Wet over the septic tank

[N80]

I know it is a bad thing, I just don't know how bad. The house is 30 years old and as far as I know there have never been any septic tank problems. The yard, and drainfield, are red clay and it is now extremely dry and the ground is cracked and hard. The area over the septic tank is damp and boggy.

Everything is draining properly, even during peak times with showers, washing machine and toilets going at the same time.

So. Do I need to get the suck truck out here right away? Should I wait? Anything else I can do?

Septic tanks. Another of the joys of rural living!

 

[Dmace]

Being a septic designer myself. I say pump it immeditely ! Most likely the filter inside the tank that filters the "effluent" before it enters the leaching system is clogged and filling up the tank.

Although being 30 years old, it might not have a filter. In that case the tank is probrably just full of "sludge" and not drianing properly.
I have a brand new "Enviro-Septic" system and new tank that is 4 months old and I still plan on pumping it every year in the spring.

Good Luck.

 

[450EXC]

If it's wet at the tank and not the field then it sounds like the water is not getting out of the tank. Could be a plugged discharge baffle or the line to the d-box.
You could dig it up and check it out. If it hasn't been pumped recently then it woun't be wasted money to pump it now.

 

[Highbeam]

Careful not to get a surpeize shower. If the ground above the tank is wet there is a good chance that the tank is pressurized by gravity. Just know that when you remove the lid, it may surge up a bit.

I would dig it up and open the lids. It has to be done anyway to pump it.

I would then investigate to find the level of sludge in the tank. So often the tanks are ignored until a situation like yours and then it is time for pumping.

 

[N80]

Thanks guys. Sounds like its time to give the septic guys a call. Ugh.

 

[tawilson]

Be careful. You might have a rusted out metal lid waiting to collapse with you on it. Highly recommend getting it checked asap.

 

[kevincook]

N80,

Just wondering when the last time the tank was pumped? If the tank isn't pumped and any solids get into the leaching field it can be expensive to repair. The solids can plub the lines in the leaching field and then it needs to be replaced.

I have our tank pumped every two years. The health department says it is required here but I know that I am the only one in the neighborhood who has it done regularly.

Good Luck,
Kevin

 

[Highbeam]

If the leechfield has already gotten a mouthful (nice thought) of solids then that's too bad. Nothing you can do about it now so you may as well just pump to minimize additional gulps of sludge and see what happens. Some sludge to the leechfield can be tolerated but by the time you notice surfacing effluent above the drainfiled it is too late and the field has been spoiled.

Those metal lids. I have seen them on old tanks and was shocked. Would be a bummer to fall into a tank.

 

[DKinWA]

I just attended some WOSSA training thursday and heard a couple of horror stories about old steel tanks.

 

[shvl73]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I just attended some WOSSA training thursday and heard a couple of horror stories about old steel tanks.
)</font>

How about when your best friend's brother backs the family station wagon over (and into) the tank! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[YanmarFever]

I was talking to a septic pumper a few yrs. ago who said the strangest thing he saw was the rear of a kubota which crashed into an old metal tank and sank 1/2 way in.
Can you imagine going in the house to tell your wife what happened. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Thank God for cell phones heh? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[escavader]

The cement baffles in them cement tanks,had a tendency to rot away,causing solids to flow into the leech field,plugging it up.I would dig up the cover,and pay to have it pumped so you can inspect this.If it is you can,BREAK OFF WHATS LEFT OF IT, attach i piece of pvc,an elbow,and another piece,thus eliminating solids,getting by.worth checking,i had to do mine,it was almost gone,after18 years.
ALAN

 

[Highbeam]

The baflle in a septic tank that splits it pretty much at the 2/3 point is really a negative thing. There is no benefit to having what behaves like two small tanks instead of one big one. The settling velocity of poo is consistent and the longer the residence time in one tank the more stuff will settle out. It is a pet peave of mine that I inherited from a college professor.

The baffle does not serve to orevent scum or sludge from leaving the tank towards the leechfield. The outlet of the tank should be a submerged vertical pipe that allows the ffluent to exit from the clear zone above the sludge but below the scum.

Then there is the chance that your septic tank is a simple 55 gallon steel barrel. They did that alot back in the day.

