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#1
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Septic maintenance questions
After living with city sewer systems for 75+ years we now are "proud
owners" of a septic system and about to be two systems. New woodshop/garage will have half bath and sink for cleanup on a septic. Have read don'ts like using bleach down the sink that will kill off the critters that make septics work and some other tips but would really like to go to a comprehensive site for more info. Does one exist? Shortly after moving in a phone solicitor asserted we HAD TO use their product monthly or we'd ...! Our DIL uses something monthly but I question 3-5 ounces down the drain into a 1,000-1,500 gallon tank having a significant impact. Permit for new septic notes that 1,500 gallon system is required for disposal houses. Previous owner apparently had a disposal as a switch near the sink doesn't connect to anything and wires under the sink terminate in wire nuts. Our house septic is 1,000 gallons. Observations welcomed. |
#2
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Septic maintenance questions
wrote in message ... After living with city sewer systems for 75+ years we now are "proud owners" of a septic system and about to be two systems. New woodshop/garage will have half bath and sink for cleanup on a septic. Have read don'ts like using bleach down the sink that will kill off the critters that make septics work and some other tips but would really like to go to a comprehensive site for more info. Does one exist? Shortly after moving in a phone solicitor asserted we HAD TO use their product monthly or we'd ...! Our DIL uses something monthly but I question 3-5 ounces down the drain into a 1,000-1,500 gallon tank having a significant impact. Permit for new septic notes that 1,500 gallon system is required for disposal houses. Previous owner apparently had a disposal as a switch near the sink doesn't connect to anything and wires under the sink terminate in wire nuts. Our house septic is 1,000 gallons. Observations welcomed. One thing you don't really want to put down the drain is food scraps. The food will take a long time to breakdown in the tank. This will just fill up the tank and it will require it to be pumped out . Much of the solid waste will desolve and breakdown into a liquid form and go out the pipes to the ground. |
#3
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Septic maintenance questions
avoiding a disposal is right on advice for septic. the biggest
mainanence item is to get it pumped regularily---2 to 5 years depending on how much use it gets. if you don't, the tank will fill up with solids, and then the solids start washing into the drainfield and plug it up. If you don't know when it's been pumped last, pump it now. i don't believe in the additives. just keep it pumped regularily. Ralph Mowery wrote: wrote in message ... After living with city sewer systems for 75+ years we now are "proud owners" of a septic system and about to be two systems. New woodshop/garage will have half bath and sink for cleanup on a septic. Have read don'ts like using bleach down the sink that will kill off the critters that make septics work and some other tips but would really like to go to a comprehensive site for more info. Does one exist? Shortly after moving in a phone solicitor asserted we HAD TO use their product monthly or we'd ...! Our DIL uses something monthly but I question 3-5 ounces down the drain into a 1,000-1,500 gallon tank having a significant impact. Permit for new septic notes that 1,500 gallon system is required for disposal houses. Previous owner apparently had a disposal as a switch near the sink doesn't connect to anything and wires under the sink terminate in wire nuts. Our house septic is 1,000 gallons. Observations welcomed. |
#4
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Septic maintenance questions
"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message nk.net... wrote in message ... After living with city sewer systems for 75+ years we now are "proud owners" of a septic system and about to be two systems. New woodshop/garage will have half bath and sink for cleanup on a septic. Have read don'ts like using bleach down the sink that will kill off the critters that make septics work and some other tips but would really like to go to a comprehensive site for more info. Does one exist? Shortly after moving in a phone solicitor asserted we HAD TO use their product monthly or we'd ...! Our DIL uses something monthly but I question 3-5 ounces down the drain into a 1,000-1,500 gallon tank having a significant impact. Permit for new septic notes that 1,500 gallon system is required for disposal houses. Previous owner apparently had a disposal as a switch near the sink doesn't connect to anything and wires under the sink terminate in wire nuts. Our house septic is 1,000 gallons. Observations welcomed. One thing you don't really want to put down the drain is food scraps. The food will take a long time to breakdown in the tank. This will just fill up the tank and it will require it to be pumped out . Much of the solid waste will desolve and breakdown into a liquid form and go out the pipes