stryped wrote:
What kind of pump do people use to pump their septic tank? Is it a
trash pump? I know this probably sounds stupid but could a person pump
their own tank? I wonder if this would be a good side business to get
into?

I have a friend who runs a septic business. Takes BIG money to do it
correctly. Pumping is the easy part. Hauling and disposing of the waste
is the hard part.


With the economy the way it is, I have been lookign for a long time
for somethign to do that a person could "fall back on" I wonder if a
septic tank pumping business that also did driveway sealing (blacktop)
would be good? Can you use a trash pump for blacktop resealing? Where
do you get larger quantities of blacktop?

Blacktop sealing is not a fun job either. You need a hot pot and good
sealer if you ever want repeat business. There are some fly-by-night
outfits that travel around and do a "sealing" job that is really nothing
more than a black latex paint. Stuff lasts until the first good rain!!
There used to be an outfit that spray painted barns about the same way.
They sprayed EVERYTHING from the ground. You could tell where they had
been because there would be red on the roof, windows, doors, trim, grass
and dirt around the place.


The reason I asked if you could do it yourself is I would like to test
both theories on my own septic tank which needs to be pumped out and
my driveway.


The local outfit will pump my 1000 gal. tank for $250.00. They like mine
because I installed a pump out port on both sections. Makes it MUCH
easier...

As for the driveway. Buy a GOOD sealer and a wide roller and DIY. Wash
it really well and get all the loose crap off, repair any cracks, then
wait for a hot day and roll on two coats perpendicular to each other.
I buy the same asphalt they use to seal highways at the local batch
plant. Putting it on cool isn't as good as a hot seal BUT it's still
better than most of the store bought crap.

--
Steve W.