 

[frank_f15]

If the drainfield is dry and the tank area is wet i do beleive you have a major problem. seems to me if the tank was full and not draing to the leach field, all the waste from your home would be backing up, that water and waste is going some where. 1st thing is to dig so you can check the inspection openings, then get it pumped, but i think you have more than just a full tank problem when was the last time it was cleaned out.

 

[California]

What's conventional wisdom re width and depth of the drainrock and backfill layers?

I discovered here the distribution box is down 4+ ft and I vaguely remember watching the contractor, 30 years ago, digging very deep and at least 3 ft wide. There is no vegetation difference on the surface revealing where the leach field goes.

Now it's time to replace the leach field and a friend advises at least 4 ft of drainrock covered by 1 to 2 ft of backfill. This contrasts with what I have found with a Google search - recommendations range 1/2 to 2 ft of drainrock maximum then minimal cover, 12 inches or less. (Freezing isn't an issue.)

Since this is a disked orchard I need to stay below cultivation but will the thing work properly if the top of the rock is more than 12 inches down? Does adding a couple feet depth to the drainrock accomplish anything?

 

[MikeD74T]

www.presbyeco.com is a septic site worth looking at.
As for the joys of a rural septic system, remember that with a little maintenance a septic system will last 50 years or more WITHOUT an annual tax or usage fee. It's the lack of maintenance that causes big repair bills.

 

[N80]

I've been in the house 8 years and have done no maintanence. I'd be surprised if the previous owner had done any preventive maintanence either. I have no idea if it has ever been pumped.

I am worried about the drainfield, but like I said, it is very very dry here and the grass over the drainfield _is_ greener than the rest of the back yard. So maybe there is hope? So far there has been zero backing up into the house even with peak use.

In any case, will be getting the septic guys out here soon.

And yes, I appreciate not having to pay city taxes and I have been lax about maintaining the tank.

 

[Highbeam]

"WITHOUT an annual tax or usage fee."

Hold onto your hats, my county's health department has begun assessing a residential septic system permit fee. Valid for 3 years and to renew you are required to have an inspection. Hard to inspect a full tank so they may require pumpage even if it is not ready. The permit program is supposed to pay for regulation and testing for failed systems that may be polluting the ground and surface waters. I ignored their bill and have yet to see the lynch mob come despite a couple of nasty letters.

The deeper the system, the harder it is for oxygen to get down there and feed the good bugs that need air. I have seen systems designed with as little as 6" of rock below and 6" above the drain pipe but never less than a foot to the surface from the top of rock. The benefit of extra drain rock is storage volume, the effluent can fill the voids until it gets a chance to soak in. To be conservative more drain rock below the pipe is better and extending the rock as close as possible to the surface is better as long as there is enough soil to prevent taking on surface water and damage to the fabric above the rock and that is about a foot.

I am a big fan of pressure distribution even if a gravity system would work. My dream system (yes, I'm nuts) would be a PD system in sandy soils on the side of a hill sloping away from my home and well. The entire drainfield would be a great distance from the tank and the home. Some day... I'll have it and when I do, things will be great.

 

[N80]

So they're going to tax you for disposing of your own poop. What will they think of next? Sounds like a way to tax a group (rural folks) who don't have the numbers to politcally fight back. Makes me mad just thinking about it. Can see myself sitting on the front porch with a shotgun on my lap waiting for the tax man, or one of my daughters dates, to come down the road.

Went out in the yard and started poking around the damp spot with a shovel. Oddly, the clay underneath the 1-2" of topsoil is dry and hard. The damp area is in a low place but there really hasn't been anything to drain into it from above. I'm not watering and it hasn't rained in weeks. So I still think it is coming from below but maybe from somewhere else. I might even be mistake about where the tank is, but I know its close because that is where the line out from under the house is pointing.

Since I've never done any maintanence on this system I'm going to have a truck come out. Do they find the tank for you? Do they have any type of instrument or do they just guess and dig until they find it? How much does a pump out cost?

 

[tawilson]

Around here it's $150-200. The more you do yourself, the less it will cost you. I would recommend finding the tank before calling for the pumper. If you have an idea where the tank is, start digging. Are you sure that is sewer water coming to the surface? You should be able to tell. No matter what, I'd find the tank and open it up to see what you have.