Finding septic tanks

bczoom · Apr 18, 2005

( BC, if you havent covered it up yet, and even if you have. Go to a tank place (Like Key Septic, example) that makes tanks and get a collar. about a 24 inch one. Put that over the hole and put your lid on top. Then go to Home Dumpster and get one of those wishing well flower pots and put it on the lid. Backfill around it. )

Varmintmist,
I would have liked to do that but the tank is in a high traffic area in the yard (cars, trucks...). Hate to have/see it collapse. Now that I know where it is (I took all kinds of measurements and stapled the sheet to the basement wall), I should be fine digging in the future.

( I have a septic in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota. Wisconsin you have to certify every two years that you have pumped it. The guy that pumps it has to sign a document/form and then we have to send it in to the county.)

Murph,

This may be based on the type of system. I know of no requirements like this for mine (sand mound) but my neighbor has to do what you're talking about (every 2 years). His is a system that after it's gone through everything, the liquid is dumped into the creek.

ByronBob,

I've never heard of that in NY either. When I sold my house in NY (I was in Erie county which is over-governed), I don't recall having to get it pumped. They did a dye test and if it passed, I was all set.

( I wouldn't do business with a septic company that can't find the tank.)

Mark,

Other than not being able to find tanks (I actually think it's a lazy factor) this company is supposed to be pretty good. My yard has been re-done including several hundred dump trucks of dirt. There was no depressions, humps, change in turf (green or dirt...) to identify where the tank was.

Brian

Junkman · Apr 18, 2005

(

I wouldn't do business with a septic company that can't find the tank. That's like an auto mechanic telling you he'll fix the problem if you show him where it is, but he doesn't do diagnostics. )

That is like saying that you wouldn't go to a doctor that couldn't figure out where it hurt unless you told him where it was on your body. They are septic pumping companies, not fortune tellers with crystal balls telling them where the tank is. All of them will locate the tank no matter how long it takes if you the customer are willing to pay the cost. They are there to pump the tank, not go on a mystery hunt.

edski · Apr 18, 2005

I was recently quoted $160 + for a septic company to locate my tank using one of those radio gizmos. At the time it sounded expensive. Considering the damage I'm likely to do otherwise, it might not be such a bad idea.

bczoom · Apr 18, 2005

Edski,

The metal detector followed by rebar for confirmation worked fine. The main problem I had was finding the other tank (which turned out to be non-existent).

There's a metal baffle that directs the flow from the incoming pipe downward. That's what I found. Tank is then on the far side of the house from where I found that baffle.

LBrown59 · Apr 18, 2005

( The piping going to your tank should be metal you can use a metal detector to follow the pipe and when it STOPS beeping you should be over the tank )

========Never heard of metal.Always used plastic.
Driving a steel rod into it could break the pipe.

LBrown59 · Apr 18, 2005

I would never consider burying the clean out lid
as that's an improper installation.

bczoom · Apr 18, 2005

( I would never consider burying the clean out lid
as that's an improper installation.)

Please elaborate as it is the primary installation in any system I've seen around here. There is normally 1 tank lid exposed but it's for maintenance purposes (electric pump or chlorine dump or whatever, based on the system) but the first tank from the house I've always seen completely buried.

Junkman · Apr 18, 2005

( I would never consider burying the clean out lid
as that's an improper installation.
)

Is this your opinion or just something that you thought up on the spare of the moment? Septic tank lids and clean out covers are routinely buried unless the tank is exceptionally deep. This is why so many people have problems finding them. The person that was there and drew the map and gave it to the owner didn't keep a copy and the owner lost his. There is no reason to have the clean out cover exposed under normal conditions. This must be one of your urban legends like the $5.00 license plate registration in Ohio that you mentioned a while back. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

LBrown59 · Apr 19, 2005

Is this your opinion or just something that you thought up on the spare of the moment?
Junk.
-----------------
I have owned my own housing company for 32 year so I guess I don't have any experience with septic systems so it would have to be something I thought up on the spare of the moment right.

Bird · Apr 19, 2005

( I would never consider burying the clean out lid as that's an improper installation. )

I don't think you can call it an "improper installation" since that's the way it's normally done. However, for me personally, I'm with you. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I had an aerobic system installed and the installer intended to bury the first tank, but instead I had him put a concrete collar and lid so it was real simple to open it when it needed service of any kind.