Garbage disposal/ septic question

[Bird]

they did not put a clean out port on the back half.

In our area, at least, it was apparently common practice to bury the first and last tanks, so if they ever needed pumping, you'd have to dig to find the lid. But I told my installer to begin with that I wanted a concrete "collar" larger that the lid to the tank that came to the surface, then a flat concrete lid on that, so I could open it anytime I wanted to without digging. I think he said the top of the tank was supposed to be a minimum of 6" below grade. Anyway, here's some pictures at a time when I had not re-established any lawn. The first picture is the overall system; tank on the right is the pre-treatment tank, green lid is the aerobic or treatment tank, tank on the left is the final water that was pumped out through two sprinkler heads to water the yard. The capped PVC pipe between the 2nd and 3rd tanks is where the chlorine tablets were added.

 

[Charlesaf3]

I made a decorative cover for mine in brick - a compass rose. Its in a brick walk. Actual cover is 6" below grade.

Have sink grinder and love it, though most stuff gets composted. No problems with septic system. Grinder is putting the same stuff in the system that you are - its not a problem. You just have to size the tank appropriately. Rule of thumb is its like another bathroom as I recall. If your tank is maxed and you put a grinder, you might have problems. Probably be fine I'd guess if you pump yearly.

I pump every 5 years with no problem, but I have small loads, an oversized tank, and leaching pits rather than a field. I'd be more worried about clogging a field. Leaching pits aren't legal to put in here any more - not sure why.

 

[Wis Bang]

dawzie, you have me interested in the septic additives like Rid-x. I have never used anything after reading a study, I believe, done by UNC that claimed additives offered no value in a properly installed system. As I recall the university offered the manufactures of the leading additives an opportunity to back up their impressive claims and none of them responded. In all fairness this was years ago and the additive technology may well have improved over the years.

My parents took over my great Uncle's house. He had a product [I do not know the name] he got by mail order that he added every month. The tank was only pummped out after mom and dad moved in when the house was approaching 30 years.

Dad took one package and added it to the sealed tank under the outhouse at the cabin and the level dropped about two feet!

After Dad passed away I tried Rid-X and it didn't do anything!

Rumor has it that the state is going to have the camp owners pump every year or two...we were forced to put the holding tank in 35 yrs ago and only have pumped it twice when there was a splash danger as other than deer season there is very little use. Going to be a waste of money...

 

[jinman]

The engineer who gave his approval for my aerobic system told me to flush 5 lb of dry dogfood down the toilet to get things started. I'm not sure that's the state-approved method of getting it going.

 

[Bird]

The engineer who gave his approval for my aerobic system told me to flush 5 lb of dry dogfood down the toilet to get things started. I'm not sure that's the state-approved method of getting it going.

Even amongst the pros, that's an ongoing debate. The guy who installed our aerobic system said we shouldn't add anything. So called the manufacturer and again was told to add nothing, But someone else told me instead of Rid-X to flush a pound of raw hamburger down the toilet. And after the first 2 years, I had a maintenance contract with an installer that was not only closer, but who had installed a septic system for my parents. And after I had the system pumped, then he added something he said was similar to Rid-X, only better. But I don't know what it was.

 

[Charlesaf3]

I've been told rid-x is useless - you make everything the septic system needs if you use it. Which if you think of the bacteria involved, makes perfect sense.

 

[jinman]

I've been told rid-x is useless - you make everything the septic system needs if you use it. Which if you think of the bacteria involved, makes perfect sense.

I think you are correct Charles. I never added that dogfood and my system has been trouble free except for sprinkler heads (I ran over with the tractor) and one aerator motor went out after 7 years. That cost me only $395. We have to have a contract for 3 yearly inspections and the cost of chlorine pills. I use about $20 dollars worth of pills a year and the inspection contract is $220 per year. I don't think I'm paying anymore than if I lived in the city and had city sewage. My system is simple and easy to maintain. I've included a picture of it during installation and afterwards. I had the system built before I built my house and put my cabin on it as you can see. Now with my house and cabin the system is still trouble free. I add chlorine and fix it when it breaks. I like being in control.