to the ground. I agree, you certainly do not want a garbage disposal on your sink when it is going in to a septic system. The most important thing is to keep solids from getting into the field. Pump your tank at least every 2 years, or even every year if you are a freak/worry wort like me, and make sure they inspect the tank baffles when empty. The baffles help prevent the solids from the tank entering the field. Also, make sure you don't let weeds/vines/trees grow in your field. The roots wreck havoc on it. It's also a good idea to avoid driving over the field, at least with large trucks, especially during any mud seasons. I'd also be careful with solvents/chemicals going into the drains in the new woodshop/garage facility. There is a good book called "The Septic System Owner's Manual", I'm sure if you do a search for that title at your favorite book vendor you'll find it. Authors are Lloyd Kahn, Blair Allen, & Julie Jones. Here's some web resources for you: http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/pubs/mt9403.html http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infsep/infsep.shtm Hope this helps! |
#5
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Septic maintenance questions
marson wrote: avoiding a disposal is right on advice for septic. the biggest mainanence item is to get it pumped regularily---2 to 5 years depending on how much use it gets. if you don't, the tank will fill up with solids, and then the solids start washing into the drainfield and plug it up. If you don't know when it's been pumped last, pump it now. i don't believe in the additives. just keep it pumped regularily. Ralph Mowery wrote: wrote in message ... After living with city sewer systems for 75+ years we now are "proud owners" of a septic system and about to be two systems. New woodshop/garage will have half bath and sink for cleanup on a septic. Have read don'ts like using bleach down the sink that will kill off the critters that make septics work and some other tips but would v really like to go to a comprehensive site for more info. Does one exist? Shortly after moving in a phone solicitor asserted we HAD TO use their product monthly or we'd ...! Our DIL uses something monthly but I question 3-5 ounces down the drain into a 1,000-1,500 gallon tank having a significant impact. Permit for new septic notes that 1,500 gallon system is required for disposal houses. Previous owner apparently had a disposal as a switch near the sink doesn't connect to anything and wires under the sink terminate in wire nuts. Our house septic is 1,000 gallons. Observations welcomed. Using the garbage disposal to dispose of food waste will fill up the spetic tank faster (but........depending on where you live pumping more often might be less of a nusance than food waste in your trash more flies. I have lived in a home with septic system AND a disposal & now live in an older style home on city sewer & no disposal. I would prefer a disposal over no disposal (JMO) when the weather is really hot the flies can be a somewhat of a nusance but a liquid fly trap helps keep them under control. per this link minimizing & "leveling" your water usage is the best way to treat your septic system http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/6583-04.html http://www.a1cesspool.com/ These links give opposite opinions on additives....so I don't know what to say, my dad used them & they seem to make sense to me. cheers Bob cheers |
#6
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Septic maintenance questions
Was the phone solicitor "Krane Products"? I have bought some of their
stuff in the past, but have no idea if it realy does much or not. What I do know is the stuff is expensive, and if you ever buy anything from them, they will pester you to death from then on-- they will not take "no" for an answer. You have to actually hang up on them, and I even had them call back right after I hung up on them. Larry |
#7
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Septic maintenance questions
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#8
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Septic maintenance questions
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#9
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Septic maintenance questions
jackson wrote: The baffles help prevent the solids from the tank entering the field. The baffles are there primarily to prevent the floating scum from entering the leach field. A septic tank separates the incoming sewage into three layers: - scum (floating on top; consisting mainly of grease, soap, hair, and lint) - sludge ("solids", on the bottom, mostly poop that hasn't decomposed completely yet) - liquid (the middle layer) When operating properly, only the liquid flows out the septic tank and into the leach field, where bacteria in the soil break down the pathogenic bateria in the liquid. If the floating scum layer gets too deep, it will get past the baffles and enter the leach field. This is not good. It clogs things up. If the sludge layer on the bottom gets too high, then sludge will exit the septic tank and get into the leach field. This is not good either. Additives are useless. Some additives are even worse