Bought a house almost 2 years ago now out in the country on a creek. House was built in '74 and as far as I know has the original septic system and drainfield. It was inspected as part of the purchase and was given a clean bill of health but I had it pumped anyway after we moved in. The guy said everything looked in order and gave me some tips on keeping it healthy, one thing he recommended was having an effluent filter added, especially if we did a lot of cooking. We didn't so I never gave it much thought but recently the wife and I have become more active in the kitchen and do a lot of cooking with cast iron. I do my best to drain all the fat, grease, and oil out of the pans and into a jar before rinsing them, but I know a little residual grease is making it down the drain. Being that we're on a creek if that drainfield were to fail we'd be screwed, there's no way they'd permit a drainfield repair or replacement here so we'd be looking at a complete replacement mound system or something like that. Looking at the As Built we have a single double chambered 900 gallon tank with 130' of drainfield, no pumps all gravity fed and no filters. I'm no plumbing expert but I've been known to turn a wrench or 2, how hard would it be to install an effluent filter in this system? Should I look into an undersink grease trap or filtration system? If this isn't a DIY job any idea on what a decent price would be to have it done professionally? Thanks in advance!

 

If I'm understanding you correctly, you're about to do what I just did on a concrete septic tank I had installed in 1987.

I was told a few years ago that the concrete baffle on the outlet of the tank was deteriorating, and that I might want to consider installing a effluent filter on the outlet just to make sure that no solids would ever be sent out to the leach field.

I have risers on all three of the ports on the septic tank, and it was fairly simple to place a washable 20" Zabel plastic filter ($26.50) on the outlet. I did that in July and inspected it in Mid-November just to see if anything had been intercepted before winter, and I found nothing. So that's a bit of a relief . . . . no worries regarding a clogged leach (so long as we don't have an invasion of tree roots field for the foreseeable future.

 

That's exactly what I'd like to do Vermont, only problem is we don't have any risers, just 2 port holes on the giant concrete lid that's buried about 6" down in the front yard. So I'd have to install risers in those to access the filter and then put the filter in. Does this sound like a doable DIY project?

 

Yes, I only have risers because I got tired of probing around looking for the tank every few years, so I installed pieces of 24" epdm double wall culvert to serve as risers, and nice green 24" covers flush with the grass. If I recall correctly, someone posted a selection of covers and filters (here) just this past July or August . . . . with links to them. If you can handle a shovel, you can do this.

My tank is positioned 24" below grade, so I had to dig 300% more soil than you'll have to !

I should post a picture of my 3 covers . . . . it's only on a site like this that my work will ever be truly appreciated. I'm so proud !



Right in a bed of Peonies which should grow in and camouflage them even further.

 

Just to add visual, I have posted this before, but it is what you are looking at. Very inexpensive as opposed to having to find the lids and lift them, trying not to break them, etc. The bottom flange is sealed with silicone or PL8X, or other sealants and holes drilled with drive pins to keep it in place. Then you stack the risers on, then the dome cap. Much easier to remove 8 screws and be at your filter or inlet than digging dirt.

 

I just looked at my records to see where I found my Zabel Filter (Zabel is now owned by PolyLok) last year and found that I located some on the Polylok Website:

http://http://www.polylok.com/catalog/tid/115/category/115

And I found some of their products on eBay; but my local (25 miles away) Septic Supply House sold the Zabel Filter to me for less than anything similar that I found on eBay; plus I got some free consultation !

 

Thanks for the help and visuals guys, nice clean installs! Do those riser caps seal well enough that you could put a thin layer of topsoil over them? I assume the risers themselves must be a fairly standard size to fit the access hatches in the tank lid? Here's where my ignorance may show a bit, I know you want one on the outlet from the 2nd chamber to the drainfield, but do you also put one in between the first and second chambers? Thanks again!

 

If your Tank has only two chambers, then that's right.

I guess if I were you, and the tank is only 6" below grade, I'd take the time to remove the sod from the center area, end to end, and see what you've got for access ports.

I have three ports: inlet, cleanout, and outlet. The cleanout cover is 20" across, and weighs over 100 pounds; even when exposed, the Pump People prefer to pump from the ports at either end (they're much lighter); but I don't think they can maneuver their suction apparatus as well (and I haven't been up close and personally looking over their shoulders to witness that they've gotten all sludge) . . . . so I could have skipped that middle cover.

My tank is really one big chamber, with concrete baffles separating the inlet and outlet areas from the main sludge chamber. The inlet baffle forces incoming solids to sink before they can enter the main chamber where the sludge accumulates; and the outlet baffle prevents anything floating (scum ?) from sneaking out to the leach field . . . . and that's where the effluent filter is employed to double check all departures and make sure they have been thoroughly liquified.

So you're probably only a "two Cover Guy" . . . . but that can only be determined by locating (or creating) a schematic of your own Septic Tank. And if they can pump from your outlet; maybe you only need one (or none if you want to sod over it, and remember where it is !). I think the filters only need to be checked a couple times a year and that will vary based on your own pattern of usage.

In 27 years, I've only felt compelled to pump the sludge from my Tank twice. I was scheduled to do it again this past Summer when I realized I had only a 6" sludge layer at the bottom of my 48" main chamber, so that would have been a waste.

Managing what goes into your drain is the key. I'm a Real Estate Broker and have been around for many a pre-sale pumping . . . . so I know many people moving from areas with municipal waste treatment facilities aren't accustomed to paying attention to these matters. Most problems are due to excess grease, bleach, ammonia, handy wipes, tampons and other feminine hygiene products, and condoms . . . . none of which is helpful to the operation of a septic system, and often damage the beneficial bacteria colonies active in the Tank.

But I digress.

 

depends on what type outlet you have and if you can get a filter in there...

Post a pic of that and we can guide you better...


Last if you have a two chamber system you may want to read my saga here... Aeration would be best IMO as well as the filter...

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/we...lp-advice.html

 

Thanks for all the replies, the weather has been a little prohibitive for digging (I'm a pansy and don't like working in the rain, good thing I moved to Seattle...) and with all the holiday stuff going on I've been a little distracted. I may let this thread settle down but I'll resurrect it and post pics as soon as I can. Thanks again!