wrote in message
...
HI all,

When I last had my tank pumped 2 years ago a small hole was
discovered half way up the side. It is\was the size of a roll of
pennies. Having waited two years to get it fixed I finally started
digging out the tank at the approximate location of the hole. I got
down about two feet when my hole started to get waterlogged. I was
able to dig a trench almost the entire side of the tank about 3 feet
down before it got to messy with all the waste water. I still dont
have an exact location of the leak but should not have a hard time
locating it tomorrow. I have a septic company scheduled to empty my
tank tomorrow morning so I will be able to make the repair. Having
talked to a friend who was employed in the septic/excavation field for
many years he advised me to fill the hole with hydraulic cement and
then put an asphalt shingle on both sides with roofing tar or some
other sealant. Does this sound like the proper approach? Will I be
able to get roofing tar to stick on the wet cement. How would a
professional perform this repair? The reason I waited so long to
perform the repair was based on an estimate of about $1000 to get it
professionally fixed. If I am able to do it myself it will only cost
me the price of the cement and a $200 pumping fee. From what I read
it sounds like I have a mid seam tank (1000 gal.) (25 years old) and
these leaks at the seam are a notorious problem for this style. I was
also told by a different source that their were holes used to lift the
tank in place which are then plugged. The reason I say this is that
the hole appeared too perfect to be caused by natural wear on the
tank. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

Rod M.

Fix it. If you replace the tank you may have to bring the whole system up to
code which is a lot stricter now than it was 25 or 30 years ago.