Septic Tank Chemistry

[Stimw]

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but I've always heard you should pour a beer down the drain/toilet from time to time

Bottled/canned beer is pasteurized, it won't make any difference. BUT Draft Beer normally is not pasteurized meaning the yeasties are still active! That might be why draft beer tastes so much better????

 

[schoolsout]

Bottled/canned beer is pasteurized, it won't make any difference. BUT Draft Beer normally is not pasteurized meaning the yeasties are still active! That might be why draft beer tastes so much better????

Interesting point...I'd imagine most/all domestic beers are this way, but are bottled micro brew stuff pasteurized?

 

[cougar21300]

It is fairly easy to check if your tank is getting near its undigestibles capacity if you understand what is going on inside. As has already been well pointed out there are three basic layers; the sediments that settle to the bottom, the "living" liquid effluent in the center where all the good organic things happen, and the floating scum layer on top.
The settled solids will gradually build up over time, but they really don't usually cause any problem for a long, long time. They're settled and tend to stay put and not migrate into the field.
The scum layer (fats, soaps, and anything else the bacteria in the effluent can't digest) does tend to build up over time. Eventually it will build down into the tank far enough to flow under the baffles and into the field. The bottom of the baffles has to extend down at least 40% of the distance between the outbound invert (bottom of the exit pipe) and the floor of the tank. Since the outlet pipe is down a foot or so from the very top of the tank you will need to know how either far from the diagragm you kept (right???), or more likely by probing for the pipe and getting a close guesstamate. Note this measurement.
Finding the bottom of the scum layer is easy. First make yourself probe by taking an eight+ foot piece of strapping and cut off about a 8" piece and nail it to one end like a T. Gently push the T down through the scum layer and continue on until you feel the muck at the bottom. If that isn't too solid you should be able to push down through that too until you feel the concrete floor. Note this measurement too, for the difference between it and the one you noted before (the outlet invert) is the working depth of your tank. You are trying to be sure that the bottom of the scum layer doesn't extend beyond 40% of this total distance. Also note how much muck you pushed through if you can for that is your settled sediments. Now begin to pull the T slowly back out and once it is again in the liquid area, rotate it 90 degrees. Continue to draw it up until you feel resistance, that is the bottom of your scum layer. As long as you aren't approaching 40% of the distance from the outlet invert and the bottom of the tank, you're safe. Personally, once the scum layer approaches 25% or so, I'd be thinking about getting it pumped. Maintenance is always easier than repair. Oh, and another point, you want some disposable rubber gloves and the wind at your back when you do this...

 

[Artisan]

Thats beautiful cougar...I love this, Great description.

I steer clear of septics, and I will continue to but I love to learn about anything plumbing.

Does anyone have any tried and true methods to find the tank / access hole if there is no record? Any rules of thumb? I guess you could look for extra green grass and "maybe" know where the leechfield is.

It will probably be straight in line w/ the dwellings sewer, maybe the building dept has an as built, if a permit was pulled...after that I am guessing...

 

[kenmac]

So I gotta ask is there anything wrong with pumping a system out? Seems to me like it low cost maintenance or even prentative maintence.

I have had my tank pumpe twice in 15 yrs, no problems that Im aware of. We have laundry days where we do lots of laundry loads and always long showers

How would I know if a problem is begininng ??? how do I know if the system is working fine or needs attention?

I just installed a top with a manhole cover on mine so, I can inspect from time to time. It also allows me to dump my rv at home with out digging the top up... 4 screws & the top is off

 

[dixstir]

we put are 500 gal tank in 38 years ago ,there are only me and the wife,but we have it pumped every 4 years ,its always about 1/2 to 3/4 solids ,last week had it pumped 100 bucks and no worrys.

 

[Soundguy]

What is regular?

I ask due to are you saying it should never need to be pumped?

As I said my dad is over 8-9 year now. He just has it pumped just as PM issue. It may never have needed it because it was never full. His though he routes all of the wash water to a different darin field and never entered the spetic tank.

I did like waste water in college, it was one of the more interesting set of classes I took. We went through 3 treatment plants of different sizes from different towns and the guy who taught it worked at a treatment plant for 20 years before becoming a teacher/professor.

someone mentioned pumping every 3ys.. i'd call that regular, and if it actually neede dit every 3ys.. excessive, and there was a problem present.

They won't go 'forever' due to non digestable solids like silica getting in.. but a GOOD system can go for decades... seen it too much to not believe it.

again.. takes GOOD habits to get GOOD results.

soundguy

 

[Kays Supply]

I am living with an aerobic system. I can't say enough good about it. The discharge is clear as tap water. Absolutely no smell. It has functioned 11 years perfectly. It is so small and the way it is shaped I can't imagine it having any solids in it. It probably costs a few bucks to run but it is well worth it. Also, in Illinois there is no allowance for grey water . It is all sewage.

 

[mbrun]

Anyone have a Glendon system?

 

[Larry Caldwell]

So I gotta ask is there anything wrong with pumping a system out? Seems to me like it low cost maintenance or even prentative maintence.

