Septic tank, what is normal?

[Andyfr]

Danny

We built our place over five years ago and had been told when we put the septic tank in that it should be emptied every three years, well the other day I thought I had better get this sorted pretty soon and phoned the water company to arrange a visit. When I said that I would like it emptied he said "why is it blocked" so I said no but I thought that they were supposed to be done every few years and he said that there was no need unless there was a problem, why spend the money if you don't have to. He told me to have a look inside and if there was a "skin" on the top then everything was working fine but if it was right up to the top of the tank then to get in emptied. He also said that the worst thing for septic tanks was bleach as that kills off all the bacteria.

Well, I am saving the job of looking in it until the weekend /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

<font color=blue>I used an old CB whip antenna </font color=blue>

You sure got some strange hobbies down there.

 

[MossRoad]

I have mine pumped every 2 years. It only costs $100.00 per 2000 gallons, so as the others said, it is cheap insurance. Mine has the same 6 inch layer at the bottom of each tank, as well as a 6 inch layer at the bottom of the dry well. Only liquid makes it to the leach field. After it is pumped, I dine out at a really bad eating establishment and return some bacteria of my own to start it working again /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Mosey]

Agree - Great. Just when I thought I knew what I was doing, now you tell me I'm going to mess everything up?! When you say "A well maintained" septic system, what do you mean? If I'm not supposed to mess with it, what am I supposed to do to "maintain" it? I had it pumped 4 years ago and the guy who did it said he didn't pump out all of the sludge because some needs to remain to keep it all working right. It appears to be working now. In less than 4 hours, it will be pumped again, unless I change my mind because of what you said. But, now I'm not sure what to do!

 

[TerryinMD]

If it gives you the peace of mind, then do it!!

When I had mine pumped, the septic guy did not leave anything!! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif I asked him about leaving some starter solution and he just plainly said... did your original installation have anything? Well, of course it didn't. The bacteria comes from everything we put in it - human and otherwise.

The key to a good system is to be careful in what you put in it. Keep down the chemicals and solids - i.e. garbage disposals are the worst.

Terry

 

[Mosey]

Well, I called the guy who’s coming out later and told him my dilemma. Since he makes money on pumping tanks, I expected him to tell me it needs it. But, he said it would probably be OK to wait a couple more years if I want. He also said it won’t hurt though, and it and will help make sure no sludge gets to the leach field. He said after it gets pumped it should start growing bacteria on it’s own, but if I want I can start the bacteria growing again buy using a pre-made treatment (he named a couple, Red X or something like that, and Septic Helper 2000) or a package of yeast mixed with a teaspoon of sugar in warm water and flush it down the toilet. He also said to not use Charmin toilet paper, don’t pour grease down the drain, and don’t use powdered laundry soap. He didn’t recommend a garbage disposal because they don’t grind the stuff up enough and big chunks will cause problems.

So, since I’ve already got it dug up I’ve decided to go with the majority and get it pumped. I’ll see what the price of the pre-made treatment is and if it’s not too expensive I’ll just use that, otherwise I’ll go with the yeast. Agree, you might be right, but you’re outnumbered! Terry, that’s a good point about a new system not having anything in it!

 

[Mosey]

OK, one more question. I’ve heard people refer to a leach field as being “worn out”. What does that mean? If a septic system is working properly, then it’s just water going down the fingers anyway, so what can get “worn out”?

 

[TerryinMD]

Because the field could be oversaturated or the fingers clogged with solids, roots, etc.

You can tell real easy.... just listen the squish as you walk and take a deep breath through your nose.

Terry

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Maybe the bacteria is different, but down here it dies and sinks to the bottom. I ran waste plants for a while, and we had to drain them off the bottom periodically(sp). The septic tank is the same, do not be fooled that it will just plug at the tank. It will plug your entire field in some cases before discovered. The time issue is rule of thumb. Just replaced a leach field for a guy that has been in for about 20 years, never been pumped but guess what hardly any crud at the bottom of the tank. I attribute this to a single elderly lady was the only one living there all that time. Could be wrong but I believe its the load placed on the system that accounts for all the different stories.. BTW the problem with the old lines were they were to deep and you got two young single guys wearing it out..

 

[Argee]

Danny,
When I said well maintained I meant what everybody else has been telling you. Don't put excessive amounts of grease, bleach. etc.. Anything that kills bacteria will affect your septic system. The other thing is the size of your leach field and the proper installation thereof. When I subcontracted mine, I was not satisfied with the reckless way they were laying the pipe (dropped it into the ground and half-[censored] leveling of it), so I made them dig it up and install it correctly by refusing to pay for it until it was done to my satisfaction. What good is a leach field if all the effluent runs to one half or the other? The proper sizing is based on how many people will be using it and how they will be using it.

Depending on ground it's going in you can either have a trenched field or an engineered one. All though I qualified for a trenched field, I chose an engineered system as that gave me a little more control on the drainage material that the pipe was laid in and also took the slope of the land out of the picture. I installed the largest tank available because my kids come up with their husbands, wives and friends. They spend an unbelievable amount of time under the shower head so the additional storage was justified. Usually it's just the wife and me.

Around here they base the size of the field on the number of bedrooms you have. That's not always a good indicator of how your going to use it, but you have to have some sort of benchmark.

I understand there are a lot of opinions out here on what is the proper treatment of septic systems. I 've gathered valuable information from this and other topics on this forum. And like everyone, I take all the information, analyze it, then make an informed decision that I can be comfortable with. Whether you have it pumped or let it stand, is really, what is going to give you peace of mind. I agree with whoever said "you start out originally with an empty tank and create your own bacteria", but I still believe on the other hand "if it ain't broke don't fix it". Again, just an opinion.

The best way I can tell if my system is working properly (those who live in the southern climates don't have this luxury) is seeing no snow on the tank area in the winter. That tells me all the bacteria are passionate and heating things up down there.