than useless: they have chemical properties that act to keep fine solids in suspension (instead of sinking to the bottom where they belong). These fine suspended solids are carried out the tank along with the liquid into the leach field, and they eventually clog up the leach field. We have a family of 5 with a 1500 gallon septic tank. I had the tank pumped 5 years after purchasing the home. I watched the whole process and spoke with the guy. He said I could have gone another 5 years no problem. So it all depends on what you put down the drain. We have no garbage disposal; we use detergent instead of bar soap in the shower; we don't flush the "wet wipes", etc. We do use bleach in the laundry. The showers, the toilets, the sump pump, and all the sinks in the house go to the septic (we don't have a separate dry well for gray water). |
#10
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Septic maintenance questions
Jack wrote: You know it would be nice if posters here at least gave the general area they are in as different climates affect some things in different ways and septic use is one of them. The no 1, dont do for any area is to not put grease on any kind in the system another is coffee grounds.How you use and where your at determines how long your system will operate. My wife and I lived in Duval county Florida and used a septic tank (550 gal) for 28 years before we had problem Then it was that the original field tiles were of cement (WWII available) and they finely deteriorated The tank itself was only about 1/2 of solids. "only" 1/2 ?? If a tank is half full of solids, it is on the verge of failure. The scum baffles go about halfway down into the tank. If it's half full of solids, the baffles go down into the solids and the liquid forces solids into the leach field. Mind you that was in Florida and the septic there have a worm in them that eats most of the solids. a "worm" ??? what kind of worm? So where you live makes a difference. At present I live in Tennessee alone and my septic of 550 gals has been going strong now for 13 years and never ben touched. So if your tank is constructed correctly you will know when it fills with solids before any go into your drain field.. Exactly how will you know this, without opening the tank and inspecting it?? |
#11
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Septic maintenance questions
Ralph Mowery wrote:
wrote in message .. . After living with city sewer systems for 75+ years we now are "proud owners" of a septic system and about to be two systems. New woodshop/garage will have half bath and sink for cleanup on a septic. Have read don'ts like using bleach down the sink that will kill off the critters that make septics work and some other tips but would really like to go to a comprehensive site for more info. Does one exist? Shortly after moving in a phone solicitor asserted we HAD TO use their product monthly or we'd ...! Our DIL uses something monthly but I question 3-5 ounces down the drain into a 1,000-1,500 gallon tank having a significant impact. Permit for new septic notes that 1,500 gallon system is required for disposal houses. Previous owner apparently had a disposal as a switch near the sink doesn't connect to anything and wires under the sink terminate in wire nuts. Our house septic is 1,000 gallons. Observations welcomed. One thing you don't really want to put down the drain is food scraps. The food will take a long time to breakdown in the tank. This will just fill up the tank and it will require it to be pumped out . Much of the solid waste will desolve and breakdown into a liquid form and go out the pipes to the ground. Our rather modern septic system has a filter in the tank that ought to be taken out every 4 month or so, and sprayed clean with a water hose. Then reinstall it. It has to be lined up correctly to turn into the groove slots. - udarrell -- Air Conditioning's Affordable Path to the "Human Comfort Zone Goal" http://www.udarrell.com/aircondition...l_systems.html (Solving ESP) http://www.udarrell.com/udarrell-air-conditioning.html |
#12
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Septic maintenance questions
udarrell wrote: Our rather modern septic system has a filter in the tank that ought to be taken out every 4 month or so, and sprayed clean with a water hose. Then reinstall it. Right. How many homeowners do you think actually do THAT ? |
#14
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Septic maintenance questions
Ether Jones wrote:
udarrell wrote: Our rather modern septic system has a filter in the tank that ought to be taken out every 4 month or so, and sprayed clean with a water hose. Then reinstall it. Right. How many homeowners do you think actually do THAT ? All the homeowners that have such systems *and* happen to work for septic service companies so they actually understand them. Pete C. |
#15
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Septic maintenance questions
Al Bundy wrote: Faucett/toilet drips: Fix em right away.. Even the smallest one. Something dripping a quart an hour will cycle an entire 1500 gal tank in 4 days. This must be the "new math". 4 days times 24 hours per day is 96 hours. At one quart per hour that's 96 quarts. A 1500 gallon tank is 6,000 quarts. |
