Dry well problem


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Old 11-09-16, 08:40 AM
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Dry well problem

Hello, I moved my washing machine from my kitchen to my garage. I installed a drywell since hooking up to the main line would have been too complicated. I used drywell block. The size of it is 8 feet deep by 4 feet wide. It worked well for about 2 years but now it's been backing up and overflowing. I dug out the cover to find the water to the top and not draining. I pumped it out and find a bunch of thick black mud like water which is not letting it drain. Is there anything I can do to correct it. What is the reason for all the black mud like water. Only the washing machine drains to the dry well. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
 
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Old 11-09-16, 08:51 AM
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Welcome to the forums.

Do you have any kind of filter on the line before it enters the well? You'd be amazed the amount of fabric which is ejected with the water.
 
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Old 11-09-16, 10:43 AM
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Your dry well is sorta like a cesspit or septic tank. Micro organizms (the black stuff) are trying to break down/digest the detergent and natural clothing fibers. The other, synthetic clothing fibers over time can accumulate and help clog and stick everything together. Basically you're seeing why washing machines are required to drain into the house's drain which goes to the septic tank and leach field. It is better equipped to digest what's going down the drain and make the liquid go away.
 
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Old 11-09-16, 11:15 AM
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I don't have a filter which is the problem. After draining and looking at it it's definitly the lint clogging it. Is theree a way to correct it by breaking it down using chemicals or having a professional company pump and aerate it. I will install a filter if I can get this resolved. Thanks for the help. Hope there is a fix
 
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Old 11-09-16, 12:16 PM
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It's not only the lint and soap but all the crud that is coming out of the clothing (oil/dirt/skin/hair).

If you could pre-filter the water before it enters the dry well that will make increase the amount of time before it gets to the level it's at now.

As far as resolving what you have now I doubt there is anything you are going to put in there (short of a septic cleaning truck) that is going to break down/remove the residue.

The ground may be so impregnated with that material that even if you clean it out it may not drain and the well may need to be relocated!
 
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Old 11-09-16, 01:58 PM
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I was hoping it could be resolved. Do you think there is a chance that a cesspool company with a pump truck might be able to do something with it betweeen hydrojetting it and adding acid. If I have to dig a new well how can I prevent it from happening again. What is the drywell lacking that a cesspool isn't that this happened. Thanks for your reply
 
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Old 11-09-16, 03:58 PM
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I'm sure a septic service would be more than willing to come pump your well, it's just going to be expensive vs the amount of material they will remove compared to a 1500 gallon septic tank.

I dont fully understand how your well is constructed but I will assume it has an open bottom and just drains into the ground. The difference with a septic tank is that well it's tank and the liquids drain off the top so all the sludge has a chance to break down before it goes to the ground.

Any chance you can get in there and dig down a couple feet to get rid of that saturated soil?

Again, using some type of lint filter prior to the well should make a big improvement.
 
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Old 11-09-16, 04:45 PM
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I could get in and dig down if the remaining water my pump couldn't get out goes down. The pump gets clogged from the sludge. I bought dry well block from a local stone retailer. The blocks stack and have holes in them where the next block stacks to help release water. The bottom is open. I used about a foot of rocks to help with drainage. So much for that since I'm clogged. LOL
 
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Old 11-10-16, 03:43 AM
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If the bottom of the Dry Well is now clogged, I'd consider relocating it to another location, unless the local water table has risen.

That's what people with Cesspools typically do after 5 to 10 years of usage.
 
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Old 11-10-16, 03:33 PM
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For my understanding, when cesspool is mentioned, are we talking septic system or something more sinister?
 
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Old 11-10-16, 07:42 PM
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It's not a ceptic tank. Just a drywell
 
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Old 11-12-16, 04:09 AM
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I understand the original OP is talking about a dry well, but there was references to a cesspool, is that just another term for a septic system or is it something else?
 
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Old 11-12-16, 05:37 AM
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It IS NOT a "System"; just a hole in the ground. A drywell accepts waste water; a cesspool accepts human waste. A cesspool that's incorporated into a septic system for the final drainage point of effluent from a septic tank is referred to as a "seepage pit".

The OP is using a drywell for his/her graywater from the Washing Maching in lieu of putting it into the Septic Tank.

And as s/he implied; the drywell is no longer "dry"; it's clogged up.
 
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Old 11-12-16, 12:33 PM
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ok, thanks for the discerning reply, I fully understand what a dry well is an well as a septic system, I was only looking for a definition of a cesspool, your demeanor is not appreciated.
 
 

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