SEPTIC Who to believe? ? ?

I just had the Septic Pumped and he said

Some minor roots
cut all the volunteer elm, boxelder and Sumac around the drainfield.

Tell the kids no more " Flushable wet wipes"

Insta Flow or any products are FAKE News

yeast products don't help

?????????,????????????.

$295.00 pump

Prolly good advice

And don't buy that extra thick charmin

Don't know anything about the fields, we have a holding tank system. 5,000 gallons costs us $250 to have pumped out. Disposal fees have gone way up in the last two years.

I hear the White House and Demonrat states have theirs pumped Daily!!!

How often do you have that one pumped ?

Had mine done today, it was 300 dollars, toilets were gurgling and would not flush, Tank was Full.

8-10 weeks. Its just the wife and I, and we are pretty strict when it comes to water usage.

Wow k snow that's a lot per year

I'm fixing to have my tank pumped for the first time in 20 yrs ......just for gp .....no issues yet


K snow is that a buried tank ? Maybe you should punch a few holes in that baby

Yep, concrete tanks. We are too close to a creek for a mound system, not that those things are any better in the lung run.

We had a metal one at the old house, it had a few holes. If it was dry, there was no real problem. Once it started raining, that baby filled up fast. I am NOT paying to pump out rainwater.

Sounds like good advice.

do you have your shower and washing machine re-routed to go out as ground water at least for the non frozen months?

When your toilets gurgle don't forget to check the roof vents...A friend was having his septic tank pumped every 3 yrs, after checking the roof vent line it was discovered the pressure cap the plumbers had installed during construction was never removed.

My tank was put in in 1989. Have not pumped it yet. No wet wipes ever and single ply toilet paper. No fake beneficials added either.

Those are some pretty expensive pumps! The local drunk here was pumping for $75 for the longest time. But I don’t like him so I pay $120 from another outfit from another town.

They try to convince me it should get pumped once a year, but they can suck it. I call every 3 years to get my tank pumped.

Around here they it should be pumped every 5 years. We all know it depends on how many people are in the house using it and the products they use. Just me and the wife here 90% of the time.we use 2 ply tp and I put yeast down the drain every 3 to 4 months. My grandpa was a plumber and claimed yeast works but have no proof.

We have are pumped every other year with my Wife and I. We could go 3 yrs easy but dont.

RidX was always something people used every month. We never used it at all.

I spent 37 years herding turds in Mn so my advice is;
If you have just a holding tank and it is gravity fed from the house it doesn't matter as much what you put down the chute
2 if you have a drain field you most likely will have two tanks, solids are captured in the first tank and are decomposed by anaerobic bacteria. A byproduct of that is hydrogen sulfide gas or rotten egg smell, and other gases.
then only fairly clear water should overflow into the 2nd tank which is pumped to the drain field. You want this without solids because solids plug up drain pipes and the drain field itself.
3. When pumping first tank the pumper should be backflushing the tank to remove inorganic material like sand, which will build up in the tank and thereby reduce detention time in the tank which will reduce treatment efficiency.
4 Remember when you pump the tank everything is stirred up and the longer it can settle the less chance of solids getting to the 2nd tank.
5. Don't flush any product except bodily wastes and tp. All these other products are not good and neither is enzymes or other stuff. Washing machines are not good for septic systems, especially the cleaning soaps etc.
but the worst part is the hydraulic loading on the system in other words too much water overloads the system.
Gary j

We have a different system----it is aeroibic everything goes into a row of tanks with fins that drain into a 20 foot square leach field 4 foot deep filled with pumice this drains out in a 4inch pipe, very seldom does it run most of the time we have vegation that takes up the water. I check it regulary , never had to pump it---17 years so far

Our system got plugged up. I called to have it pumped and inspected. It turns out that the inlet of the tank was plugged. I had been blowing my nose and throwing the kleenex into the toilet before I flushed. I found that the kleenex did not break down and they clogged the inlet to the tank.

Shouldn’t a septic tank always be full? I assume the liquids drain off near the top. Maybe I am wrong.

Been here for 29 years never once had a problem was me wife and 4 kids we always poured a 1/2 gallon of buttermilk in tub furthest away from tank and have not have problems had it pumped last fall just because and everything was fine guess the ol buttermilk trick works

We’ve lived here for over 20 years just had ours pumped out a couple years ago for the first time not sure how long before we moved here that it was ever pumped out. The last pump out was $350 minus the $240 for the coons I removed from his place so that worked out pretty well.

I expected trouble when the lake flooded over its bank but it never caused any issues it’s a septic tank with a drain field I thought the drain field would get saturated and back up the tank but never did.

I’m not sure if it’s a compliment if the sewer got says I have good bacteria but I thanked him anyway.

If your septic and drainfield is working properly there is no need for pumping. In fact pumping when not needed can lead to problems.