#16
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Septic maintenance questions
On 18 Sep 2006 07:48:13 -0700, "Ether Jones"
wrote: Al Bundy wrote: Faucett/toilet drips: Fix em right away.. Even the smallest one. Something dripping a quart an hour will cycle an entire 1500 gal tank in 4 days. This must be the "new math". 4 days times 24 hours per day is 96 hours. At one quart per hour that's 96 quarts. A 1500 gallon tank is 6,000 quarts. Could "4 days" really be "6 months"? -- 98 days until the winter solstice celebration Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "God was invented by man for a reason, that reason is no longer applicable." |
#17
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Septic maintenance questions
Google septic pumping chart:
http://www.nowra.org/files/KnowYourS...g% 20chart%22 1. Household chemicals like bleach don't hurt the septic system. Microbes are everywhere and re-establish themselves automatically and quickly. Even if you amazingly manage to sterilize the tank water, microbes are in your waste and in your tank and pipe walls. 2. Additives are a scam. 3. Garbage disposals are practically standard equipment for a modern kitchen and are very convenient. There's no need no deprive yourself of one. Just check the septic pumping charts and adust your pumping schedule accordingly. Pumping out a septic tank is CHEAP. |
#18
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Septic maintenance questions
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#19
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Septic maintenance questions
Mark Lloyd wrote: On 18 Sep 2006 07:48:13 -0700, "Ether Jones" wrote: Al Bundy wrote: Faucett/toilet drips: Fix em right away.. Even the smallest one. Something dripping a quart an hour will cycle an entire 1500 gal tank in 4 days. This must be the "new math". 4 days times 24 hours per day is 96 hours. At one quart per hour that's 96 quarts. A 1500 gallon tank is 6,000 quarts. Could "4 days" really be "6 months"? More like 8 months. 1500gallons = 6000 quarts = 6000 hours = 250 days = 8+ months |
#20
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Septic maintenance questions
Ether Jones wrote: wrote: Pumping out a septic tank is CHEAP. Is $140 cheap? That's the going rate around here, if the owner does the digging to expose the access cover. It's all relative I guess. One other thing to consider. There IS a downside to pumping the tank. If there's a heavy rain when the tank is empty, and the soil gets saturated from the heavy rain, the tank can actually push its way up out of the ground, like a boat. Big time repair bill. Major $$$ An obvious way to prevent this is to run the water in the house to fill the tank with water after it's pumped out. But at 10 gallons a minute, it takes two and a half hours of constant running of your well pump to fill a 1500 gallon tank. Another thing to consider is that some tanks are not well designed to keep scum out of the tank's exit pipe during the transition from empty to proper operating level. At proper operating level they do a great job, but during the transition they do not. Depending on the position and design of the exit baffle, a lot of scum can get into the exit pipe as the water level rises during use after pumping. Tanks with down-pipes and on the exit are MUCH less susceptible to this problem. So, if you are a frequent pumper, and you don't have a downpipe on the exit, ask to have one installed. You need to shop around for a company that charges less and knows what they are doing! You're going to scare this poor guy back into using the city sewer. |
#21
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Septic maintenance questions
P.S.
This page tells you how to adjust your pumping schedule if you use a garbage disposal: http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/pubs/mt9403.html |
#22
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Septic maintenance questions
wrote: Google septic pumping chart: http://www.nowra.org/files/KnowYourS...g% 20chart%22 1. Household chemicals like bleach don't hurt the septic system. Microbes are everywhere and re-establish themselves automatically and quickly. Even if you amazingly manage to sterilize the tank water, microbes are in your waste and in your tank and pipe walls. 2. Additives are a scam. 3. Garbage disposals are practically standard equipment for a modern kitchen and are very convenient. There's no need no deprive yourself of one. Just check the septic pumping charts and adust your pumping schedule accordingly. Pumping out a septic tank is CHEAP. Great thread. Excellent comments. I like your #1 as wife sometimes goes crazy with "Iron Out" which removes stains from toilets but probably sterilizes septic. Another comment, I would like to add, is you should know where your clean-out is. When I bought this house, which was built by builder as a spec house, clean-out was buried and I had to have septic cleaner find it and add well ring and cap. For my 2nd drain field, switcher box was buried and when I needed to switch, I dug it up myself (tough to find) and had to repair it and added a well ring and cap myself. It's a good idea to know where everything is if you need help and need to call someone. |
