OT septic tank maintenance.

Just wondering if you all had any septic tank maintenance advice. Never had one before now. New constructionNew system is 3 years old. Had to pull the cap off cause I hit it with a mower. Looked in it and it was about 2-3 feet from the top of the tank. Read up on how they work. Wondering if I need mine pumped out as preventative maintenance. No problems yet. Ahh the things I worry about......:-0

(quoted from post at 11:33:34 10/12/12) Just wondering if you all had any septic tank maintenance advice. Never had one before now. New constructionNew system is 3 years old. Had to pull the cap off cause I hit it with a mower. Looked in it and it was about 2-3 feet from the top of the tank. Read up on how they work. Wondering if I need mine pumped out as preventative maintenance. No problems yet. Ahh the things I worry about......:-0

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f conventional instead of modern-day aerobic system, then reading up on it should have shown you that the outlet to drain field is high in tank, usually about 4 feet above bottom of tank, so you view of "2-3 feet from top" to scum should raise no alarms.

Nay, you doesn't need it pumped. The tank takes solids and lets them settle to the bottom, where bacteria eat most of what is deposited. The 'gray water' then goes to the drain field, where it filters back into the ground. The tank should be pumped out every few years, more often with high usuage, such as a large family, to remove solids that have not broken down for whatever reason, and to prevent them from going through the distribution box, then entering the drain field and eventually blocking it up. Note, you should also eat more beef to help feed these bacteria and make them work better. A fat bacteria is better than one starving on veggies and tofu. So, eat more beef---

You're gonna get advice that's all over the place, depending on 'our' location. Around 'here', the country folk run their 'gray water' (kitchen and washing machine) into a separate system, which may a french drain or it's just allowed to disperse on top of the ground. Many setic tanks/systems are 50 or more years old and have never been pumped........and may never need to be.

If it aint broke dont fix it.

(quoted from post at 08:33:34 10/12/12) Just wondering if you all had any septic tank maintenance advice. Never had one before now. New constructionNew system is 3 years old. Had to pull the cap off cause I hit it with a mower. Looked in it and it was about 2-3 feet from the top of the tank. Read up on how they work. Wondering if I need mine pumped out as preventative maintenance. No problems yet. Ahh the things I worry about......:-0

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I've been around septic tanks all my life. Best advice I can give is "if it is working, leave it alone", and if you ever think about using any of those "magic" septic tank treatments, just find out what that little bottle of stuff will cost you, and then take that money and flush it down the toilet. One will do every bit as much good as the other.

A layer of scum & grease form on top, floating stuff.

A layer of dirt forms on the bnottom - stuff that doesn't 'digest', like dirt from your fingernails, clothes washing, etc.

The middle is mostly sludgy liquids that are digesting just like your tummy does, and the liquid results drain off into the leach field.

You want to get it pumped before that bottom layer of solids builds up to start running into the leach field. If those solids do flow out into the leach field, they plug the lines, and you need a new system.

Everyone's lifestyle and tank size is different, so there is no one 'rule' of how often to pump it. Some don't make it 2 years; others can live 25 years and never fill up the tank with solids. But, _everyone_ does add at least a tiny bit to the solids at the bottom of the tank, so _someday_ it needs to be pumped out.

I'd think it would be a good idea to have it pumped out in 5 years anyhow, and see where you are at. Hopefully the good septic guy you hired knows his stuff, and will tell you it wasn't even 1/2 way to needing it, and then you know for the future, how long you can go between pumpings for your lifestyle.

If you wait until you have troubles, you have $$$$ troubles at that point, because you damaged you leach line. If you pump too soon, you waste money on something not needed.

In my state, law says you need to pump a tank every 3 years, needed or not. I'm sure someone in the 'Cities on a sewer line came up with that law, but there it is....


None of the additives are worth a hoot, yeast works with oxygen, while a septic tank works without oxygen, and the majic powders are just bugs that a healthy working tank already has from your tummy. If your tank isn't working right then the majic poowder isn't going to fix whatever the problem is, you need to fix the problem (too full of dirt, or too much water, or something going in that kills all the bugs....).

