I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

On May 7, 11:08*am, "John D99" wrote:
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

I wouldn't do that myself. The one's I've seen have a heavy concrete
lid that takes a pretty good machine to lift off.

John D99 wrote:

I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

Yes, however if you're digging down to the lids you may as well have it
pumped anyway. How frequently it needs to be pumped is highly variable
based on what you let go into the system (kitchen disposer,
"flushables", etc.). A properly sized system that is only fed digestible
waste and sufficient water may never need to be pumped.

On May 7, 11:05*am, "Pete C." wrote:
John D99 wrote:

I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

Yes, however if you're digging down to the lids you may as well have it
pumped anyway. How frequently it needs to be pumped is highly variable
based on what you let go into the system (kitchen disposer,
"flushables", etc.). A properly sized system that is only fed digestible
waste and sufficient water may never need to be pumped.

John D99 wrote:
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?



I'd have a septic guy do it and it's probably about time you had it
pumped. It may be a good idea for you to dig and find the lid as the
septic guy will charge extra to do this and if he has trouble finding it
may cost more. I'd put a concrete ring down to the opening to make it
easier the next time. If in a conspicuous place, you can mask with
shrubbery or something.

John D99 wrote:
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?




Yes, you could determine that if you wanted to. BUT once you've dug the
lid open, just have it pumped. It should be done every three years anyway.

s

Shy Picker wrote:
On May 7, 11:08 am, "John D99" wrote:
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

I wouldn't do that myself. The one's I've seen have a heavy concrete
lid that takes a pretty good machine to lift off.


believe me the septic tank pumping guys don't have a crane. You can
lift the lid by hand.

s

"Pete C." wrote in message
ter.com...

Yes, however if you're digging down to the lids you may as well have it
pumped anyway. How frequently it needs to be pumped is highly variable
based on what you let go into the system (kitchen disposer,
"flushables", etc.). A properly sized system that is only fed digestible
waste and sufficient water may never need to be pumped.

1. Yes, inspection after 6 years trouble-free use will
indicate how often the system should be pumped
(if you find an honest pumper, that is.)
2. Once you have located the four corners of the
hatch. map them exactly in relation to the nearest
window or corner of the house, so you can dig to
the hatch next time. Last time mine was pumped,
I fastened a yellow nylon rope to one handle and
extended it diagonally across the hatch and upwards
toward the surface. This way, any future digger is
likely to find the rope, and can follow it down.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

You can buy sections of a plastic pipe, about 3' in diameter and one to
three feet long. (At septic tank dealers) A lid fits on the top segment.
After you remove the concrete cover (permanently) run the plastic sections
to within 6" of the surface, put on the lid and cover it up with dirt or
flagstones, or whatever.

No more digging. Easy to find and pump the next time. Many owners have to
pump their tank every two years, or so. You can also check the level of
sewage and sediment quite easily.

--

Walter
www.rationality.net

"John D99" wrote in message
m...
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2
years ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the
system shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

On May 7, 11:08*am, "John D99" wrote:
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

No reason to check. Just call a honey dipper and have him pump it.
They should be done every 3 years +/-. Otherwise it'll work just fine
until the day it dies -- then you'll get a major expense. All septics
will last about 15 years with no pumping, but if you do that it'll put
enough crap into your field that it might cause a major fiasco very
soon after then.

Spend the $150 bucks and get it done so you'll save THOUSANDS later.

FYI, in this county 6% of all systems fail each year. In the next
county over, it's about 8%. That included the new systems. If you
take out the new ones, the failure rate is much higher. The main
reason for failures is lack of maintenance (i.e. pumping).

Also, FYI, our life-cycle analysis of septic systems shows that they
are slightly more expensive to own/operate than being on a public
sewer system. There is no big savings. If you don't pump them, then
they are much more expensive to operate than having public sewer
because you are replacing them more often.

On Thu 07 May 2009 11:37:15a, Don Phillipson told us...

"Pete C." wrote in message
ter.com...

Yes, however if you're digging down to the lids you may as well have it
pumped anyway. How frequently it needs to be pumped is highly variable
based on what you let go into the system (kitchen disposer,
"flushables", etc.). A properly sized system that is only fed
digestible waste and sufficient water may never need to be pumped.

1. Yes, inspection after 6 years trouble-free use will
indicate how often the system should be pumped
(if you find an honest pumper, that is.)
2. Once you have located the four corners of the
hatch. map them exactly in relation to the nearest
window or corner of the house, so you can dig to
the hatch next time. Last time mine was pumped,
I fastened a yellow nylon rope to one handle and
extended it diagonally across the hatch and upwards
toward the surface. This way, any future digger is
likely to find the rope, and can follow it down.


Our tank has 4-5" pipes (3 of them) that lead directly down. I was told
they examine, measure, and pump out through those. Their caps are flush
with the ground.

--
Wayne Boatwright
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toots Shore's restaurant is so crowded nobody goes there anymore.
~Yogi Berra

Steve Barker wrote:
John D99 wrote:
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2
years ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for
the system shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach
field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing
pumped out?




