My old lady and I will be searching for a new home in the sticks of NJ. From initial looks, a lot of homes have septic systems, which seems scary.
Any suggestions/stories/experience?
Bob Banks: What is that smell?
Jack Byrnes: That smell, Bob, is our shit. Focker flushed the toilet in the den so the septic tank overflowed.
Greg Focker: I told you, Jack, it wasn't me. It was Jinx.
Jack Byrnes: Focker, I'm not going to tell you again! Jinx cannot flush the toilet. He's a cat for Christ sakes!
Larry: The animal doesn't even have thumbs, Focker.
I had an inspector check out the place and I asked whether they look at that. They don't, but from what she told me it's a matter of having the thing pumped out and aerated regularly. Do that, and you're supposedly OK.
Make sure it is pumped out before you buy.
Have it pumped once a year as a habit and you will be fine.
Once a year may seem like over kill but better safe than sorry.
There's no smell.
Get it cleaned every couple years and you'll be ahead of the game.
If you wanted to be extra careful you could get the soil tested in the leach fields to see if you have to address that in the future which could be expensive.
Normally when a pool needs service, the cesspool & septic tank are pumped. Have the maintenance guy add 10 gallons of sulfuric acid to loosen the gunk on the walls, then add "Rid-X" (Walmart, Home Depot) once a month to your toilet. Should be fine after that. If you're pumping every year, there is a problem.
Info on dye testing - ( New Window )
Normally when a pool needs service, the cesspool & septic tank are pumped. Have the maintenance guy add 10 gallons of sulfuric acid to loosen the gunk on the walls, then add "Rid-X" (Walmart, Home Depot) once a month to your toilet. Should be fine after that. If you're pumping every year, there is a problem.
You may pump every year without a problem. It all depends on the size of the septic and the number of people in your household. Our kids are bigger now, and we are happy to spend the extra 150 a year instead of every 2 years just to avoid disastrous problems.
Yes. Good points.
Once you are sure it is fully functioning than it is learning a little as you go. Each system is different (along with the use). I may pump mine out every 4 years. I add RidX once a year. No problems knock on wood.
You may pump every year without a problem. It all depends on the size of the septic and the number of people in your household. Our kids are bigger now, and we are happy to spend the extra 150 a year instead of every 2 years just to avoid disastrous problems.
Agreed. The only danger is when you pump out a very old pool which have been known to collapse. I was implying that you shouldn't need to pump annually unless your cesspool isn't draining very well. How old is the house?
I offered a few things to do to avoid annual pumping in my above thread. Of course if you use your house drains excessively, like you have quite a few people there AND your washer empties into the cesspool, there's not a lot of options save the one you already take (annual pumping). BYW: $150 per isn't a bad price. The dumping fees are very high.
Quote:
You may pump every year without a problem. It all depends on the size of the septic and the number of people in your household. Our kids are bigger now, and we are happy to spend the extra 150 a year instead of every 2 years just to avoid disastrous problems.
Agreed. The only danger is when you pump out a very old pool which have been known to collapse. I was implying that you shouldn't need to pump annually unless your cesspool isn't draining very well. How old is the house?
I offered a few things to do to avoid annual pumping in my above thread. Of course if you use your house drains excessively, like you have quite a few people there AND your washer empties into the cesspool, there's not a lot of options save the one you already take (annual pumping). BYW: $150 per isn't a bad price. The dumping fees are very high.
Ah, got it. If it is a pool. We don't have that. Our house is only 20 years old.
Make sure it is pumped out before you buy.
Have it pumped once a year as a habit and you will be fine.
Once a year may seem like over kill but better safe than sorry.
you're right. we had a plumbing issue this year and after going through all that, ill have my septic pumped every year to be on the safe side. you dont want that shit backing into the house
We may be talking about different things. What I (and I think ctc) means is having someone take out the raw waste, which doesn't pass through the leach field. This is usually done between 1-3 years at a time.
I agree with hiring a septic specialist for the inspection given the cost of replacing a bad system.
the only reason a pump is necessary is if the leach field is higher than the tank. the only thing that should be going into the leach field is liquids, and gravity is fine for moving liquids. unless they're undersizing the leach field and are forcing the liquid out of the pipes via pumped pressure, I don't see why a pump is necessary.
The professionals will choose Rid-X. I believe it has yeast or something very similar. Many homeowners swear by it too. It worked well for me.
Go thru BBI Amazon but here's the linky - ( New Window )
Replacing a septic can be a nightmare. Laws and codes always seem to change.
Also, you best check with the town engineer to see if sewers are planned. Sewers are being installed and total costs, including town assessment, are estimated up to 25k.
If you have a pump get a backup generator.
If you have a pump get a backup generator.
Interested in exactly how that works and the size of the tank.
I remember when I was about 12 and Suffolk County started the "Southwest Sewer District" fiasco.
The septic tank is not the only part of the working system. The tank is mostly a holding system that will fill up with solids at the bottom and fill up with suds and floating material at the top. The baffle which hangs down about 18 inches into the tank prevents the tissue papers and floating stuff from entering the leach field. The tank should be pumped and inspected to verify that the tank is not leaking and that the baffles that keep the floating stuff from entering the leach-field are still intact. The tank should be routinely pumped every 3 to 5 years.
The working part of the septic system is the leach field or the drywells or sometimes a sand filter or another specialized system. It is the leach lines which let the waste water flow into the ground and seep away. If the system is undersized for the amount of water usage, then the leach lines will plug up and you will notice wet smelly spots in the yard. If you don't pump a tank frequently enough, then the sludge that's supposed to kept in the tank, will eventually plug up the leach-lines and you would have to replace the entire system.
BY the way, you don't need rid x or other additives. You will introduced all the bacteria you need just using the toilet. Some additives which eventually destroy your leachlines as they dissolved the sludge in the tank and send it into the leachlines. Don't use any chemicals in your toilets that are used to keep the toilets clean as they are disinfectants and disinfectants kill bacteria as will bleach. If you do laundry, you will be using bleach, but if you do too much laundry, your tank will not break down the solids as you are killing too many bacteria. The object of a good working system is to make the waste water effluent coming out of the tank and into the ground as clean as possible.
Hope this helps!
If the bacteria does its job you're right -- it is overkill. I know people who have never emptied theirs and have never had a problem. However our county requires a letter from a licensed inspector that shows its serviced every 5 years. They recommend you empty it more than that to avoid issues.
I will attest that you don't want septic issues.
The most expensive part of a septic job is digging up the leach field, disposing of the old dirt, and then bringing in new soil called bankrun.
My only suggestion is to find out how old that entire system is. If it is older than 20 years, then make sure you either get the seller to give you a credit for a new system, or plan to have to replace it yourself within the next 10 years.