Keep the level of dirt at the bottom of the tank manageable (needs pumping every 2 to 50 years, depending on your lifestyle....), keep the harsh chemicals put in the septic system to a lower level, and that is basically the 2 things you need to do with a septic.

--->Paul

As previously stated. Chlorine bleach from laundry is a killer. Antibiotic hand soap and dishwasher soap are little better. Salt brine from water softeners never did a septic system any good either
If only black water from toilets went to the septic and grey water to a separate system. Septic problems would be rare news.
Taking just the water softener and washing machine from the septic to a grey water system ended all problems here.

Based on my experiance installing and repairs[truly a sh#%ty job] if you or misses use bleach based cleaners that is bad. Mostly in laundry water goes to septic is the number one killer. Excess usage kills bacteria in tank there for no break down of solids. As others said if properly working systems should need no help!

Had mine pumped for the first time in about 15 years awhile back, but its just the 2 of us. Septic guy recommends 3-5 year pumping interval if you have kids, 8 years for just a couple.

He ate his lunch while he was working. At least he took his gloves off to hold the sandwich.

FWIW when I first moved to the country I had a landlady who made me put RIDEX in the septic tank. She swore there would never be any trouble. When I got my own place I continued to do so. I just had my tank pumped for the first time in over 25 years and it wasn"t full. Seems like cheap insurance. It is some kind of anerobic bacteria. You can buy it at the grocery store

I would have the septic pumped at least every four years. I have two seepage pits, they are about maxed out. I think my problem started when I didn't have my septic tank pumped out enough, and solids caried into my seepage pits, and they don't drain good now. I need to be very careful now what goes down the drain. I just made a small pit for my dish washer do drain in, my washing machine goes to my trees. Stan

Two rules I have: Never shake hands with a plumber or a septic tank pumper!

I had mine pumped after 8 years with wife, 2 young kids and softener piped into it. I put ridex in it every month. The septic guy said it looked real good. There was virtually no grease and the solids were good.

I swear by it.

Best advice I got when building my septic tank was from a number of older guys, build a 2 compartment tank and put three old dead hens into it shortly after you start using it....Seems all the old people did that around here.The hens are full of bacteria and get the system working. I have a neighbour who asked me to suck out her tank with my cattle slurry tanker at least every 2 months as the tank cleaning company could not get their truck into the field and her tank gave loads of trouble....After the 3rd time I brought 3 hens with me and when she wasn't looking I tipped them in. That was 15 years ago and her tank has gave no trouble since!
Sam

Saw that once. Guy was eating a mcmuffin with one hand and stirring with a paddle in the other. Mmmm, smell bothered me more than it bothered him.

This is my experience, and how we do it and have forever.

One, get your tank pumped every handful of years because you do not want sewage itself moving beyond the septic tank into any of the fingers AFTER the tank, if you have any of them, which is common here for the water drainage. You don't want to plug them up. And your septic guy is not going to want to pump a tank where the sewage is packed like concrete. Every handful of years, a couple hundred $$$, have it pumped.

Two, some use Ridex that you can pickup at the grocery store near the household items like brooms, mops, etc. A box a month or so keeps the bacteria going that breaks down the sludge, which is crucial to a septic tank system. We use Ridex, and periodically flush a container of raw beef liver which works very well. I prefer the beef liver because I hate beef liver, and the septic tank is the best place for it, before cooked, to keep my tank in good shape. Septic tanks don't just hold septic, they break it down and NEED bacteria to do it. Someone said put raw chickens in it? New to me, but sounds good.

Three, as others have mentioned, bleach and detergent kill septic tank bacteria, so use plenty of Ridex or beef liver, or better yet, run your gray (sink, washer) water outside onto the lawn a few feet from the foundation, which helps water the lawn, and the soap imulsifies (breaks down) the dirt, which is great for growing grass. There might be a trap (like 2'x2') box buried between your house in line before the septic tank that is supposed to help filter out detergents and bleaches, but I have never figured out how that is supposed to happen. If you're running bleaches and soaps into your septic system, which is common, feed it Ridex and/or raw liver to create/replentish the bacteria.