Yes, you could determine that if you wanted to. BUT once you've dug the
lid open, just have it pumped. It should be done every three years anyway.

s
Depends how many people in the house, and how big a tank. I'm alone with
a tank sized for 3br. I'm not anticipating that I'll ever need to get it
pumped, except maybe to have 'freshly pumped, freshly inspected' as a
sales feature. (in 5 years or so.)

--
aem sends...

On May 7, 10:08*am, "John D99" wrote:
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

No need to uncover the whole lid. Most now have 2 small tapered lids
about 1' sq in the overall lid. This allow for inspection and pumping
of both baffled sections without removing the main lid. It may
require a pry bar to open these inspection lids but it is still a lit
easier than lifting that big mama.
KC

On May 7, 10:08*am, "John D99" wrote:
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

To answer the other part of your question, when you open the lid look
for floating solids in the tank. It is the floaters that will cause
trouble by getting into the leach field whereas the solids on the
bottom of the tank will be eaten by bacteria. If there is very little
floating material your tank is in good shape.

KC

Pete C. wrote:
John D99 wrote:

I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6
1/2 years ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I
have for the system shows one holding tank, with a line going out to
the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing
pumped out?

Yes, however if you're digging down to the lids you may as well have
it pumped anyway. How frequently it needs to be pumped is highly
variable based on what you let go into the system (kitchen disposer,
"flushables", etc.). A properly sized system that is only fed
digestible waste and sufficient water may never need to be pumped.

excellent advice

On May 7, 11:05*am, "Pete C." wrote:

A properly sized system that is only fed digestible
waste and sufficient water may never need to be pumped.

That's all I put in mine. It was pumped out for the 1st time after 10
years usage.
It had less than 2" of sludge on the bottom so the service guy said
I'd probably never have to have it pumped out again.

KC

Yes, however if you're digging down to the lids you may as well have
it pumped anyway. How frequently it needs to be pumped is highly
variable based on what you let go into the system (kitchen disposer,
"flushables", etc.). A properly sized system that is only fed
digestible waste and sufficient water may never need to be pumped.

excellent advice

True.

But in the real world a certain amount of "indigestable solids" end up in
the system. For example, if your washing machine connects to your regular
septic system. the in-organic "dirt" on your clothing will end up on the
bottom of your tank. Maybe in a perfect world that would not go into your
septic system but ...

Pumping cost, typicaly, are less than $300. Compare that to your typical
city water bills (which are mostly for sewage treatment).

That's why most folks living on the "edge" of town only get connected to the
city system when they are forced to.

I dug out the first access lid (nearest the house), and used a long wood
slat stick to poke down and find the solids layer.
As near as I can tell, there is no solids layer - the stick goes right down
to a hard cement bottom and there's no solids coating on the wood when I
take it out to surface, and the depth I'm reaching below the top of the tank
is about right for the total depth of the tank that's on the diagram.

I'll dig out the outer tank access and check that too, but it looks like
I've saved myself $250.



"John D99" wrote in message
m...
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2
years ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the
system shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

John D99 wrote:
I dug out the first access lid (nearest the house), and used a long wood
slat stick to poke down and find the solids layer.
As near as I can tell, there is no solids layer - the stick goes right down
to a hard cement bottom and there's no solids coating on the wood when I
take it out to surface, and the depth I'm reaching below the top of the tank
is about right for the total depth of the tank that's on the diagram.

I'll dig out the outer tank access and check that too, but it looks like
I've saved myself $250.



"John D99" wrote in message
m...
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2
years ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the
system shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?







what you felt is normal. The 'sludge' at the bottom will not feel any
different to a stick than the water above it. You cannot check sludge
level that way.

s

"Steve Barker" wrote in message
...
John D99 wrote:
I dug out the first access lid (nearest the house), and used a long wood
slat stick to poke down and find the solids layer.
As near as I can tell, there is no solids layer - the stick goes right
down to a hard cement bottom and there's no solids coating on the wood
when I take it out to surface, and the depth I'm reaching below the top
of the tank is about right for the total depth of the tank that's on the
diagram.

I'll dig out the outer tank access and check that too, but it looks like
I've saved myself $250.



"John D99" wrote in message
m...
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2
years ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for
the system shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach
field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing
pumped out?







what you felt is normal. The 'sludge' at the bottom will not feel any
different to a stick than the water above it. You cannot check sludge
level that way.

As I also said, there was nothing coating the stick when I pulled it out.


s

On May 10, 4:20*pm, "John D99" wrote:


As I also said, there was nothing coating the stick when I pulled it out.

After 6 1/2 years of normal use there HAS to be some amount of sludge
in the tank.
That in itself should make you wonder why *nothing* was on the stick.
Again as Steve said, it's not a reliable check.

On May 7, 10:08*am, "John D99" wrote:
I've got a standard resisdential septic system. It was installed 6 1/2 years
ago, I live outisde of Colorado Springs. The diagram I have for the system
shows one holding tank, with a line going out to the leach field.

My question is, if I dig down to the lids on the holding tank, is it
possible to check the solids level to determine if I need the thing pumped
out?

Have it pumped and checked by someone who knows what they are doing.
Mine only cost $100 to pump, but you can expect to pay more in
Colorado, and a whole lot more if it isn't serviced properly. The
peace of mind will be worth it.