septic ???

[fossil]

...Of course, once you've got them out there it may be worth the cost just to have them pump it out...

Yeah...the only access I have to my tank is to remove a manhole cover in my lawn and pull the tank access cover out from a couple feet below. At that point, I might just as well have the darned thing pumped, rather than spend any time dipping it to make a decision. Different tanks have different access points. Mine has but one. I think it would be cool to have a "probe" access pipe through which I could use such a tool to monitor what's going on in there, but I'm not gonna pay to have one put in. Rick

 

[fossil]

How do I tell if the drywall bucket sized thing sticking up in the lawn is the tank or the d-box? What should your tank look like if all is well? If Rid-X and the like don't do anything, why do people buy them?

I'm guessing, but if the thing you're referring to has a removable top, it's probably tank access. I don't think distribution boxes often have accesses. But I'm certainly no expert. What should the tank look like if all is well? If you pull the cover and look down inside, you'll see scum floating on water...you can't really tell much by that. It'll smell, but not as bad as an outhouse (if it does, it's got a problem). The sludge layer down beneath the water on the bottom might be real thick, or not...you won't be able to see it by just looking down into the tank. If you see a blanket of roots floating on the scum/water, then your tank is becoming root-bound, and you need to start treating with copper sulfate periodically, and/or get rid of some nearby trees. Why do people buy stuff they don't need? Because they're not members of Hearth.com. Rick

 

[SolarAndWood]

The locust came down to save the foundation; sounds like the clump of poplar needs to come down to protect the tank and field. I found a print of the field that says it is 6 trenches 67' in length. Any idea where that falls in the capacity range?

 

[Shari]

Not to hijack this thread, but when we purchased our home the septic had to pass an inspection by a certified plumber (required by law here in Wisconsin). Our tank cover is at ground level, not buried like most tank covers. The inspector had to put a padlocked chain on it and a sign that says sometime like "WARNING: Do NOT play in or around". Our 75 yr. old neighbor wandered over and said, "Gee, I was so enjoying playing in your tank - now where will I play?"

Shari

 

[Shari]

thats a good idea Semipro.
we use them here at the plant..

Dang - I hate people that ask questions not related to the topic at hand - but I have to ask where can I purchase something like that grill in the picture? I need it about 6-8" wide and enough sections to span, say about 20'? What's that grill called and where would I purchase it?

Shari

 

[LLigetfa]

My septic tank has a baffle in the middle and two access hatches, both of which are buried under the sod. The outline of the tank becomes evident in a drought as the thin ground above it is the first to dry out and the grass becomes dormant. I have the location triangulated to the two nearest corners of the house should there not be a drought at the time I need to locate it.

 

[loon]

The locust came down to save the foundation; sounds like the clump of poplar needs to come down to protect the tank and field. I found a print of the field that says it is 6 trenches 67' in length. Any idea where that falls in the capacity range?

there is quite a bit of info on this site....

http://www.inspectapedia.com/septic/fieldsize.htm

 

[loon]

Dang - I hate people that ask questions not related to the topic at hand - but I have to ask where can I purchase something like that grill in the picture? I need it about 6-8" wide and enough sections to span, say about 20'? What's that grill called and where would I purchase it?

Shari[/quote]

it's aluminum grating that is all around the plant. not a clue where it was purchased?...sorry...

not a great pic but it covers all the channels.

will take a pic off a building today. on my break of course!!

 

[SolarAndWood]

The locust came down to save the foundation; sounds like the clump of poplar needs to come down to protect the tank and field. I found a print of the field that says it is 6 trenches 67' in length. Any idea where that falls in the capacity range?

there is quite a bit of info on this site....

http://www.inspectapedia.com/septic/fieldsize.htm

Thanks loon, that is a perfect format for someone who has never dealt with septic before and will likely save me some headache and cash.

 

[benjamin]

Dang - I hate people that ask questions not related to the topic at hand - but I have to ask where can I purchase something like that grill in the picture? I need it about 6-8" wide and enough sections to span, say about 20'? What's that grill called and where would I purchase it?

Shari[/quote]

Not sure where to get those kind of grills, I have some used steel ones. Or you could get cast iron ones from Neenah foundry (assuming they're still in business), pretty pricey though, or go with the narrow plastic trench drain system that Menards sells.

 

[Highbeam]

I have been able to buy all sorts of expanded steel and metal mesh products like that from the same place I buy structural steel. Call a welding shop and ask where you can buy steel.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

Dang - I hate people that ask questions not related to the topic at hand - but I have to ask where can I purchase something like that grill in the picture? I need it about 6-8" wide and enough sections to span, say about 20'? What's that grill called and where would I purchase it?

Shari

Shari: Its metal bar grating. Also called deck grating and or walkway grating. You can google any of those and find places to buy it.

Billy

 

[Later]

Our house is 30 years old and we have owned it for the past 20. We had the tank pumped when we bought the home and every 2 or three years since then. Just two of us here. Last spring we needed to pony up $8,000 for a new dosing tank and leach field. A bit of a surprise to say the least.

 

[loon]

Our house is 30 years old and we have owned it for the past 20. We had the tank pumped when we bought the home and every 2 or three years since then. Just two of us here. Last spring we needed to pony up $8,000 for a new dosing tank and leach field. A bit of a surprise to say the least.

that just doesnt sound right? never heard of a dosing tank? but thinking its the main tank coming outta the house.

the drying beds can be back fed with water to push out anything thats plugging them.

but you do not want to hear this after the fact...

Terry

 

[fossil]

Maybe the distribution box downstream of the tank where the piping splits and heads off into the field? Rick

 

[loon]

the Government over here made us have raised beds a few years back, but now they say its not a good thing??

(broken link removed to http://www.septicdesign.com/septic-lingo/dosing-tank/)

 

[fossil]

Ahh...it's (a dosing tank) part of a pumped septic system...disregard my previous comment. Rick

 

[bjkjoseph]

bleach can screw up your system....before we got sewers around here,most people had a separate little dry well for there washer.plus it reduces the amount of water in your septic system.

 

[Later]

Ahh...it's (a dosing tank) part of a pumped septic system...disregard my previous comment. Rick

It was explained to me that the dosing tank would flood the field using the entire area of it rather than having the septic tank slowly drain into the first few feet of the field, supposedly this would allow for a smaller field and longer life.

Because of out terrain we were able to use a passive flout system rather than a pump to empty the dosing tank.

 

[Highbeam]

I have seen some really cool dosing tank designs that work as RG describes. You need some grade but what it is is a tank after the septic tank that fills up to a certain point when a float opens up to create a siphon and suck the whole dosing tank down in one shot. The siphon is then killed and the tank begins to refill again. The flooded drainfield is allowed to drain away for quite some time before the next dose. The drained drainfield rests between doses and oxygen fills the void to keep the aerobic bacteria happier.

You probably didn't "need" the dosing tank but it was much cheaper than the drainfield work. Concrete tanks are only 500$ or so in my area and the reduction in required field makes up for it to some extent.