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Septic tank questions
Mom's system was installed in 1968 and is in my best guess a 5000 gallon
stainless steel tank. It has never been pumped. The last time I serviced it, I put an aerorator (which essentially looks like a fishing trolling motor on a stick that churns the sludge to aid it in mixing the bacteria to break down faster) back into operation and added a white powder (would appreciate someone suggesting branded names) purchased at the local hardware store that was also supposed to aid the process of accelerating bacteria breaking down solid waste. My perception is that there really are only minute amounts (maybe one part per million) of solids going into the system. What we commonly call solid waste is really human manure, a soft-solid which actually breaks down 100% into pure liquid water after being eaten literally by the bacteria in the septic tank. The only solids are minute amounts of iron in the water or similar solids. The toilet paper always seems to totally disappear/disintegrate. My guess is it would take several hundred or perhaps a thousand years for these metals to accumulate. In reality most of them probably stay in solution and filter back into the back yard in what looks like clear water. Also, I'm told pumping actually removes the bacteria needed to break down the waste. I can understand why one would pump if the tank is too small for the family size or is out of bacteria balance and isn't breaking down the waste. My questions are this: 1) How often should a tank be pumped? I imagine it varies based on size. How do I tell that it needs to be pumped? 2) What are the names of additives to help make the septic system run right and how often do folks add them? 3) The trolling motor aerorator always seems to pop its local circuit breaker in between my visits home. Is it really necessary. What percentage of septic tanks have this feature? Thanks in advance. |
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