#23
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Septic maintenance questions
"Ether Jones" wrote in message ups.com... wrote: Pumping out a septic tank is CHEAP. Is $140 cheap? That's the going rate around here, if the owner does the digging to expose the access cover. It's all relative I guess. How much do you earn? Now, go buy a truck and insure it, drive to the customer's house, pump out the tank, drive to a disposal area and pay a fee. With the left over money, pay the 15% self employment tax, medical insurance, business overhead, fuel, liability insurance, property tax on the business assets and then pocket the rest. Do you think the guy is getting rich at $140? |
#24
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Septic maintenance questions
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#26
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Septic maintenance questions
Edwin Pawlowski wrote: "Ether Jones" wrote in message ups.com... wrote: Pumping out a septic tank is CHEAP. Is $140 cheap? That's the going rate around here, if the owner does the digging to expose the access cover. It's all relative I guess. How much do you earn? Now, go buy a truck and insure it, drive to the customer's house, pump out the tank, drive to a disposal area and pay a fee. With the left over money, pay the 15% self employment tax, medical insurance, business overhead, fuel, liability insurance, property tax on the business assets and then pocket the rest. Do you think the guy is getting rich at $140? You need to get back on your meds. The question wasn't whether or not $140 is a REASONABLE fee (it is). The question was whether it is CHEAP (it is NOT). As you have pointed out, the operator has a lot of expenses. These must be passed on to the consumer if he is to stay in business. |
#27
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Septic maintenance questions
Ahem! There wouldn't be any scum in a tank that is just pumped. They'll
refill in 2 or 3 days and there won't be any significant scum in that time. -- Steve Barker "Ether Jones" wrote in message ups.com... wrote: Pumping out a septic tank is CHEAP. Is $140 cheap? That's the going rate around here, if the owner does the digging to expose the access cover. It's all relative I guess. One other thing to consider. There IS a downside to pumping the tank. If there's a heavy rain when the tank is empty, and the soil gets saturated from the heavy rain, the tank can actually push its way up out of the ground, like a boat. Big time repair bill. Major $$$ An obvious way to prevent this is to run the water in the house to fill the tank with water after it's pumped out. But at 10 gallons a minute, it takes two and a half hours of constant running of your well pump to fill a 1500 gallon tank. Another thing to consider is that some tanks are not well designed to keep scum out of the tank's exit pipe during the transition from empty to proper operating level. At proper operating level they do a great job, but during the transition they do not. Depending on the position and design of the exit baffle, a lot of scum can get into the exit pipe as the water level rises during use after pumping. Tanks with down-pipes and on the exit are MUCH less susceptible to this problem. So, if you are a frequent pumper, and you don't have a downpipe on the exit, ask to have one installed. |
#28
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Septic maintenance questions
When you figger he does 15 to 25 of them a day, YES he's getting rich. And
the local guy in my area gets $185 (we dig the cover up) -- Steve Barker "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message news:QWCPg.2071$_k1.2065@trndny01... "Ether Jones" wrote in message ups.com... wrote: Pumping out a septic tank is CHEAP. Is $140 cheap? That's the going rate around here, if the owner does the digging to expose the access cover. It's all relative I guess. How much do you earn? Now, go buy a truck and insure it, drive to the customer's house, pump out the tank, drive to a disposal area and pay a fee. With the left over money, pay the 15% self employment tax, medical insurance, business overhead, fuel, liability insurance, property tax on the business assets and then pocket the rest. Do you think the guy is getting rich at $140? |
#29
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Septic maintenance questions
On 18 Sep 2006 19:30:39 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm, "Ether
