Sir, are you a vegetarian?

[MossRoad]

Another problem with laundry water down the septic besides the bleach and detergent killing the bacteria that is supposed to break down the sewage is the lint associated with laundry. It will really plug things up. A lint filter on the washing machine drain might help.

Also, as Bird mentioned, grease from the kitchen can also plug things up.

We have an old house. The bathroom was originally where our kitchen is now. When they remodeled the house, the bathroom was moved to the other side and a new septic system was installed. That system handles just the bathroom. The kitchen has its own septic system and all the grease goes in that system. Our washing machine goes into a "mystery pipe" that heads out into the yard somewhere. There are three sunken areas in the front yard that are all allegedly upside down horse tanks buried in the yard. My tractor fell into one once. It was a dry hole full of lint. Then, a few years later, the tractor started sinking in anther one. That was a clay pipe 2' in diameter about 3' deep. It was full of lint and gray water. I confirmed it was still active by doing a load of laundry. I dug it out deeper again, put a new metal lid on it and buried it back up. There is a coffee can lid in the yard with a rock on it. If you look under it when the washer is draining, you can see gray water going through it.

Yikes! Three systems, all cobbled up and put together before code enforcement. However, they all work and keep all the systems separate. :thumbsup:

 

[mikim]

Jim -- we'll be putting in that type system in the new house. Is it much hassle or expense? Bastrop county wants everyone to have a contract with a service company. Karen's aunt told me (if I remember right) that it runs about $400 a year for 2 visits a yr. I'm kicking about it just cause it angers me that the county can dictate that I must spend money to a group of private individuals.

 

[jinman]

Jim -- we'll be putting in that type system in the new house. Is it much hassle or expense? Bastrop county wants everyone to have a contract with a service company. Karen's aunt told me (if I remember right) that it runs about $400 a year for 2 visits a yr. I'm kicking about it just cause it angers me that the county can dictate that I must spend money to a group of private individuals.

Mike, my service contract was included for the first two years after installation and then it was $200 per year for once every 4 months (3 times annually - see attachment). It recently has gone up to $229 per year and I have to supply my own chlorine pills. The chlorine can't be pool chlorine and I buy it from my service company. I use about 5 lb per year and buy a 10 lb bucket of pills for around $35. If they add chlorine, it's $55 extra per year. Some newer systems just use liquid bleach and that would be ideal in my opinion. As a matter of fact, I may try to find a bleach drip retrofit for my system some day so I don't have to mess with buying, storing, and handling the chlorine pills.

As a homeowner, you can attend training and service your own system, but you will also have to provide your county public works department with paperwork and inspection reports. You are granted a license to run a sewage treatment plant by the state and they expect you to meet their documentation requirements or be fined. The problem is that you may have to travel to a remote location and pay to attend their training class. The cost could be several years of paying for a service contract. I'd check with your county to see what they would approve.

That said, my neigbor doesn't have a contract for maintenance on the identical system as mine and he is NOT maintaining it correctly. IT STINKS! I'm pretty sure he has told the county that his system is shut down and they don't inspect to see that he is telling the truth. I hate to do it, but I'm gonna complain. There are three of my neighbors with faulty or no septic systems and it's time the county did something about it. I pay through the nose and maintain my system religiously under threat of fines. Why should these other folks get away with polluting the environment with their waste just because they are poor? Sorry about the rant. . . .

 

[mikim]

well -- I'd like to put in the old gravity leach field system but I don't believe they allow those anymore. If my ground was all sand instead of half clay they might - but it ain't. Seems kinda funny that if these new systems are so good - then why do they need constant inspections and maintenance? My old leach field(s) just took live yeast every month to maintain them. I guess I just need to look at it as gaining a sprinkler system. Definitely adding it to the generator system as well. Need to get the genset on order. We should close next Wed on the constr. loan and the builder said he'd start within the week of closing. Maybe be in the new house for Easter!

 

[Bird]

Mike, in 1997, I paid $5,000 for my Hydro-Action brand system, plus the permit and soil test although I understand they've gone up considerably since. And like, Jim, that installation included the first 2 years of service. After that I, too, was paying $200 a year and bought the chlorine tablets in a 25# bucket. I'm sure all those prices have gone up in the last 13 years.

 

[twarr1]

Mike, my service contract was included for the first two years after installation and then it was $200 per year for once every 4 months (3 times annually - see attachment).

A $65 surcharge for calling ahead? That seems a little steep for a courtesy that should be a part of their "service"

 

[jimmyj]

Who cares about the septic, I was frightened by the thought you may be a vegetarian! :shocked:

Glad to know you are not! :thumbsup:

 

[jinman]

A $65 surcharge for calling ahead? That seems a little steep for a courtesy that should be a part of their "service"

Obviously, they don't want to have to call 20 people a day per serviceman to tell them they are coming, especially if they can't make all the planned calls. If there is anything I need checked special, all I have to do is notify them before the normal service call and they will do it. When I had an aerator pump go out, they scheduled my service to coincide with bringing me the pump and saved me a $75 service call. I too think $65 is steep for calling ahead, so I'm sure that means they really, REALLY, don't want to do that for some reason. There is no reason I need to know ahead of time and there is nothing they can't get to as far as access to the system. I suspect they sometimes come up against a few dogs that aren't too happy with the guy messin' with stuff in the dog's territory. In my case, all we have is a pack of guard kitties.:laughing:

 

[jinman]

Who cares about the septic, I was frightened by the thought you may be a vegetarian! :shocked:

Jim, that question took me completely by surprise. That's why I made it the thread title.

 

[charlz]

I have a similar aerobic system but it goes to a drain field vice being sprayed. Probably because the spray system would freeze in the winter No chlorine and no water pump to worry about, just the air pump.

I also pay about $200 for inspections, used to be 2x per year but the State changed the requirements and now it is 1x per year and same $$. The only thing I have been flagged on is high phosphate levels. I have not been flagged on this since we switched to a front loader washing machine but I am also not 100% sure my guy is still actually doing the tests. They sent me a test report the other day but to me it doesn't look like anyone pulled the cap off the system etc.

The downside to this system is you have to pay for electricity to run the air pump etc. Also if you are in an extended power outage the system will not be working correctly. In an extended outage you are likely to not be putting much/anything into it though but if you are going to run on generator for a while it is something else you would have to consider running power to.

During heavy use we will also get a musty smell coming out of the vent pipe. I guess on newer installs they route the vent to a roof vent but mine was one of the first ones to be installed in the State and the vent is about 2' above ground level.