I have had my tank pumpe twice in 15 yrs, no problems that Im aware of. We have laundry days where we do lots of laundry loads and always long showers

How would I know if a problem is begininng ??? how do I know if the system is working fine or needs attention?

How often you pump a septic depends on how big it is and how it is being used. A large family puts more demands on a tank. Most modern tanks are 1000 or 1500 gallon, but some of the old ones were 500 or even 250 gallon. Five people on a 250 gallon tank will fill it pretty quickly.

The problem with water is overwhelming the baffles. The solids need to settle out to give them time to digest. A big inrush of water stirs things up, and suspended solids can get pushed into the drain field where they will plug the whole system. For the same reason, a 1000 gallon tank half full of solids is actually just a 500 gallon tank. The fuller it gets, the more likely you are to create problems, particularly if you push a lot of water through the tank.

You don't know if a problem is beginning, but a properly installed and maintained septic system will last many decades.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

My system is 18 years old with no p0roblems that I know of. My concern is root infiltration. We are on a small lot (1/4 acre) and there are three trees within a few feet of the tank and drain field. Will copper sulfate kill the roots without killing the trees or the beneficial microbes that do the dirty work?

Just use Boraxo in your laundry. Boraxo will kill tree roots. When the roots in one area die, the tree will just grow roots elsewhere. Plus, your laundry will get cleaner.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I have often wondered about the "rule" that one should not use a kitchen waste disposer with a septic system. How does well-ground food waste going into the tank differ from the same thing going into one's digestive tract and THEN into the tank? Granted, there is not an acidic "treatment" like in the stomach, but doesn't the bacterial breakdown in the tank "digest" ordinary food waste?

You have a much more sophisticated digestive process than anaerobic bacteria. Your liver bile emulsifies and breaks down fats, your pancreatic juices denature proteins into their component amino acids, etc. Septic bugs can't handle that. OTOH, they are better than you are at complex carbohydrates like cellulose, which is why toilet paper doesn't turn every septic tank into a stinking pulpy mess.

 

[Egon]

Maybe folks should note that there are different designs for septic tanks with each working a little different as to the effluent handling.

Also note that effluent filters may be used or included in the local requirements.

The temperature of the tank is also important in the biological activities that occur within the tank.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I've been meaning to ask these stinky questions for some time....

I've never "lived" on a septic system before, nor had my wife, and she has been somewhat paranoid since we moved in about 1 year ago.

We also have a septic at one of our rentals, but we were only there for a few days per year, but now it has been occupied for almost 1.5 years.

1 - How do you know you need to pump?
2 - Is pumping expensive?
3 - All I have to "mark" the septic at my house is some bricks on a muddy spot behoind the house. The rental has a 4" PVC Pipe sticking up with a plug. Do I need to dig this thing up and install some sort of a pipe access?

4 - What am I forgetting to ask because I'm a n00b?

Thanks,
David

 

[PhilNH5]

I recommend this link:

http://www.chesco.org/health/lib/health/sewage/ownersmanual.pdf

It is put out by Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Lots of good info. For the record they say no additives needed but recommend a 3 year pump out cycle.

Phil

 

[rsewill]

We had a septic system for about 17 years. Two adults, two kids. Never pumped once until we got city water and sewer.

 

[Soundguy]

if it's a modern concrete tank it will have a cleanout lift lid..

you can locate most tanks with a poke rod and a bit of walking..

I've been meaning to ask these stinky questions for some time....

I've never "lived" on a septic system before, nor had my wife, and she has been somewhat paranoid since we moved in about 1 year ago.

We also have a septic at one of our rentals, but we were only there for a few days per year, but now it has been occupied for almost 1.5 years.

1 - How do you know you need to pump?
2 - Is pumping expensive?
3 - All I have to "mark" the septic at my house is some bricks on a muddy spot behoind the house. The rental has a 4" PVC Pipe sticking up with a plug. Do I need to dig this thing up and install some sort of a pipe access?

4 - What am I forgetting to ask because I'm a n00b?

Thanks,
David

 

[MossflowerWoods]

if it's a modern concrete tank it will have a cleanout lift lid..

you can locate most tanks with a poke rod and a bit of walking..

Chris,

I got a pretty good idea where it is (I hope) but now I will need to excavate until I find the cleanout lid?

She swore she had pumped it just a few years before she sold it to me...

Dang... I hope it is not deep...

David

 

[Soundguy]

they usually aren't... nor are they big... so once you poke a nd find it.. just keep walking and poking till you have the top outlined. short work with a shovel to hit concrete after that...

 

[EE_Bota]

Chris,

I got a pretty good idea where it is (I hope) but now I will need to excavate until I find the cleanout lid?

She swore she had pumped it just a few years before she sold it to me...

Dang... I hope it is not deep...

David

What Soundguy said. Poke rod to find the extent, and easy dig with a shovel. Excavate could be a correct word for digging with a shovel too, I suppose, but I just wanted to make sure to point out it is SHOVEL work.