Septic system - Conventional (anaerobic) or Aerobic?

[tradosaurus]

I move into this house about 7 yrs ago. I've pumped the septic tank about 6 months ago. Lately one of the bathroom sinks was backing up and after cleaning out the drain from the sink with a auger, I inspected the septic tank from the clean out lid.
Showing the picture of what I saw to my septic guy he believes the field lines are not draining as the level in the tank was above the tank inlet pipe.
I have a choice of replacing the field lines ($5k) or going to an aerobic system ($10k). The septic guy says he rarely installs conventional septic systems as most people go aerobic.
I like the idea of needing no power for a conventional system but am debating which way to go.
I'm probably going to start draining my clothes washer outside of the septic system whichever way I go.
What's your opinion on the two systems?

 

[tradosaurus]

 

[ponytug]

I move into this house about 7 yrs ago. I've pumped the septic tank about 6 months ago. Lately one of the bathroom sinks was backing up and after cleaning out the drain from the sink with a auger, I inspected the septic tank from the clean out lid.
Showing the picture of what I saw to my septic guy he believes the field lines are not draining as the level in the tank was above the tank inlet pipe.
I have a choice of replacing the field lines ($5k) or going to an aerobic system ($10k). The septic guy says he rarely installs conventional septic systems as most people go aerobic.
I like the idea of needing no power for a conventional system but am debating which way to go.
I'm probably going to start draining my clothes washer outside of the septic system whichever way I go.
What's your opinion on the two systems?

Photos of the inlet and outlet ports would be helpful.

I don't consider myself a septic expert, but in general, the inlet port should be covered, usually with an elbow, to get a good gas seal to keep gases from backing up into the house. The outlet should not be covered, basically the level should be just high enough to trickle out. I am not convinced from your description that you have a problem, or what the problem might be. A clogged sink doesn't necessarily have anything to do with your septic tank or field in my mind.

Aerobic systems come in many many different designs, and when maintained(!), digest almost all of the organic solids, and in the process remove more of the carbon and nitrogen, resulting in much cleaner wastewater. Particular designs may be more or less beneficial depending on your soil type, and whether you have plans to, say, chlorinate the effluent for use in irrigation. Maintenance requires checking/changing the air compressor filter, and replacing or overhauling the compressor periodically. The power draw is a little variable, but typically 1kWh/day and up, depending on the system. Some areas require periodic third party inspections to ensure that the air pump and system are working.

If I had the option to use an aerobic system, I would, but it is not yet locally permitted here, and I am not at all convinced that you have a tank problem.

All the best,

Peter

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I'm a fan of standard systems personally. I was able to install a standard system at my new house and suspect I'll be happy. My inlaws also have a standard gravity system and it has been fine for over 40 years. I don't think they have even had it pumped but just a few times over that timeframe. I would think if the tank was the problem you would see issues starting in your bath tubs, or the lowest drains if it's not the tubs.

 

[rumwrks]

First run some water from a hose into the tank and observe if the level continues to rise.

If the level stays constant your problem is between the house and the tank (standard "try to fix the clogged septic line" approaches here - the jetter unit noted below can be also useful for this if you feed it in from a cleanup).

If the level rises commensurate with inflow then you have a problem downstream of the tank.

If you have a problem downstream dig up your distribution box which should be between the tank and the drain-field not-to-far from the drain-field and make sure septic stuff is getting down to that. I'd bet 90% odds that your problem is between the tank and the bistro.

If the pumper didn't refill your tank (most don't) it's pretty common for some "chunks" to get over into the outlet before the level gets up high enough so that the fluid is between the floaters and the sinkers.

There are several other things that can fail here (distribution box collapsed from the pumper driving over it for example... in which case you can buy a $100 bistro box from the internet and replace it yourself...) but a clogged outlet from the tank is IMHO most likely.

Once you've ascertained that that is in fact the problem you can (and probably should go ahead and do so now) buy a "pressure washer sewer jetter kit" (either the rotary or the angle nozzle is probably your best bet based on my limited experience) and use that hooked to your pressure washer jet back from the bistro box to the tank. These run somewhere around $100 assuming you already have a pressure washer. You might want to lower the level in the tank a bit first - you can just siphon a bit of the liquid effluent over even thought that's not perfectly kosher in general.. for this small amount it's fine otherwise you might get a bath when it lets go.

If the effluent is making it to your bistro box and THEN not getting further into the drain-field.. you have a replacement problem.

If your septic guy didn't dig up the bistro box or check that the tank level is constant with inflow they're a salesman not a septic repair person and I'd trust them as far as I could throw them.

