Septic system experts needed - drain field issues

[HoleshotHolset]

My GF's house has a ~30 year old system with a 1500 gallon holding tank and a drain field.



When she first moved into the house just over a year ago - the system backed up and she had sewage in her basement. So - she had it pumped out. Fast forward to September of this year... she had to have it pumped out again, but also had the system 'jetted'. From what I understand, this is where they attempt to clear out the drain field with high pressure water. Since she was at work when this was done - there's no way to tell for sure if they did it... or what the outcome was.



Fast forward to Monday of this week - and there was water coming out of the ground where the tank's cover is buried. So - she had it pumped out again. The tank is in great shape and from what I could see - the inlet and outlet isn't blocked. She's also really good about using Rid-X, but who knows what the previous owners did to the system. Septic dude says that the drain field is hard packed and that she needs a whole new system. I'm completely in agreement with him about the drain field, but I'm not of the opinion that the whole shooting match needs to be scrapped.



Have any of you had a similar problem and used one of those somewhat widely available miracle liquid formulas that will unclog/free up a drain field?

Does anyone have a backhoe I can rent? :-laf What else can we do?



Her washing machine does not drain into the system (again, I can't vouch for what the previous owners did... ) - the lint from a washing machine can really goof up a system from what I've read. Her disconnected/unused water softener used to dump its waste water into the septic system - not good... the removed iron in that waste water reacts with the soil to clog stuff up. D'oh!



Any help in the form of words of wisdom or otherwise would be appreciated.



Thanks,



Matt

 

[nps]

Once you're into replacing the drain field, taking the tank with it is miniscule. So not much difference IMO between just the drain field or the whole shooting match. Plus, if the guy is to warrant the system, unless he digs up and inspects the tank you will never know if it is leaking until after the job is done. If he has to come back later for just the tank, no profit in the job for him. To dig up the tank and inspect it - more $$$ to get it out intact than to yank and replace.



What else can you do?

A. Take the tank cap off and plug your nose.

B. Use the bushes.

C. Build an outhouse. :-laf

D. Run down to the local gas station (at 3 am). :{

 

[jwilliams3]

Matt,

The only thing I can suggest is to get a 2nd opinion from another reputable dealer/installer.

 

[tractorface]

Find a new girlfriend :-laf



Sorry I have lived with Septic systems all my life and have always been taught to treat them with the utmost care. Not sure what you can do other than get a second or third opinion. No way I would run with one opinion on a job like that.

Good luck... ... ... ... ... ... if you decide to keep her

 

[jwilliams3]

Matt do you have snorkel and fins?

 

[HOBrian]

I know around here in northern NJ a system can run well beyond $20,000 :--) So talk to as many people as possible.

 

[jeepit]

Matt, I had sewage coming out of tank cover and the problem was a lift pump had gone out. Not sure if her sysytem has a lfit pump or not but I would think the contractor would have thought to check it if it did. Good luck.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Thanks for the replies, folks.

I knew I'd get a couple of interesting comments with a query like this.



Septic dude on Monday said that a whole new shooting match is ~$8k installed by his company. But, you dudes gave good advice by saying that we should get another opinion from other contractors.



This girl is a total keeper... so I guess we'll be watching our water use when at her place for a while. I'll go take 10-100's and 10-200's out in the barn... no biggie.

Matt, I had sewage coming out of tank cover and the problem was a lift pump had gone out.

Wait... is this an ISB or a septic system?! :-laf



This is an old system without a pump. I think the type of system you are talking about is a 'mound' system. Those systems work quite a bit better than just a holding tank and a drain field.



Thanks again,



Matt

 

[jwilliams3]

Matt,

Maybe she flushed your copies of Diesel Power down the toilet.

 

[Sled Puller]

.



This girl is a total keeper... .



Thanks again,



Matt

I'll vouch for that. Fix the septic.



You shouldn't drain the washer or the softner in it? ... ... ... ... ... uh-oh... ... . :{

 

[JoshPeters]

I'll vouch for that. Fix the septic.



You shouldn't drain the washer or the softner in it? ... ... ... ... ... uh-oh... ... . :{

I was just thinking the same thing.....



For me, having a mound system and being sourrounded by water... . I should probably keep the washer water in the septic..... I suppose I could dump the softener water outside... .



Won't that freeze in the hose though?







And on the shower/bathroom issue... . Squeeze the cheeks REALLY tight... hop in the truck, and HAUL @$$ to your place to use the basement bathroom! :-laf :-laf



Josh

 

[TowPro]

First check everything in the house like toilets and make sure they really shut off after flushing. Make sure all the sinks are turning off. Does it have a sump pump connected to the system? Its hard to picture coming home to find water running out of the tank, Where is that water coming from?



From there I have heard of some kind of treatment they can pump into the system to eat up the paper out in the drain field, then they fracture it with air pressure to make it work again.



One problem everybody runs into around where i live is the sewer requirements have changed. Most in ground systems now need to be replace with a sand mound (just like that $20K system in NJ)



My buddy had a problem with springs filling his drain field. they made him replace the complete system. His tank was a special anaerobic (spelling) tank in great shape but the Sewer Sniffer Cops made him replace it because the tank had an 18" opening and they now require 24".