 

[Nissan197]

My septic is going on two years and just last week I put some Rid-X down it. I heard that due to my laundry water feeding into it all that soap and bleach could affect the bacteria needed to break things down properly. It is code around where I live that everything from the house feeds into the septic.

 

[dawzie]

dawzie, you have me interested in the septic additives like Rid-x. I have never used anything after reading a study, I believe, done by UNC that claimed additives offered no value in a properly installed system. As I recall the university offered the manufactures of the leading additives an opportunity to back up their impressive claims and none of them responded. In all fairness this was years ago and the additive technology may well have improved over the years.

So dawzie it sounds as if you have looked into more septics than I ever want to and seem to believe in additives. Do you see an actual difference between systems that use additives and those that don't or think of it as cheap insurance so why not?

Thanks,
MarkV

Aerobic units shouldn't need any help. The air that is introduced into the tank creats a different type of bacteria and a bunch of it.

Septic additives are ment for systems that are abused. Clean freaks, washer bleach and water conditioner waste are the biggest abusers. It also can take months before there is any noticable change when using a additive that isn't very expensive.

We pump about 25 tanks a week. 80% of them are done because they are having a problem.

 

[Western]

Great responses,

I may forgo the expense of a disposal then, at times it would be nice, but it's not like we put a salad in at a time.

We don't have a Aerobic system per our perk test, just your standard 1000 gal. (2 tanks) system with 200 ft leach field. ( perk called for 160)

Would be nice to get some more perspective on the bacterial additives though.. Any definitive info on this? I have used a couple of products so far (8 month old system) rid-x in a pinch. seems like it's just yeast to me.

 

[dawzie]

Do a search for Cape Cod Biochemical Co. I'm a dealer for their products. USDA proven and approved. The rid-x product is cheaper and easier to get,doesn't work as well.

Do you need a half ton truck, you only go to the recycle center once a week or do you need something to pull that four horse trailer.

 

[Bird]

I use about $20 dollars worth of pills a year and the inspection contract is $220 per year. I don't think I'm paying anymore than if I lived in the city and had city sewage.

Paying any more? How about paying about half as much as in the city? Our city looks at your water usage in November, December, January, and February, throws out the highest month, averages the other three, and that determines your sewer bill for the next 12 months. Even though that's the lowest months for water usage, my current sewer bill is $41.52 a month or $498.24 a year.

Of course, I moved back to town in November, 2002. Prior to that I was paying $200 a year for my inspection contract.

 

[jinman]

Of course, I moved back to town in November, 2002. Prior to that I was paying $200 a year for my inspection contract.

My contractor is out of Aledo, TX (Aerobi-Tech). That's about 90 miles from me. Last year when gas got so high, they raised their rate from $200 to $220 per year. I figure that's a bargain.

Aerobi-Tech is owned by Kyle Clifton of NY Jets fame. He's a Texas boy from Olney, TX.

Kyle Clifton Bio

 

[LBrown59]

Just me and the wife here.
We do have a disposal in the sink but use it very seldom. I really don't like them.
We have our tank pumped every other year. I also switch leech fields at the same time. We have a distribution box that allows me to do this.
I've got my softener dumping the recharge water into the footer drain that goes out to the field behind the house. I also separated the washing machine water from the septic system and it goes into the field also.
I'm trying to be careful about how we use our system because the septic system regulations have recently changed around here and a replacement system would cost me $22,000-$25,000. Ouch!
-Len

Uncalled for.
No sewer should cost anywhere near that.
Outragesly preposterous.

 

[donawilcox]

I sold a house last year and the owner did not even know were the tank was and never had a problem. His Dad purchased the home in 1969. I am one that on the old fashion systems if there is not a problem do not pump them. Once you pump them is when you ahve to get the bacteria working again. and like one said if you are putting a lot of bleach or something else that kills the good bacteria you need to be adding something to help it get started. Have never heard of dog food. You can use Yeast but from what I have heard that is basically what Rid ex and some of the others are

I grew up with septic and we had disposals

good luck

Don

 

[jinman]

