Septic Tank Chemistry

[dmccarty]

...
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

NC has a table recommending that the tank be pumped every X number of years depending on the size of the tank and number of people in the house.

We pump the septic tank every four years. We pump around November on the presidential election cycles. Make it easy to remember.

To get our tanked pump was around $250.

Our tank, an many/most, newer ones in NC is one physical tank with two compartments. NC regulations requires a riser from the top of the septic tank to near grade level for the compartment with the filter covering the outflow to the septic field. Dishonest pumpers will only pump this compartment because it is the easiest to get too. The problem is this compartment does not have solids. The solids are in the other compartment which is where the line from the house first enters the tank.

We put a riser on the first compartment to make it faster to access and pump out.

I assume the 4 inch PVC is a clean out. We have one between the house and the tank. The PVC should mark one end of the septic tank.

Later,
Dan

 

[Artisan]

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.

We ran into Boraxo about 4 months ago. Now our home is very clean, the washer machine is a nice Maytag, it is old and moisture was causing some order issues from within the washer where I can't get at it to clean it, that was dissing me off big time, we hate filth, I was preparing to get a new washer. So we started using Boraxo for another reason and Viola!, the smell completely disappeared. . .
Gone, zilch, zip, nada. Amazing.

I didn't know it killed tree roots.

 

[Artisan]

Poke Rod =

 

[Soundguy]

a nice poke rod too!.. i normall use some 3/8 dowel rod witht he top bent over as a handle..

 

[MossflowerWoods]

We pump the septic tank every four years. We pump around November on the presidential election cycles. Make it easy to remember.

Later,
Dan

Dan,

You are BRILLIANT!

:laughing:

David

 

[dmccarty]

Dan,

You are BRILLIANT!

:laughing:

David

I just told the wifey that a TBNer said I was BRILLIANT. :laughing:

She said, and I quote, "They do not know you very well."

She might be right. :laughing: To be honest the septic tank pumping schedule we use was suggested by another TBNer. :thumbsup:

Later,
Dan

 

[Soundguy]

pumping every 4ys in nov might clog up the entire system.. too much BS going out..

 

[GGB]

I've had a recent experience with our septic system. Because of the terrain, we have a transfer pump to move the liquids up to the lateral field, and the pump died last spring. I assume it was the original pump, probably was about 4-5 years old when we bought the house 4 years ago, so from what I understand, that's not bad for this type of system.

The holding tank had been required to be pumped before closiing on the house. The inspection cover is constucted of heavy plastic, and sits on a matching flange which sits on top of the tank. At some point, someone had probably backed over a corner of the lid and the flange had a crack but was still servicable. There were no problems noted at that time, other than the cracked flange for the lid.

Four years later when the pump failed, we had to have the holding tank pumped again to replace the pump. The gentleman who came to pump out the tank was not from the same company as was used at closing, and after he pumped the holding tank, he asked where the other tank was. What other tank, I asked? I didn't no till then that the first pumper only pumped the liquids tank! Good Grief!

So my new pumper found the solids tank fairly quickly, but we had to dig out a foot of dirt to get to the concrete cover. Why the heck didn't they put an inspection cover on the solids tank? I don't want to tell you what I thought about the outfit that built the system and didnt' put a riser and inspection cover on the solids tank.

I determined that I didn't want to have to cover it back up and dig out again everytime it needed to be pumped, so while I had the cover exposed I bought
18' of risers and an inspection cover which can easily be taken off to pump in the future. Then while I was at it, I replaced the liquids tank riser and lid to match the solids tank riser and lid. Then to disguise the risers/lids, I piled hardwood mulch on the sides and top, and planted some small mugo pines and grasses to further hide it. Actually looks pretty good, a lot better than the old green lid.

At least it will be a lot easier to pump correctly the next time. But why wouldn't someone have done it right the first time????

 

[Egon]

But why wouldn't someone have done it right the first time????​

Cost.

 

[Soundguy]

or ineptness...

 

[GGB]

or lazy or stupid or all the above!

 

[dmccarty]

or lazy or stupid or all the above!

But I bet it was done to code.

Code in my area only requires the filter side to have a riser.....

How about we replace the word stupid and inept to use ignorant? :laughing: I buried our tank so I prefer the word ignorant though inept is not inaccurate.

