system after that. Still preferable over the sand mound they would have had to build but maybe not by much.

 

[Bird]

I understand now they put a regular septic tank in front of the system to help with settling out solids and then the aerobic system after that.

Yep, that's what I had.

 

[dmccarty]

I would read your local/state regulations. I did because we had poor soil and issues with the inspector. In my area, the land that will perc for a conventional systems is getting few and far between. Most of that land, in a good location, is already built on.

Your state/local regulations may only allow certain system brands.

We did manage to get a conventional system and after 6-7 years, we have had no problems. We pump out both tanks every four years. We pump out the scat every Presidential election cycle.

In my area the newer tanks have two internal tanks. One for solids which is connected to the house. The other internal tank get liquid that flows from the other tank. BOTH tanks have to be pumped but on the liquid tank has a riser for easy access as well as the filter. Lazy pumpers will only pump the liquid tank which is pretty much useless since it is the solids that really need to be pumped.

The spray systems are really nice. Except for cost and upkeep. :laughing: When I was checking on prices a decade ago one of these systems would cost $30K. I remember when Bird mentioned that his system cost $5K I about had a heart attack.

Now way can I see how these systems cost $30K to build. There is not that much to them.

Later,
Dan

 

[Whitnel]

Don't want to hijack but have a question about spetic systems. I have some property that will have a septic system. The site that perks is across a ditch / valley between where i want to build the house so i can not run a gravity line to it. Will there be a problem with pumping the waste to the system? I plan to put a grinder pump at the bottom of the hill that runs to the tank.

 

[jdonovan]

Don't want to hijack but have a question about spetic systems. I have some property that will have a septic system. The site that perks is across a ditch / valley between where i want to build the house so i can not run a gravity line to it. Will there be a problem with pumping the waste to the system?

should not be a problem

 

[charlz]

Don't want to hijack but have a question about spetic systems. I have some property that will have a septic system. The site that perks is across a ditch / valley between where i want to build the house so i can not run a gravity line to it. Will there be a problem with pumping the waste to the system? I plan to put a grinder pump at the bottom of the hill that runs to the tank.

Something to think about would be power outages. If you plan to run a well off generator etc. you would also need to run this pump and thus need a way to get genny power to it. Might be easier to wire that in when installing.