New septic user question
#1
10-29-04, 07:30 AM
New septic user question
I bought a house 6 months ago that was built in 1987. The last owner was a single man who lived here 8 years. I pulled the cover off the septic system and it looks full. We have sandy soil so I believe my field should be good. My questions are :What type of maintenance does a septic require? We have 5 children amd my wife and I (7 in total) multiple loads of laundry,stuff going down the sink and dishwasher daily etc etc. I have heard the systems can plug up and i am afraid we might be candidates if I do not find out soon what to do do have a healthy tank and and drain feild.
Also this is the first time i have gone on line to ask a question and I really do not know if this is the correct way to get an answer. So if you can offer any help please do so!
Thanks
Also this is the first time i have gone on line to ask a question and I really do not know if this is the correct way to get an answer. So if you can offer any help please do so!
Thanks
#2
10-29-04, 07:40 AM
Member
Septic systems should be pumped/inspected at least every 5 years. You also want to watch what you put into it. Avoid grease, feminine products, and an overabundance of bleach (kills the bacteria that makes it work).When you say "It looks full", do you mean full of water or solids? Small price to pay to have it inspected/pumped instead of waiting for problems to hit. Murphys Law says it will fail on a weekend. Good luck.
#4
10-31-04, 05:33 AM
Group Moderator
Your septic tank will always appear "full" (except when you've just had it pumped out). The inlet and outlet to the tank are at the top. So it fills up and nothing leaves the tank until it gets to the top, then for every gallon in a gallon goes out the other end.
If you are very good with your septic system you can go quite sometime between pumpings. With a large family and inexperience with septic, I'd have it pumped now and then again in one year. Next year the septic guy can tell how you are treating the tank and if you need to pump every year or once every 5 years...
As Dragon said, be careful what goes in the toilet & sink. Poop, pee and toilet paper are OK. Do not think of your toilet as a black hole. Everything you put in it is going into your yard. No: oil, grease, tampons, condoms, plastic army men... A paper towel, tissue or napkin occasionally is not the end of the world but do not make a habit of it.
If you are very good with your septic system you can go quite sometime between pumpings. With a large family and inexperience with septic, I'd have it pumped now and then again in one year. Next year the septic guy can tell how you are treating the tank and if you need to pump every year or once every 5 years...
As Dragon said, be careful what goes in the toilet & sink. Poop, pee and toilet paper are OK. Do not think of your toilet as a black hole. Everything you put in it is going into your yard. No: oil, grease, tampons, condoms, plastic army men... A paper towel, tissue or napkin occasionally is not the end of the world but do not make a habit of it.
#5
11-01-04, 06:05 AM
Thanks Dvander for bringing this topic up.
I've got a similar question but along a different timeframe.
I own a new house...finished in December of 2003 and it's on a septic system.
Does it make sense to have a septic guy come out and make sure that everything is working properly? I'll definitely follow the 5 year rule but I thought that having it inspected seems like a good idea.
Am I blowing smoke or does this make sense?
No problems to speak of...just being cautious.
Thoughts?
I've got a similar question but along a different timeframe.
I own a new house...finished in December of 2003 and it's on a septic system.
Does it make sense to have a septic guy come out and make sure that everything is working properly? I'll definitely follow the 5 year rule but I thought that having it inspected seems like a good idea.
Am I blowing smoke or does this make sense?
No problems to speak of...just being cautious.
Thoughts?
#6
11-01-04, 06:11 AM
Member
If you had an inspection on your house then you should be good to go. Septic should have been part of the inspection to make sure it was properly installed. My OPINION, you don't need an inspection now. Good luck.
dijonace, Seems small but, please start a new post for questions. Members and Moderators get confused if there are 2 posts together and soon everyone is confused. Thanks.
dijonace, Seems small but, please start a new post for questions. Members and Moderators get confused if there are 2 posts together and soon everyone is confused. Thanks.
#7
11-01-04, 06:15 AM
Originally Posted by majakdragon
If you had an inspection on your house then you should be good to go. Septic should have been part of the inspection to make sure it was properly installed. My OPINION, you don't need an inspection now. Good luck.
#8
11-14-04, 05:05 PM
> What type of maintenance does a septic require?
None.. really.. providing you don't use it as a trash can, no grease/oil/non biodegradable products. If the house has a garbage disposal, don't use it, that type of solid material takes a long time to degrade.
> We have 5 children amd my wife and I (7 in total) multiple loads of
Here's the tricky part.. Septic systems are _usually_, _suppose_ to be sized based on the maximum occupancy of the house. This tends to mean 2 people per bedroom.
> the systems can plug up and i am afraid we might be candidates if I do not
Grease, oil and solids (such as hygene products) are the worst, these things NEVER degrade, instead, they start to plug the drain field, reducing the capacity of the system.
Tanks are always full, as mentioned, the inlets and outlets are at the top, only fluid gets sent to the drain field (and since oil/grease float on water, they get sent out first). This maximizes the space for the bacterial colony, and keeps the tank from popping out of the ground when it rains..
A properly used tank could literaly go a lifetime without ever having to be pumped out. We in were our old house nearly 20 years and never needed to have the tank pumped.
None.. really.. providing you don't use it as a trash can, no grease/oil/non biodegradable products. If the house has a garbage disposal, don't use it, that type of solid material takes a long time to degrade.
> We have 5 children amd my wife and I (7 in total) multiple loads of
Here's the tricky part.. Septic systems are _usually_, _suppose_ to be sized based on the maximum occupancy of the house. This tends to mean 2 people per bedroom.
> the systems can plug up and i am afraid we might be candidates if I do not
Grease, oil and solids (such as hygene products) are the worst, these things NEVER degrade, instead, they start to plug the drain field, reducing the capacity of the system.
Tanks are always full, as mentioned, the inlets and outlets are at the top, only fluid gets sent to the drain field (and since oil/grease float on water, they get sent out first). This maximizes the space for the bacterial colony, and keeps the tank from popping out of the ground when it rains..
A properly used tank could literaly go a lifetime without ever having to be pumped out. We in were our old house nearly 20 years and never needed to have the tank pumped.