I had not idea there were two compartments in the tank.

Later,
Dan

 

[GGB]

But I bet it was done to code.

Code in my area only requires the filter side to have a riser.....

How about we replace the word stupid and inept to use ignorant? :laughing: I buried our tank so I prefer the word ignorant though inept is not inaccurate.

I had not idea there were two compartments in the tank.

Later,
Dan

Dan,

Your probably right-it may well have met code. If so, it seems like another example of why code should be looked at as a minimum standard. And I'll agree with your description of ignorant rather than stupid. My Mother wouldn't have approved of my use of the word stupid!

In fact, until I found out about the second tank, I resembled that accusation!!! That's one of the great things about this forum-I've picked up a lot of education from the school of hard knocks from my own experiences, and appreciate everyone else sharing their experiences here to help me avoid a lot of mistakes.

Hopefully, I'll always been learning....

 

[tglass]

Maybe I missed it, but haven't heard much about how to clean or upkeep the arobic system , especially the last tank that pumps directly to the lawn sprinklers without pulling the pump and cleaning that screen. I try to keep the grease at a minimum but the garbage disposal is why I have one and I would expect the septic system to digest food products if used right.

 

[Soundguy]

one phrase I've heard.. don't be quick to attribute to malice that which can be explained by ( stupidity, ignorance, ineptness, etc.. )

your choice on the last one..

 

[dmccarty]

one phrase I've heard.. don't be quick to attribute to malice that which can be explained by ( stupidity, ignorance, ineptness, etc.. )

your choice on the last one..

Well, I have done stupid things, meaning I did something I knew I should not do. In the case of the septic tank I was not stupid because I did not know there was a need for the second riser. Thus ignorant or maybe inept.

Running the front wheels of the tractor, sorta on top of the tank, after it was partially buried, could be considered stupid but I did not break the tank so I think I can escape the use of stupid to describe what I did. Maybe. I would not argue the point. :laughing:

Without a doubt the code IS stupid. There should be a riser on both access holes. I was shocked when I found out there were to access holes and we were going to dig to find the other one. Thankfully I knew where the end of the tank was located. All of the cr....ap the county and state makes you do to get a septic field and the only spec one riser? The NC state code actually specs out how to build an out house for goodness sakes but they allow one riser......

Later,
Dan

 

[Soundguy]

my comment was directed tot he prev owner / setup.. etc.. not you

 

[Pettrix]

One issue is that most people just go bare minimum on their septic tank size. If the bare minimum code calls for 1,200 GAL, they go 1,200 GAL. It's always better to up-size when building a new system. A 1,200 GAL precast 2-chamber concrete tank costs $1,400, while a 2,000 GAL precast 2-chamber tank costs $2,100. That $700 is money well spent for that extra 800 gallons of tank. The bigger tank will give you more capacity and in times when you overload the system (3 loads of kids laundry, in-laws visiting, etc), that 2,000 GAL tank will help a lot.

Also go bigger on the leach field. Don't just go bare minimum, get an extra line or two or extend the leach field.

Another issue is that standard or conventional septics rely on anaerobic bacteria to breakdown the waste and effluent. This is a VERY slow process. Meanwhile aerobic bacteria breakdown waste 20x faster than anaerobic bacteria. The question is how does one get aerobic bacteria into a conventional anaerobic system? The answer is oxygen.

Septic Tank Aerator, Septic Problems, Septic Repair, Septic Maintenance, Drainfield Repair, Septic Tank Diffuser

Engineered septic systems rely on aerobic breakdown to work properly. They all utilize oxygen to do so. Adding oxygen to a conventional system makes it an aerobic system and it performs much more efficiently.

As far as additives go. They are not needed UNLESS you are dumping a lot of greases, oils or heavy loads. In that case, they do help. Here is one that is widely used:

http://www.norweco.com/pdf/bg_broc.pdf

 

[Pettrix]

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.

What aerobic system do you have?

The reason WHY alternative/engineered septics have cleaner effluent is 95% due to the aerobic bacteria. They are much more efficient at breaking down waste and create cleaner effluent.

 

[Egon]

Remember a septic tank that is way oversized may not be able to produce enough anerobic action to keep the temperature up in colder climates.