Septic tank do's and don'ts

Also liquid fabric softener has a lot of oil in it- not good. BTW there are lots of books on septic tank living- a few are a good laugh beside being useful.

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For we used to ask when we were little, thinking that the old men knew all things which are on earth: yet forsooth they did not know; but we do not contradict them, for neither do we know.

When we had our septic put in the guy told us a properly working septic tank should not need to be pumped. 20 years and counting and it hasn't needed it.

We have to have ours pumped every 3 years, by law. Of course the pumping guy says it is a good idea to pump even more often.

Otherwise, keep in mind that this works based on living organisms. So be careful not to let anything toxic down the drain. Also, keep bleach use to a minimum. In addition, oils and oily lotions should not go down the drain.

Be glad you don't have a holding tank - that would be $50-$100 down the drain every month or two to have it pumped.

Good reading:

http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/publication...cts/AG-439-13/

Where'd Cabin go?

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a good werkin septic system should not have to be pumped ever. if the laterall field is to small for your needs then yes it will have to be pumped.mine was put in about 16 yrs ago by me and has never been pumped.

if it is sized correctly for your house it will work well and never need pumped regardless of what your laws are. but i understand some place have freeky laws.

a properly put in septic system shud almost work forever.if not over loaded. mine has.

Well some states regulate the pumping of the tank, so you have no say in it. And in those states you don;t hear people say by doing so it shortened the life of their tank.

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My state (WA) doesn't have specific periods that you must pump. It does say that the owner is responsible to get it pumped when it needs it. Pretty vague.

Here is the actual language:

(e) Employ an approved pumper to remove the septage from the tank when the level of solids and scum indicates that removal is necessary;


In states where they do prescribe a pumping schedule, how do they enforce it? Are there folks that come to your house to check it every once in a while?

The tank when pumped there is paperwork that is sent into the state. So it is the State that will keep the records.
The guy that pumps the tank is registered, and has to send in the required paperwork to the state.

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Makes sense. My system is 8 years old and never pumped. I've also never had any problems. I think it might be a good time to explore getting that done this summer. Can't you test it with a stick to see how deep the sediment is?

I do not know never heard of anybody doing that.
Similar to when people stick a buried gas storage tank at a service station LOL
And the cover is not above ground like some newer places are in the three places I have been at the cover is a foot under the top of the ground then the man hole cover.

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Mine has two plastic manhole size covers at ground level. One for each chamber.

I think there is perhaps less need for pumping in warmer climates. Perhaps in our cold climates, things biological can easily shut down over winter months so that is why they require it. For the record, we did not have ours pumped for the first 12 years and frankly I did not notice any big difference although my outflow pipe rusted and collapsed and needed to be replaced. Also, the pumping every 3 years did not prove to be detrimental after the new law kicked in. Sometimes I think that the septic pumpers are working hand-in-hand with our state government. For many if not most new homes, a holding tank is required and ALL wastewater must go to it - this is quite a financial burden for some families. And the state keeps track of your pumping frequency! There should be well defined exceptions for grey water - but our septic pumper said this would be a bad thing (of course). What is kind of silly is that we get pumping notices in the fall, right before winter - out pumper said that is the worst time to pump since it is colder and the new biological organisms have a harder time getting going.

My project this summer is to make a new concrete cover with a large PVC pipe in it that may facilitate pumping without tearing my lawn up every 3 years. Right now, my cover has about a foot of soil over it - quite a mess to get this back to normal.

Do this, don't do that. Lemme tell ya what I've done, still do and I'm alive to tell about it. First, I should reveal that I do use the top two steps on stepladders even there's twenty stickers plastered all over the thing warning me not to. I have also been known to ride a bicycle without a helmet.

I've had the same septic system since 1985. I suppose the worse thing you could say I've ever done to my septic tank is allow my son to remain living with us. Now, what I'm describing is a common crime committed by teenagers when the bathroom doors are locked and there's nothing you can do to prevent it. Even so, teenagers are careless at times as all teenagers are. I've caught him disposing cigarettes, cigarette packaging and all manner of supposedly non-flushable contraband into the loo. After a number of years, I can't imagine how much material has made it all the way into the tank itself.

Then there's the wife. Oh yes, I can remind her time and time again to please use the compost bucket outside on the back porch but her response? "Why do we have a garbage disposal if I can't use it? Besides, I've been using it this way for years and the septic system is still working".

Pumping it frequently? Ha. Because we were low on dough for a number of years, this little bit of maintenance got put off for twenty years, despite having a teenager, despite using it as a compost bin, despite using powdered laundry detergent, despite planting a tree next to it.

So, is it on the verge on quitting? I doubt it. As we used to say when I was in the Army and my job was to ensure the helicopters were always ready to fly at a moments notice (after kicking the tire), "Eh... it flew yesterday, it'll fly today".

Bumping.