Four, try not to drive heavy stuff like cars, trucks, tractors over the tank or tiles. All of them are shallow. These days the clay tiles that break easily, are often plasitic drain pipe that is pretty durable, but that concrete tank isn't, and its very shallow. Ever hear that expression "The grass is always greenest over the septic tank"? That's why. And in the winter time, the snow always melts first over you septic tank and tiles feeding it as a reminder that they are there.

Five, if you don't have drainage tiles AFTER the septic tank to drain the waste water off as I menetioned in Point One, its a good idea to put some in, the kind that come with 1/2" holes drilled in them every few inches that run out a good 50' minimum. The reason for that, is that some older septic systems did not have them, came with small 1,500 gallon tanks that filled with sewage and waste water, and the ground so saturates from tank drains that it will not absorb the waste water, and you find yourself having to pump the tank too often, and not because of the raw sewage, but because of the waste water, and that CAN get expensive.

Six, some septic tank guys will ask to dump their trucks in farm fields, which some farmers accept as good fertilizer, not me. Duck manure in the garden, ok. Human munure? I know it has to go somewhere, not ON my fields.

Seven, when the guy puts a new roof on your house, and he decides to take a break as we all do when working, do not let him take a newspaper or magazine up there with him, because he might use the big vent, mostly found over the bathroom that vents your plumbing as a holder for his rolled up newspaper or magazine, and when his next break comes and he reaches for is paper or magazine, it won't be there. It will have slipped down into the vent, and over time, with the help of rain water, it will become plyable enough to make the bends, and work its way into your septic tank, but it will get stopped by the baffle just inside your tank, and clog up the feed from your house. And you know what that means? Stopped up poopies from the house that build up over time back towards the house, requiring a the septic pumper guy to come out, and ask "How did this get in here, and how old is your roof?" as he unjams the clog for a couple hundred $$$ too soon.

None of this stuff costs much. Ridex or beef liver once a month? Not expensive. Pump your tank every handful of years? Couple hundred $$$, not that expensive. Don't drive over the tiles with heavy stuff? Not that expensive. Finger tiles for waste water drainage on the far side of the tank? Not that expensive, good exercise with a shovel digging the ditches on a downward slope away from the top exit on the far side of the tank. Running gray water onto your lawn? Not so expensive either.

Not taking simple, common sense, cheap care of your septic system? Expensive. I'm a telephone man by trade, but have always had septic systems and understand them. I've helped friends repair them that didn't understand or take care of them. Stinky job. That show "Dirtiest Jobs"? That has to be one of them.

Good luck.

Mark

(quoted from post at 08:33:34 10/12/12) Just wondering if you all had any septic tank maintenance advice. Never had one before now. New constructionNew system is 3 years old. Had to pull the cap off cause I hit it with a mower. Looked in it and it was about 2-3 feet from the top of the tank. Read up on how they work. Wondering if I need mine pumped out as preventative maintenance. No problems yet. Ahh the things I worry about......:-0

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Just found out that my 2 year old system has an outlet filter. It looks like a 4"plastic pipe on end near the outlet. Has an 18" tall filter about 6" down 1/4 turn to release that is supposed to be cleaned once a year.
Erie co new York

The state of Pennsylvania, DEP suggests not adding anything to your tank to help with bacteria digestion.

Never tried the Ridex, but Dad always put a couple of packets of live yeast down the toilet a time or two a year. I just do remember a new septic tank being out in when I was really little, and In nearly 30 years of constant occipation the tank never needed to be pumped. I've been in my place for going on 14 years now and do the same, and have never had any problems.

I had to uncover my tank every two years to remove the hair like tree roots the would grow in around the openings. I have dumped a product in a couple of times that is supposed to kill them. I need to do it again and I am going to hope that I do not regret this, this January.
SDE