Uplander your baffle might be too close to the inlet. Most plumbers leave too much pipe sticking into the tank on inlet side . I add 1 lb of bacteria to my tank every month. Get it thru the company that supplied my sewer plants. It is souped up rid ex. It eats up the solids.
If anyone is pumping for less than 200 he is dumping it illegally in a creek or sink hole in the back field. Dump fees have gone way up in last 3 years. That's what sewer plants charge septic haulers to unload. Local plant here charges 90 bucks

Why not put in a septic system ? At 1000 -1250 bucks a year wont take long to pay for one.

Cause we are too close to a creek, and the DNR won't allow one.

My wife can make rolls of TP disappear in no time like a magician can.

400 to pump

Something else I learned today was there was a filter about 2 ft long on the second tank, he pulled it up out of the sleeve it was in and wash it good.

Good advice. Also, no cigarettes (nicotine kills good bacteria), cotton balls, tissues or FOG (fat/oil/grease). Should pump your tank every 4/5 years. $275 here to pump/dispose of septic waste.

Put a trash can in there NO TP down toilet unless its SUPER nasty......

If you can rout washing machine and dish washer to a french drain or field rather than tank it saves a lot. The lint, dirt, soap etc create a film over the gravel in field and slow/stop draining. My dishwasher and washing machine go to the old tank that we disabled when we moved in over 20 years ago. I can switch them back to regular septic if old one gets overwhelmed but that's only happened a couple times when all the kids were still at home and it was a wet year.

Flushable wipes are not septic safe regardless of what it says on the package. I used to help my buddy out at his tourist camp in Canada. Nearly every time there was a problem in between pumps it was from the new (back then) flushable wipes.

We always pumped ours every 2-3 years when all 5 of us were here. Now its around 5-8 years and the guy says it all looks good, could go longer.

330 you need to be banned for this!! I had to get mine pumped today!!

No choice here. Every 5 years by law. Last years was $285

I'm sure there wasn't a legislator's brother with a pumping business or anything like that responsible for that law. Things like that never happen.

Anerobic bacteria takes oxygen from the water to live and breakdown the organic matter, byproducts are among others Methane gas and Hydrogen Sulfide gas. Aerobic bacteria must have oxygen introduced usually low pressure blowers. Some places have oxygen added using paddles that look like old paddlewheel boats. Most private systems are Anerobic because it costs power to run blowers or using anything else to introduce oxygen. A huge cost to treat wastewater is power to run equipment to supply Oxygen. We had Cryogenic oxygen plants and introduced pure oxygen to keep bacteria alive and happy. A major byproduct of Aerobic bacteria is H2O(water). Yeast or any other additions are a waste of money because the bacteria comes from your gut and that is the only thing needed.
Gary J

I am an old beat up carpenter and car[entry teacher. When I retied I started working as a code enforcement officer and Licensed Plumbing inspector for extra cash. Naturally I had to do a lot of studying, take bunches of classes and a herd of tests.
Your guy is not misleading you.

Mac

That's crappy

Just br glad you have a septic unless it's giving you issues. Where I'm at they're running sewer lines throughout the county. You have to hook up to it and eliminate your septic unless you're house/building is far enough off the road. I'll be lucky if mine stays septic for 10 years. Highway Dept is doing a widening project in the next few so that might put that day off farther.

In hoping the latest expansion they did is the last because the first company didn't have a clue what they were doing and now an another is having to redo all the work because the pipes got full of mud.

Wet Wipes?
You flushing your underwear?

They do make attachments that can turn your toilet into a bidet, even ones that use warm water.

"flushable wipes" are a nightmare for sewer systems

What is the best way to control tree roots from getting into your leach field?

Eliminate the trees.

$138.50 same day service

Wow

Sure Dave ...Just like you told me -The same way you do it.

Bet you money if that’s what they charge they are dumping illegally. No way they are making money if paying to unload

Coffee grounds, hair, latex paint , fat,oil or grease, egg shells, wipes, cat litter, flour, dental floss, bleach, clothes lint , diapers , paper towels are all tough on a mound or drain field !

Most modern tanks are multi chamber. You typically only pump the (1st) solids chamber. If you don’t and it fills spreading solids into remaining chambers your drain field will become compromised.

Lint traps previous to tank or at clothes washer are a good addition for longevity.

My mom and dad had there's pumped last fall it was 250.00

Underwear? What is it Sunday or something?

Dude, we seriously need to have a talk about your diet.

I had my 1000 gallon septic tank pumped last early summer or so. Cost me $250 and the Honey Dipper said if he finds any "Flushable Wet Wipes" the bill is $100 more! I knew better than flush them. When I was a pup my folks bought a house and immediately had septic troubles. The Honey Dipper popped the lid and it was holding a large number of latex of the safe sex kind. The Dipper gave my pappy heck for flushing them.....and the old man, who was embarrassed as can be, quickly explained he'd just bought the place and those things were NOT his!

Who will be the first to claim their "latex products" plugged up a 6 inch pipe? I got $20 on Vinke.