Jones" quickly quoth: Edwin Pawlowski wrote: "Ether Jones" wrote in message ups.com... wrote: Pumping out a septic tank is CHEAP. Is $140 cheap? That's the going rate around here, if the owner does the digging to expose the access cover. It's all relative I guess. How much do you earn? Now, go buy a truck and insure it, drive to the customer's house, pump out the tank, drive to a disposal area and pay a fee. With the left over money, pay the 15% self employment tax, medical insurance, business overhead, fuel, liability insurance, property tax on the business assets and then pocket the rest. Do you think the guy is getting rich at $140? You need to get back on your meds. The question wasn't whether or not $140 is a REASONABLE fee (it is). The question was whether it is CHEAP (it is NOT). As you have pointed out, the operator has a lot of expenses. These must be passed on to the consumer if he is to stay in business. When I bought the old farmhouse in LoCal in '75, the pumper charged me $35 to empty it. The second time it was $55, ca '89. The third time, ca '01, it was $180 (most wanted $200-$250). Most of that increased fee was due to different fee structures at the newly-categorized hazardous dump location. The rest was a decade and a half of COLA. BTW, I'm single and easy on septics if you noticed the long spans. ================================================== ======= What doesn't kill you + http://diversify.com ....makes you hurt more. + Web application programming ================================================== ======= |
#30
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Septic maintenance questions
Frank wrote: wrote: Google septic pumping chart: http://www.nowra.org/files/KnowYourS...g% 20chart%22 1. Household chemicals like bleach don't hurt the septic system. Microbes are everywhere and re-establish themselves automatically and quickly. Even if you amazingly manage to sterilize the tank water, microbes are in your waste and in your tank and pipe walls. 2. Additives are a scam. 3. Garbage disposals are practically standard equipment for a modern kitchen and are very convenient. There's no need no deprive yourself of one. Just check the septic pumping charts and adust your pumping schedule accordingly. Pumping out a septic tank is CHEAP. Great thread. Excellent comments. I like your #1 as wife sometimes goes crazy with "Iron Out" which removes stains from toilets but probably sterilizes septic. Another comment, I would like to add, is you should know where your clean-out is. When I bought this house, which was built by builder as a spec house, clean-out was buried and I had to have septic cleaner find it and add well ring and cap. For my 2nd drain field, switcher box was buried and when I needed to switch, I dug it up myself (tough to find) and had to repair it and added a well ring and cap myself. It's a good idea to know where everything is if you need help and need to call someone. IMO, a disposal can work just fine with a septic system, or it may be a disaster. Like most things, what counts is how it's used. If you use the disposal for small scraps from food prep, washing dishes, etc, it will be fine. If you intend to put lots of bulk garbage down it that could easily go elsewhere, then you will likely have problems. When I do food prep over the sink and am left with a pile of peels, I grab most of them and they go in the trash. The remainder get washed down the disposal, which I think makes a good compromise. |
#31
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Septic maintenance questions
Steve Barker LT wrote: Ahem! There wouldn't be any scum in a tank that is just pumped. Of course not. They'll refill in 2 or 3 days and there won't be any significant scum in that time. A family of 4 with a 1500 gallon tank would take more than 2 or 3 days to refill the tank. After a week of showers and laundry and dishwashing there will be scum. Is this going to single-handedly ruin your drain field? Of course not. But if you pump your tank every year, over time it will contribute to drain field failure. Install a downpipe if you pump frequently. |
#32
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Septic maintenance questions
wrote in
oups.com: Ether Jones wrote: wrote: Pumping out a septic tank is CHEAP. Is $140 cheap? That's the going rate around here, if the owner does the digging to expose the access cover. It's all relative I guess. One other thing to consider. There IS a downside to pumping the tank. If there's a heavy rain when the tank is empty, and the soil gets saturated from the heavy rain, the tank can actually push its way up out of the ground, like a boat. Big time repair bill. Major $$$ An obvious way to prevent this is to run the water in the house to fill the tank with water after it's pumped out. But at 10 gallons a minute, it takes two and a half hours of constant running of your well pump to fill a 1500 gallon tank. Another thing to consider is that some tanks are not well designed to keep scum out of the tank's exit pipe during the transition from empty to proper operating level. At proper operating level they do a great job, but during the transition they do not. Depending on the position and design of the exit baffle, a lot of scum can get into the exit pipe as the water level rises during use after pumping. Tanks with down-pipes and on the exit are MUCH less susceptible to this problem. So, if you are a frequent pumper, and you don't have a downpipe on the exit, ask to have one installed. You need to shop around for a company that charges less and knows what they are doing! You're going to scare this poor guy back into using the city sewer. $140 can be dirt cheap. In one place I lived it was ridden with granola heads. They had state "Acts" and heavey impact fees. Other areas dump your **** wherever long as it's not on the road with an open valve. |
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