EcoRenovator - View Single Post

MEMPHIS91 · 10-03-15, 08:54 PM

herlichka is spot on!
I pump septic tanks for a living, if homeowners had this info and were willing to do the maintenance there would be a lot less replacements/repairs needed.
Steve is also right, health department here in MS recommends 1,000 gallon tanks be pumped every 3-5 years with 4 people living in the house.

I will add to this info though. CHECK YOUR TOILET PAPER. Take a mason jar and fill it with water and 10 sheets of your paper, then wait 15 minutes, if the paper does not completely break apart with a gentle rolling of the jar in your hands, then get a different paper. Toilet paper floats when it comes into the septic, if it takes to long to break down it will make a 3-8 inch (I've seen up to 3 feet) floating mass that will clog your inlet lines and stop bacteria grow in its tracks.

Also check your toilets for leaks. You can do a simple dye test (check youtube) once every 6 MONTHS on ALL your toilets. Toilets leaks are the cause of at least 60% of the calls I do. It hydraulically overloads the field/leach lines, (sand pit/ raised mound, dip system) and cause a high water level in the tank. This can cause the floating layer to float in front of the inlet line and cause a blockage. Or can cause enough pressure to just back up in the house.

pinballlooking, look for a Jetter in your area. They can take high pressure water to flush your field lines. This will get most of whatever floated into your pipe out and possible keep you from having some serious problems down the road. This cost about $300 in my area vs $2,000 for field line repair.
Also the risers you are looking at are great, but very expensive. Around here we install 24" black HPDE culvert with a rubber/tar sealed to the tank and a special lid that goes on top. We charge $150 INSTALLED, so it will be better and cheaper.
There are also chemicals that help break down solids in your field lines. That is my only concern, that you just don't know how long that outlet has been like that and how much solids have gone into your lines.

Best of luck!

10-03-15, 08:54 PM	#10
MEMPHIS91 Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Oxford, MS USA Posts: 496 Thanks: 69 Thanked 87 Times in 61 Posts	herlichka is spot on! I pump septic tanks for a living, if homeowners had this info and were willing to do the maintenance there would be a lot less replacements/repairs needed. Steve is also right, health department here in MS recommends 1,000 gallon tanks be pumped every 3-5 years with 4 people living in the house. I will add to this info though. CHECK YOUR TOILET PAPER. Take a mason jar and fill it with water and 10 sheets of your paper, then wait 15 minutes, if the paper does not completely break apart with a gentle rolling of the jar in your hands, then get a different paper. Toilet paper floats when it comes into the septic, if it takes to long to break down it will make a 3-8 inch (I've seen up to 3 feet) floating mass that will clog your inlet lines and stop bacteria grow in its tracks. Also check your toilets for leaks. You can do a simple dye test (check youtube) once every 6 MONTHS on ALL your toilets. Toilets leaks are the cause of at least 60% of the calls I do. It hydraulically overloads the field/leach lines, (sand pit/ raised mound, dip system) and cause a high water level in the tank. This can cause the floating layer to float in front of the inlet line and cause a blockage. Or can cause enough pressure to just back up in the house. pinballlooking, look for a Jetter in your area. They can take high pressure water to flush your field lines. This will get most of whatever floated into your pipe out and possible keep you from having some serious problems down the road. This cost about $300 in my area vs $2,000 for field line repair. Also the risers you are looking at are great, but very expensive. Around here we install 24" black HPDE culvert with a rubber/tar sealed to the tank and a special lid that goes on top. We charge $150 INSTALLED, so it will be better and cheaper. There are also chemicals that help break down solids in your field lines. That is my only concern, that you just don't know how long that outlet has been like that and how much solids have gone into your lines. Best of luck!