^^ This guy knows his -




. And I second all the guys that say no flushable wipes. I'm on a cavitat system and my county must have had some back door deal with a certain pump manufacturer to the effect that you are required to only use their aerator pump which costs $1k to replace. There are other brands that are literally half the price and are of better quality.... Thankfully for me the guys that inspect are too lazy to lift the lid if they hear a running pump. The one time I burned out a motor (with the expensive recommended brand) I lifted the lid to find those "flushable wipes" wrapped around the shaft. The first thing I did was march in the house and toss them in the garbage and inform the boss lady that under no circumstances would they ever be used by any women of the household (wife and two daughters). Also I haven't seen it mentioned but no feminine hygiene products. May seem common sense to some but not to all. As far as the frequency, I feel like you are probably always going to be told to pump more than you need but it probably depends, as has been said, on tank size, number of occupants, etc. But what you are describing seems like overkill in terms of frequency unless your holding tank is a 55 gallon drum! As far as price, cheaper than my last pump out. And I was told probably only needs to be done every 4-5 years. Keep in mind that was my second pump out and the last was 10+ years prior and they made no complaints soooo.... And I did have an issue with roots once. I had to find the source of the roots, cut the roots, then take down the offending tree. Problem solved. Also interesting that you are having dnr issues being close to a creek. My cavitat system was originally put in 1969, puts out crystal clear water, but drains right into a creek
Doesn't seem to be a problem with my county.

They are reusable. Just hand wash and hang out to dry.

Our septic is from 1980. We bought the place in 1995. When we moved in we had two teen aged boys. Washing machine and everything went to the septic. We've not had it pumped since we moved in, and it's working fine.

Yep, all of them very true with a drain field (septic system).
Tree roots are not your friend, especially water loving tree roots like softwood. Box Elders are crap trees, cut them and kill the stump(s).

After reading most of the posts, I should qualify.

If your septic and drainfield is working properly..............and you are not flushing things you shouldn't be............................. there is no need for pumping.

Learned the hard way years ago. never worried what went down the pipes, septic system only lasted 19 years. In our new home, only 1 & 2 go in the septic, All grey water with soap, grease & all go into a cesspool. 1200 gal tank gets pumped every three years & keep everything cut around the field. Only problem I had, last year I dug the top of my D box up & found the concrete badly crumbling. going to have to be replaced with plastic.

Not uncommon for them to work fine, right up to the day they don’t !

Not what the Septic guys say

One thing for sure. Its hard for two people to overload even a poor system. You can go on for years with two people and never have an issue, thinking everything is ok. Then along comes Christmas or another holiday and all the kids or a bunch friends decide to come and stay over for a long weekend. Most of them think they need to shower twice a day, then all of the sudden there's a turd floating in the tub. Not good with a house full of company. I've been lucky, its never happened to me but I've seen it happen several times to others.

Do yourself a favor, if your having an event that will add a lot additional water, outside the norm of the last few years, get your system pumped or at least inspected. No no matter how long you've been going "without a problem".

You mean the guys that make a living pumping septic tanks?

Good rule of thumb is don't flush anything that won't dissolve in water. In one of my con ed classes for waste water treatment the instructor brought several brands of toilet paper and a gallon pickle jar. Filled jar half full of water and placed 3 squares of each one at a time in the jar. Shook it real hard and then showed which brands would break apart. Charmin was worst of the brands. He said it was great to use as long as you threw it in a trash can and didn't flush it.

Baby wipes have cost sewer systems MILLIONS of dollars in man hours and lift station pumps.
Before I finally put in more leach lines we babied ours for 2 years. Laundry during lot of rain was done at the Laundromat down the road. My system was 28 years old but run off went right across my leach field. Lines should've been in front yard to start with .....

I mitigate this by just not having any company.

Feminine hygiene products are a common problem with plugging septic systems as well. Seems obvious to most folks but if you have girls visit that live in town and are used to just flushing everything into the city sewer lines ...

If I was in the business of installing septic and mound systems, you would be my poster boy.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Septic tanks are where the solids settle out, then the black water filters through and vertically down through the "drain field", where the black water is naturally filtered in the soil profile.
IF the septic tank is not emptied when it is full, the solids start overflowing into the drain field system (designed to handle liquids only), and in time you will have failure of the entire system.

At this point you will flush your toilet and you'll watch it go nowhere, eventually it will spill over where you prefer it not to.

Yes, septic tanks are where solids settle out, but not to just pile up there until they are pumped out. In a well functioning system those solids are broken down and decomposed by anaerobic bacteria.

You are both right. It depends on how you treat your septic system and to a lesser degree, what type of system. A healthy standard in ground system with a single 1,000-1,500 gallon tank, distribution box and drain field can go many, many years, decades even, without having the tank emptied.

Same with an elevated sand mound system although you need to be more careful with them. You don't want solids getting into the pump tank and getting pumped into the elevated drain field.

An unhealthy system where the bacteria have been compromised from chemicals flushed or one with stuff flushed that shouldn't be would need pumping every 2-4 years depending on how many people are using it.

I'm not an expert but I have installed many of both types of systems and a few aerobic systems as well.