Source: had a similar problem where the tank was full to overflowing and fixed it for the price of already having the jetter unit and 3 hours of digging up the bistro box, 2 hours of putzing around, plus 4 hours trying to find where I'd stashed the damn jetter attachment and another hour to cover everything back up (I also left it dug up for a few weeks in case the problem came back - it never did after I got the first couple groddy chunks out of the tank->bistro line).

 

[oosik]

I was in charge of the Environmental Health Dept - Anchorage, AK. For over 20 years. We designed and inspected over 25K new systems. Including the repair/upgrade of failing systems.

One thing I will say. We never recommended any corrective action "from afar". Not over the phone - not over the internet.

You need to make contact with somebody or some firm that is not trying to sell you something. Somebody who will actually make a true diagnosis - not just a visual inspection.

 

[Rustyiron]

Old school over new any day!
Parts you don't have will never need to be bought, installed, serviced or replaced!

 

[Runner]

I have never owned a home with a septic system, so can't comment on them in general, or your specific problems. However, the home I have lived in for the last 18 years has and aerobic system and I like it.

When we first moved here, I was apprehensive about this system and didn't like the idea that it needed electricity to work. But those concerns were unfounded (for the most part) and I have experienced very few issues.

My system has a 1200 gallon treatment tank and a separate, 500 gallon "clean water" tank. The electrical components are the air pump (aerator), sump pump (just like sump pump in your house, moves water from the clean water tank to the point where it is dispersed on the surface, evaporation pond), a high-water level alarm and a 24 hour timer to control the aerator. There is also an "emergency lateral" coming off the clean water tank that allows the output water to still drain, even if the sump pump goes down.

I had this system pumped for the first time in 18 years this year and was surprised to find that the system had almost no "sludge" and was basically still operating perfectly (didn't really need to be pumped).

So far, I've only had three problems. First, the output pipe between the treatment tank and the clean water tank became blocked by tree roots which caused the water level to rise in the treatment tank, which then shorted out the motor on the aerator. This was not the fault of the system, but trees too close to the system. The new aerator motor was about $400 at that time, they tell me they are more like $1500 now. Was able to easily replace it myself.

The second problem was that the 24-hour timer (located in the house) burned out. Replaced myself with one from McMaster for about $60.

The third problem was the sump pump burned out, replaced myself with one from Lowe's for whatever sump pumps cost there ($150 or whatever).

In my opinion, even with items needing replacement over the years, I still like this better than a system which relies on buried underground laterals that can become blocked and need to be dug up and replaced.

What I like most about this system is that you can see all parts of the system (inlet, outlet, pumps, motors, timer, etc.), so you know how it is working and will see immediately if you have a problem. Also, if anything does need to be repaired/replaced, it's pretty easy to access the components.

If I were building a new home and needed a private sewage disposal system, I would go for an aeration system in a heartbeat.

 

[MattB4]

I move into this house about 7 yrs ago. I've pumped the septic tank about 6 months ago. Lately one of the bathroom sinks was backing up and after cleaning out the drain from the sink with a auger, I inspected the septic tank from the clean out lid.
Showing the picture of what I saw to my septic guy he believes the field lines are not draining as the level in the tank was above the tank inlet pipe.
I have a choice of replacing the field lines ($5k) or going to an aerobic system ($10k). The septic guy says he rarely installs conventional septic systems as most people go aerobic.
I like the idea of needing no power for a conventional system but am debating which way to go.
I'm probably going to start draining my clothes washer outside of the septic system whichever way I go.
What's your opinion on the two systems?

Bathroom sinks backing up it usually an indication the the P-trap is plugged with hair, toothpaste, dental glue and other things. Just running an auger down may not clear it. It is better to dismantle it and take a look.

When my drain field failed after 25 years it revealed itself by having water backup to the kitchen sink during a drain cycle of the Clothes washer and also a slow draining shower tub. I had gone the route a year earlier of having the tank pumped thinking that was my issue. It did not hurt but also it did not permanently fix draining.

I would avoid any system that requires electrical power to operate. Hard to beat gravity flow for simplicity. If your drain field needs replaced check around as there are different methods and cost for doing this. Part of that will be the Local and State requirements for your location.

 

[Dftodd]

I would prefer simple over mechanical any day.

The anaerobic systems are nice. But if you can accomplish the same thing with your gravity system, I would think that's the way to go.

We do have a sump pump on our system. But that's due to the location of the leach field on our property.

Once the liquid reaches the spider box it gravity feeds to the leach field.

We do have two 110 lines running to the septic tank. 1 is for the sump pump, and the other feeds power to the float alarm incase of pump failure.

We have an anaerobic filtration system on our wash bay at work. Then been frustrating when it goes down.

Our issue is lightening strikes.

I personally wouldn't want that if I can help it. The reason being is keeping it as simple as possible.