Household Septic System

dave1949 · Apr 24, 2015

Sounds like you dodged a bullet there. Good work.

MossRoad · Apr 24, 2015

jlgurr said:
Final Chapter - Thanks everyone. The tank is clean now and the lid is covered again with an inverted 5 gallon bucket and 4" dirt over that. It's location is well documented now so it should be much, much easier the next time.

For you guys who know septic systems, this tank had about 8-10" of thick, dry muck on the top, some water in the middle and about 2 feet of sediment on the bottom. The pumper said it may have never been pumped before and we would have had issues sooner rather than later. The sediment on the bottom was hard as bricks and had to be broken up then watered down to get it out. YUCK! Glad it's over and I am now a firm believer in getting them cleaned regularly. Thanks again! :cool2:

Bet it smells all rosey now!

jlgurr · May 1, 2015

MossRoad said:
Bet it smells all rosey now!

And the peace of mind is priceless.

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MossRoad · May 1, 2015

Yeah, I've got to get mine pumped in a couple weeks. $300-$400 every two-three years beats a new system.

breadtrk · May 1, 2015

Mine has bubbled up to the ground for 10 years. When the waterline froze 5 years ago I had the back hoe operator dig a 40 ft long 10 ft wide and deep trench next to the tank, didn't notice when he knocked a hole in the side. Filled that with 4 inch and under rock, nothing bubbling up since.

MossRoad · May 1, 2015

breadtrk said:
Mine has bubbled up to the ground for 10 years. When the waterline froze 5 years ago I had the back hoe operator dig a 40 ft long 10 ft wide and deep trench next to the tank, didn't notice when he knocked a hole in the side. Filled that with 4 inch and under rock, nothing bubbling up since.

Nope... just raw, untreated sewage draining into the watershed....

CalG · May 1, 2015

I don't know how deep that trench is, but 40 X 10 is a LOT of material!

Moss road, do you have any idea how far "septic" has to flow over or through the ground to self purify?

It's not far.

Just no direct discharge!

breadtrk · May 2, 2015

I drink upstream of the herd.

MossRoad · May 2, 2015

CalG said:
I don't know how deep that trench is, but 40 X 10 is a LOT of material!

Moss road, do you have any idea how far "septic" has to flow over or through the ground to self purify?

It's not far.

Just no direct discharge!

If its on the surface, its run-off. If its directly from the toilet into the ground with no time in the septic for the bacteria to do its job, its not good.

MossRoad · May 2, 2015

CalG said:
I don't know how deep that trench is, but 40 X 10 is a LOT of material!

Moss road, do you have any idea how far "septic" has to flow over or through the ground to self purify?

It's not far.

Just no direct discharge!

If its on the surface, its run-off. If its directly from the toilet into the ground with no time in the septic for the bacteria to do its job, its not good.