Septic do's and don'ts....

Never had one, but enjoying this thread. Is it possible to have too Big of holding tank? Perhaps someone would need a 1000 gal, any problem with a 1500 instead? Thanks

[QUOTE=tiogacounty;4778184] I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that any information regarding the dangers of bleach, toilet paper, colored toilet paper, antibacterial soap, or a few dozen other silly things you hear, is bull. QUOTE]

Very informative post, and this whole thread is great. I have a question about above...

Hubby has started installing septic systems...he got his license in MO and goes to classes and such. Somewhere he either heard in a class or read an article in the various things he gets in the mail about the hard water stain removers....like the lime removers you use to wash showers..etc. Anyway, they said that these chemicals are actually etching the cement of the tanks.

Does anyone know if this is true? I sometimes use those when I have major buildup, though I mostly use vinegar and baking soda. But it'd be nice to know so I could tell customers.

Thanks.

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If I have a slow sink drain I just dump 2 cups of dill pickle juice down the sink, but that goes into the grey water tank. I have a 50 gal tank for the low flush toilet here and at the "little" cabin, never a problem. I haven't had this one pumped, was put in in 1992. We use single ply tissue....James

Chemicals that remove lime are very weak acids....most of which are neutralized by reacting with the lime they were intended to clean. By the time the solution gets to the tank, my guess is they are about the same PH level as acid rain....almost nothing.

Given a concrete tank is about 3" thick, to do an real damage to the tank would take probably a thousand years...maybe more.....just like the time it takes slightly acidic rain water to act on the limestone in a cave to make stalagtites......which is to say "I wouldn't put it too high on my list of things to worry about"

Actually, you would be quite surprised to see how fast a tank will deteriorate. The natural environment inside tanks is horribly corrosive. I have seen at least four or five different (failed) techniques used to do the electrical splicing and structural support of the pump and alarm floats and wiring in pump tanks. In the end the only thing that works is plastic and stainless steel. Currently we do all the splicing with well wire splice kits that include barrel crimps and shrink tube with heat activated sealant inside. Junction boxes, wire nuts and plug in connections WILL fail. All support is done with ty-wraps and plastic masonary anchors with stainless sheet metal screws. Everything else rots and fails in a few years. If the reinforcing wire in a concrete tank is placed too close to the interior surface, it quickly rots and spalls the interior apart. In the main tank it is common to find missing baffles on the inlet. They just rot and fall off. Most tanks are, in fact, trouble free for decades, but sewage is really rough on concrete and ferris metal, and a lot of service calls and repairs are due to these issues.

Unless you have a failing septic system, you are simply too broke to address the issue, and you are trying ANYTHING to help, putting USED toilet paper anywhere but in the bowl is disgusting, and has absolutely no rational basis.
On the drain cleaner in the bathtub issue, this is like putting band-aids on a broken arm. Measure the horizontal section of pipe from the trap below the tub to the tee where it joins a larger pipe. Buy this size pipe and fittings (including) a new trap from any big box home place. Ask for help selecting "Fernco" fittings. These are rubber fitting that fit any pipe material and adapt things like plastic to cast iron. Now saw the old pipe out, glue your new trap and fitting together and connect it to the old with the rubber fittings. Support your work with wooden braces and plastic plumbers strap, every four feet. Less than $50, and you and your rubber duckie are good to go for another fifty years You will be amazed at what you discover. I did this work several times on my parents 1915 house. The horizontal cast iron would simply clog solid. The 2" run from the kitchen sink looked like a tree when cut, with annular rings of build-up that left a pencil sized passage in the middle. In their case drain cleaner was somewhat effective, short term, but new plastic has several hundred times more flow than what I removed, and will remain clog free forever.

Remember that many times when you determine that you NEED to have your septic tank pumped, it's already too late. It is likely that not only is your septic tank full of sludge but so is your drainfield. In this situation, having the tank pumped will not remove the sludge from the drainfield and you will continue to have either backups or a soggy yard.

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

No problem. In fact, a 1500 gal tank is more or less the norm around here.

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

All soap is anti bacterial, the anti bacterial labeling on soaps in recent years is just marketing hype for germophobes.