If its a multi trench system there is a distribution box between the tank and field that could be out of level causing only 1 or 2 trenchs to work, but the way you said its running out the top of the tank kind of rules that idea out.



Is it a single tank / gravity feed system, or does it have one tank that pumps up into another tank that runs the drain field?



There have been a lot of inventions in the septic system fields in the last many years. Drip irrigation, spray irrigation, etc. I have even heard of some areas allowing the actual field to be dug up and rebuilt. Not where I live, they are happy pushing sand mounds!



something else that could be done (if you out in the country and the neighbors are not watching) is add or extend the original field. Digging a big hole at the end of the field and filling it with stone (I have seen that one fix a system and its still working 20 years later) etc, etc. But you can only do it on a sunday night when the Sewer Sniffer cops are not working

 

[Larry Willard]

Around here the sewer sniffer cops (Health Dept) comes out and tells you what is to be done. I am not aware of any time that the tank had to be replaced to do a septic repair. Normally you can add drain fields or dry well, provided you have room on the lot. We are required to have a 10000 square foot area reserved to accommodate this. Those concrete tanks don't normally have any failures.

Larry

 

[PLaFrombois]

I vote for a new drain field. How big of yard does she have? If it comes down to needing a mound system, then they will have to do perk tests in order to find a location for the system. That means big money.



Matt did you ask her about those dates in May?



Paul

 

[RGardner]

If you have to go with a new drain field, look into the enviro-chamber type. Sure look to be a much better deal than the perf pipe. And I agree, if you have a concrete tank there is not much that can go wrong with them, unless they have a metal lid that will corrode.

 

[TboneMan]

Depending on the soil type, 30 years is pretty good. Old codes allowed systems to be placed in areas that would require raised bed or aerobic systems now.



The likely cause is poor maintenance by the previous owner(s) of the house. They likely didn't have it pumped regularly and solids made their way into the leach field. This in turn filled the spaces between the gravel in the trenches and the effluent can no longer perculate through gravel.



Check with you local code enforcement person. He/she can advise you on who the lead agency is. Usually its a county health department.



Don't mess with trying to go cheap. If the current code requires re-engineering, do it now. Some day, unless it burns down, she'll want to sell the house. In my neck of the woods banks usully require an septic system inspection and test (using dye) before they will approve a mortgage (remember, the bank is the real owner of the house).



If the house in not on public water, i. e. , on a well, it might be a good time to get the water tested for nasty's too.

 

[Alan Reagan]

Once you get the problem corrected, you need to use something like Rid-X once a month to keep the tank working properly. We just had our maintenance pump out done after seven years... ... . the sludge was only about a foot deep in the bottom of the tank. This is the second time we've had it pumped for maintenance since we've been in the house. The company that did it said that the system is in excellent shape. Once the sludge builds to the drain lines, the party is over. At that point, the drain field has to be dug out and the lines cleared or replaced.



The big thing is to keep meat, grease, tampons, cigarette butts and all the other things that won't disolve out of your new system. Treat it once a month with a septic system enzyme builder and it will last a long time.

 

[Rams-n-Hogs]

Well, I won't be going 7 seven years. Just got a letter from the county. They have made it a requirement to get it pumped every 3 years. To make it worse, I have to get it pumped this year, AND next year to put me on THEIR schedule, at my expense. And it was just done 1 1/2 years ago, when I bought the house.



Jim

 

[TboneMan]

Well, I won't be going 7 seven years. Just got a letter from the county. They have made it a requirement to get it pumped every 3 years. To make it worse, I have to get it pumped this year, AND next year to put me on THEIR schedule, at my expense. And it was just done 1 1/2 years ago, when I bought the house.



Jim

WOW, I THOUGHT NEW YORK STATE WAS BAD!!!!

 

[tractorface]

Since we are telling septic tank stories

I built a house in 1999 (have since sold it and built another) on top of a Beautiful woodsy lot with lots of wonderful gray boulders everywhere. At least that is what we thought until we started digging. Once we were through the horror of getting the foundation/basement dug along with the driveway I thought I was home free and only way over budget :-laf My buddy started digging the septic tank hole and was quickly swamped. everything he dug now looked like lake nowyougonnastickittome.



Up to this point other than our 100gph well we had seen no water anywhere. He stopped and threw up his hands. The county came out and worked out a plan. You see the septic area had just been perked and was in fact fine. He had found a huge pocket of water and had in effect "broken the dam. No problem after using a week with a very large Track hoe and 5 straight days of dumptrucks dumping one load after another of stone into a 10' deep 4' wide ditch that was 500 feet long I had a curtain drain around my septic system :-laf

It all worked fine and should for many years. Luckily the realestate market went nuts and I sold the house for a nice profit (I had been WAAAAY over budget and was house poor) I loved that place for its beauty and the new folks do also. They just could not imagine the trouble we had putting it there. Thankfully my Friend the excavator is one of the very best and made the whole deal look like it was always there. Even paying only his cost for the septic was $$$$$$$.

See Ya