Yet another septic tank question

IMO 800 gal in too small for even three people.

I replaced our old 250 gal fuel barrel system (there when I bought) with a 2000 gal tank, it was recommended I pump every five years, there where four of us living in our house, now three. (Oldest son married and moved) I would think you would want to pump every couple of years if your tank is that small...

Once you start getting sludge in the lateral system you have big trouble...

First house 15 years never pumped. Second house >10 years family four no pumping. Parents had to pump after 50 years. If it isn't broke let it go. I use charmin : )

A lot of good advice about the need for regular pumping of septic tanks, so I won't repeat it. I would like to make two comments, tho.

Someone said "We have never had to get our tank pumped yet." My question is "How do you know that?" You don't wait for a problem and then decide to get your tank pumped because by that time IT'S TOO LATE! What happens if you never pump your tank is that eventually solids will overflow into your leachfield. The solids will plug the soil in your leachfield tighter than a drum. Then wastewater will either surface and pond in the yard or backup into the home. Once this happens, pumping the tank will not help! So, don't wait to get your tank pumping using the logic that everything is working fine. Who knows, if you've never pumped your tank, your leachfield may be filling with solids right now.

Another person asked, "How do you know when it's time to get your tank pumped?" This is easy. Find a long stick or 1x2" board. Wrap and staple the the bottom three or four feet of the stick with a white rag of gauze. Open the 4" inspection pipe above the outlet end of the septic tank. If there is no inspection pipe, you will have to do some digging and open the manhole cover on top of the tank. Plunk the stick into the tank and remove. Measure the length of sludge clinging to the white cloth. Then measure the length between the tank bottom and the bottom of the outlet baffle. If the sludge blanket in the bottom of the tank is 12" or closer to the bottom of the outlet baffle, the tank should be pumped.


As far as ETS 11 set up for pumping his own tank. I'd recommend that he find a way to slurry the sludge before he starts pumping out of his 2" pipe. Otherwise, he'll only be removing relatively clear wastewater and most of the heavy sludge blanket will remain in the tank when finished. In Minnesota, a landowner is also allowed to pump his own septic tank.

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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....

If ETS 11 has an air compressor [and no neighbors w/ sensitive noses] a length of pipe w/ perforations would allow him to 'sparge' the solids.

I used to run a rail to truck transfer facility and we transfered Titianium Doixode Pigment [slurry] which weighed 22 lbs/gal and would settle out quickly. The supplier [E. I. DuPont] had the railcar stand pipe 'Teed' at the bottom and two perfed pipes ran the lenght of the railcar.

We had to 'sparge' the slurry w/ compressed air for at least 5 min b/4 transfering the shipment into the delivering tanker. The railcar had 2" pipes and the whole car would shake.

A chunk of 1/2" galvanized water pipe should liquidize his sludge without blowing the lid off the septic tank. I would expect one powerfull smell too!

No kidding?!?!?! If I were to pump my own tank, where could I discharge it? That is, what would be allowed by law?

I'm trying to curb my enthusiasm but this might be the solution to my most vexing problem.

Thanks in advance.

Well I am guessing they know that because they arent having any trouble with the system. I lived for 16 years in a house that had NEVER had the tank pumped and it was built a good 50 years before I moved in. The previous owner was as honest as they get, and was adamant about not ever having it pumped. The trick was that it was a toilet only septic system, no antibacterial soaps, no bleach, just plain ol excrement and a bit of paper for the clean ups. All the gray water was run past the tank and field lines. The last year that I lived there I had a clog in the line and had the tank open, there was maybe an inch or so of sludge in the very bottom of the tank, the rest was clear enough to see to the bottom.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

Thing is by the time you know, you're into a very costly repair. When I worked installing new systems you'd hear it all the time! I never pumped the septic tank because we never did on the farm. It worked forever! Uh huh great so why are we here? A lot of older systems were built over sized some were so small you couldn't imagine them working at all!! If you know what you have you can better manage the system. If you don't then you're rolling the dice.

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Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup........

[QUOTE=theuniquey;3769818]Rural Maine, most of Maine is rural.

Thanks

'neighbors' ?

At a mile apart, and half of them being seasonal 'camps' I do not think that anyone will smell anything.



I could see if you were in an urban area with neighbors on every property. You might end up with neighbors every half mile. Maybe one of them could smell something. But we are rural.