Bleach isn't going to hurt things unless your pouring gallons down the drain.

I would just watch what TP you use and use one that dissolves well, use the least amount of water down the drain that is reasonable and move on with life. Always worked for me.

What about using LIQUID FABRIC SOFTENER with a septic system? I've heard that it 'goops' up in the pipes. I cleaned out the fabric softener dispenser on my washer the other day, and oh my!! Underneath the dispenser cup was disgusting, the softener leaves a thick, gross film alll along the inside of the tube. I even dilute my softener with water. It took me quite a while to clean it all off using vinegar and a toothbrush. I may have to start making my own liquid fab. softener. Thanks and have a great December, Maggie

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Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

You've got good advise on the tank but also make sure you watch out for your drainfield. First thing, find where it is. Make sure you don't drive over it with anything heavy, don't put fence posts through it or plant trees over it etc..

Yep....that's usually the first indication, a clogged drainfield.

I installed my current system in 1985 ( 1,000gal ) and never did a thing to it.....but there are only 2 of us in the house, except for a couple years my nephew lived here. Decided to have it pumped as a precaution ( and figured I was pushing my luck ) in 2004...but after the water was pumped off the top, there wasn't 6" of "whatever" solids left in the tank bottom ( I watched the process ) and they got most of that as well.....so I don't ever plan to have it done again. Yet I hear of other folks having it done every few years.....I don't understand the difference, but clearly it has SOMETHING to do with what goes in the tank. ( all our drainage, including washing machine goes in the tank ).

Solids go into the septic tank that do not decompose. These solids can be inorganic, such as sand, lint, fillers from detergents, female hardware, etc. Or the solids can be organic, such as cooking fats and oils, soap and detergent scum, and human waste.

Don;t ever be fooled into thinking that all the organic matter that enters a septic tank decomposes into nothing. Decomposition is never a 100% efficient process. The decomposition process is more thorough in warm climates and less so in northern climates, however. Remember, if it were possible for microbial decomposition to completely degrade all organic matter, we'd never have to empty a composting toliet!

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

They are required by law here along with a yearly maintenance contract. We bought a tank that is suppose to be fore a two family home so the tank is big enough. I can tell you though without those beasties & chlorine in the final tank the thing starts to smell.

A lot of it has to do with loading, or quite simply how many people us it and how hard. A family of six, with a lot of laundry, might need to pump out every 2-3 years. An elderly single person, without a lot of work clothes to wash, might never need to get it pumped. You did the right thing by establishing a baseline. I did mine (with a family of four) five years after it was installed, It was less than 2/3rds full of solids. I can now stretch it to 6-7 years and more as the kids leave the nest. Even our state DEP guide admits that it may not need service if it's only seasonally or lightly used by one person.

That's not entirely true. While any soap will get rid of roughly the same amount of germs, those labeled as antibacterial usually contain an antibacterial ingredient such as triclosan. It can't possibly be enough to hurt a septic system, but it is different than non-antibacterial soap.

This is the norm for most of Southern Europe. Odors are not what you wold think if dealt with regularly.

Drain Cleaners can kill or harm the natural yeast that eats the solids in the septic tank. If they have been used you need Robix or another brand of formulated enzimes to restart things. If your tank is working normally there is no need to add this monthly as they should be reproducing naturally. It may not hurt every other year but probably isn't necessary.

Make sure you city friends know you have a septic. So your SIL won't put Blue Shop Towels down in the Toilet.

Yeast do not survive, nor would they ever be responsible for decomposition, in a septic tank. The microorganisms that do the breakdown are bacteria.

Secondly, you do not have to add anything special to get things restarted if you have an upset. Your own waste is full of the beneficial bacteria that are responsible for decomposition in septic tanks. So, once you use your toliet, your septic tank is innoculated with all the bacteria it needs.

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

While it certainly won't hurt the septic in any case, it pretty much is entirely true..

All soap is quite antibacterial, and adding triclosan does nothing to improve that... It is marketing hype for germophobes... Or for people just too uneducated to know soap is extremely antibacterial all by itself.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Infectio...usDisease/6432