I sold a house last year and the owner did not even know were the tank was and never had a problem. His Dad purchased the home in 1969. I am one that on the old fashion systems if there is not a problem do not pump them. Once you pump them is when you ahve to get the bacteria working again. and like one said if you are putting a lot of bleach or something else that kills the good bacteria you need to be adding something to help it get started. Have never heard of dog food. You can use Yeast but from what I have heard that is basically what Rid ex and some of the others are

I grew up with septic and we had disposals

good luck

Don

Don, I don't think any septic system design allows for the modern automatic washers and dishwashers that are the standards in our homes. My neighbor has the identical aerobic system as I do. He puts his laundry water through it, and every four months, his filter is clogged with 1/2" thick gray sludge from the laundry lint. On the other hand, my filter has a thin brown coating that rinses away with a hose. (My installer carries a sump pump and drops it down into the the final fresh water tank to pump the water he needs to clean off the filter. Slick!) Of course, I'm talking about an aerobic system because they are the most modern type of septic system. I think anyone who sees what a washer can do to that type of system would take positive steps to keep the laundry water out of the septic. How much sludge inside conventional septic tanks is due to laundry waste (lint and other solids)? I can't say, but I'd sure like to see two exact conventional systems side-by-side with one of them having a grey water drain.

In my case, my builder put the washer drain into the sewer, but I redid the drain to make it a grey water drain. I run the water out on top of the ground to evaporate and my grass loves it. The phosphates make sure the roots are good and the grubworms are few. When it rains, the runoff spreads the laundry "contaminants" out over a larger area than if they were confined inside an absorption field. Sunlight is a mighty decomposer to boot.

Don, I'm sure you can have a septic system that functiions without special maintenance if you are careful with bleach and detergents. I just don't understand why we have to put anything into septic tanks that will endanger or kill what makes them work in the first place. If city codes say you have to do it that way, so be it, but I will continue to divert my grey water until the county demands I do it another way.

 

[dooleysm]

A couple things:

First off, whoever mentioned Rid-X being yeast, I don't know if that's true, but yeast is a fungus, not a bacteria, so I kind of doubt it.

Our house will be 5 years old this fall. We have a single tank (I don't know if it's 500 gal or 1000 gal. I know it's the size of the vaults we used in the cemetery business to hold caskets, and in fact was delivered to us from 'Odon Vault Company') which feeds into a distribution box that goes out to 5 100' leach lines. The leach field is surrounded by a perforated pipe that flows out into a drainage ditch. The whole leach field is well downhill of our house and I rarely go out there to look at it. It's overgrown and I've bush hogged it twice since we moved in, just to keep the trees and shrubs knocked down.

We've never had any issues with our system, but I was planning to dig down to the tank (it was completely covered when it was installed), add a cleanout tube, and have it pumped this summer, just to see what was going on in there. I have changed my mind on this plan due to the insane amount of rain we've gotten this summer. I don't want a honey wagon driving through my yard leaving ruts in the wet soil. I think this project will have to wait for next summer.

 

[Charlesaf3]

makes sense if you pump a lot of bleach etc into the tank you should add back bacteria, as you are killing it off. Also makes sense to use the gray water from the wash to my mind - its usually against code, but if done properly I don't see a problem. Code worry is that you have an infection, put clothes contaminated with that infection in the wash, and then the gray water is a vector. I think the chance of that is low in real life, and if you drain into a dry well or some such pretty much vanishes.

25k would be a pretty standard septic install around here.

 

[Western]

My perk test was $150, my system was $2800. They are cheaper now that the housing market has all but gone. I did get quotes in the $5000-7000 range for aerobic systems.
I got lucky on the perk test I guess. (sandy loam)

My installer has done this for like 30 years. Him and his son came out had her done in around 5 hrs, including the county inspector. oh yeah the permit was like $200

Over all, I was tickled by the price and the speed this guy got it done.

 

[Bird]

My brother and I paid $4,000 for our aerobic system and the installer drove all the way from ********* to 20 miles west of Corsicana. But that was in 1996 and 1997. A brother-in-law in the same area paid $4,100 for a local guy to install theirs in 1998. But our $10 permit went to $420 in 1999, after they fired the county sanitarian and hired a new one.