Most of the land around here is forest.

Kind of the point of 'homesteading' in my book

Several years ago one of my commodes wasn't flushing properly. Decided to have the tank pumped. However, when the truck was full, the back wheels had sunk so far into the ground it was stuck. He had to empty contents into yard, where any sludge on the surface quickly disappeared.

However, the water table is so high where I'm at, water was coming back into the tank from the drainline and he couldn't pump fast enough to get the solids on the bottom before the tank became full. I measured and it had 4" of solids after something like 20 years of on-again, off-again usage.

I have a separate waste water system for the washer. Simply put it on ground under mobilehome. But then I may do a load every couple of weeks. That likely wouldn't work for a family.

Essentially one commode, one shower, one person, no TP into tank.

We have a 1500 gallon concrete septic tank. We run all the waste water in the house into it and have for 20 years. We use regular toliet paper etc. We had a problem after about 3 years, with the intake baffle getting gunked up do to the kind of laundry soap we were using ( I don't think they even allow those types of detergents to be made any more, companies had to re formulate) 99% of the solids that go into a septic tank are organic, and decompose. The only reason for a septic tank to ever need to be pumped if it is designed and working properly is when the actual dirt particles that are washed off of people and clothes and vegetables build up to a problem level in the bottom. Much of that "dirt" is organic and dissolves also or is very fine and stays in suspension. The "mat" of floating material in a septic tank is normal and is simply floating organic solids undergoing anerobic decay. If one has a proper exit baffel, the water that leaves the tank is picked up a foot to 18" down, which is below the mat level and way above inorganic sediment (sand) which has accumulated in the bottom. The biggest cause of problems in most septic systems is an undersized or poorly designed septic tank, or a poorly designed or installed drain field. Some areas with high clay soils will not percolate well and makes construction more expensive. When one flushes the toliet or drains the bath, the "middle" water needs to flow out of the septic tank with no back pressure. If it has to seep out it will not carry the fine non-organic particles with it. The proper amount of gravel around the pipes in the drain field, and the proper elevation, (should leave the septic tank dropping 1/4 inch per foot) is essential. The field must be level so all the effluent will not drain to one area and at least a little higher than the surounding ground or rain water will "puddle" in the drain area and cause problems, especially in the spring. If the system is proplerly designed and installed it should go 20 years or more without needing to be pumped.

The biggest trouple with septic systems is, that the persons building one are ususally aslo building a house and drilling a well and they skimp on the size of the tank, the field, or the amound of gravel surrounding the drain pipes, or
(in my opinion the most common problem) the guy installing the system skimps on taking the time or the necessary material to do it right to save a few bucks. (not having trees growing within root reach of the area is a given.)

skipping to the end and not reading the whole thing..sorry..but we just went through this last year..make sure that your TP that you buy will dissolve in a cup of water in just a few seconds..if it doesn't..change brands..and DO NOT USE CHARMIN..

you gotta really shop around and buy the best dissolving stuff..i know..it isn't easy..angel soft or northern have some that dissolve well in our area.

keep a waste basket by your toilet and use it for NON smelly papers and never flush wet wipes ..

empty your garabage regularly..we use those grocery plastic bags that are hard to recycle..and they line those waste baskets..

make sure guests are instructed on not flushing things they shouldn't flush and be careful how much bleach you use..it will kill your bacteria in your septic.

that all said..have it pumped regularly anyway..the $100 to $200 to get it pumped is worth the $10,000 it will cost you to have a field dug up and replaced.

You made my point exactly. Not having a problem is no indication of whether you need a tank pumped or not. It's kinda like saying "I've never changed the oil in my new car and it still runs fine."

Even 100% organic material will build up in a septic tank...especially in cold climates. In nature, there is no such process as 100% decomposition of organic matter, if there was we'd never produce any compost.

Your example of measuring actual sludge depth is really the only way of know whether a tank needs to be pumped or not....as I explained in my earlier post.

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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....

You have to discharge the septage (sludge) on your own land and still follow all the requirements that any licensed septic tank pumper would have to follow. The only difference is, you don't need a pumper's license.

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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....

Where would I be able to find this information?

Here is the exemption ==> https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/rules/?id=7083.0700

Pay particular attention to Subpart D.

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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....

Thanks much.