talk to me about septic systems ...

[Home'scool]

A while ago I posted about moving in with my sister into her in-law apartment.

 

The in-law addition was put on about 10 years ago. The house is listed as a 4 bedroom.

 

If I move in there would be 5 people living there full time, with my two daughters being there for summer vacations (perhaps, or they may spend the summer near their colleges) and for holidays, etc. I cannot discount the fact, though, that they may need to move in full time for a time period. So the number of people could fluctuate from 5 to a high of 7.

 

My sister's septic system is original to the house, so it's about 30 years old. I think that is at the tail-end of a septic systems lifespan. If the septic is working fine and not failing, do you just wait for something bad to happen? Or is there something we can do to upgrade the system without replacing the whole thing?

 

I would like to put money in an escrow for the septic but I would rather spend the least amount possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pawz4me]

When was it last pumped out?  Having that done at least every few years is considered routine maintenance.

[Home'scool]

It gets pumped regulary.

[Anne]

Have it pumped at least once a year.

Nothing goes down the disposal if you have one.

Short showers - use a timer.

Some people swear by additives which supposedly help break things down - check with your septic tank people.

 

Our system is over 30 years old. Basically, we're just waiting for it to fail and setting $$ aside for a new one.

 

Anne

[mom@shiloh]

We've had  septic systems in most of the houses we've lived in.  Those have varied in age from new to very old.  The one we have now must be at least 50 years old and it works great.  The one that my parents put it when they built their house lasted at least 50 years.  I was under the understanding that with proper maintenance, they would last a very long time.  We had one fail in the previous house we lived in because the water softner was tied into in, so we learned that water softner salt causes the death of many a septic system.  Even then, we only had to replace the leach bed and the cost was under $3000, that septic system was also around 50 years old.  

 

Some maintenance tips:

 

use septic safe toilet paper

 

don't plant trees near the leach bed,  tree roots can damage the lines

 

avoid using bleach and antibacterial soaps, septic systems need bacteria to work properly

 

have your water softner drain into a dry well instead of into your septic tank

[TranquilMind]

A while ago I posted about moving in with my sister into her in-law apartment.

 

The in-law addition was put on about 10 years ago. The house is listed as a 4 bedroom.

 

If I move in there would be 5 people living there full time, with my two daughters being there for summer vacations (perhaps, or they may spend the summer near their colleges) and for holidays, etc. I cannot discount the fact, though, that they may need to move in full time for a time period. So the number of people could fluctuate from 5 to a high of 7.

 

My sister's septic system is original to the house, so it's about 30 years old. I think that is at the tail-end of a septic systems lifespan. If the septic is working fine and not failing, do you just wait for something bad to happen? Or is there something we can do to upgrade the system without replacing the whole thing?

 

I would like to put money in an escrow for the septic but I would rather spend the least amount possible.

You don't want to overload the system.

 

I have one that is over 50 years old.  However, we bought this house from two elderly people who never had children.  So only two people had ever lived here.  It is still in good shape.

 

I'd start saving.  That many people will be a strain on the system.  And remember to not overuse it during heavy rain periods.  We've actually gone out to do laundry doing those times, because I never wanted a back-up and I heard the dreaded gurgling sound.  Short showers too. 

[Happy]

Never, never, never put feminine products down the toilet....unless you want to get to know the plumber and septic guys really well.

 

 

[Home'scool]

I guess I was asking if there were different levels of doing something about an old systems.

 

Can you fix parts of it to prolong the life, or do you just wait until the whole thing goes gerplunk and then replace the whole thing?

[skimomma]

I guess I was asking if there were different levels of doing something about an old systems.

 

Can you fix parts of it to prolong the life, or do you just wait until the whole thing goes gerplunk and then replace the whole thing?

 

I don't think so.  Septic systems are pretty simple.  You have the pump, the tank, the lines, and the drain field.  Pump failure can result it back-ups but should only require a replacement or repair.  The lines can get clogged or damaged....again replace/fix.  In either case you really have to wait for a problem to do anything since you cannot really fix something that is not broken.  Tank failure is where the real money comes in.  You usually cannot really "fix" them.  But you also really cannot know when one is about to leak.  So, save your pennies, conserve water, get it pumped out annually, do the usual flushing precautions, and hope for the best.  Many systems will last forever.  I suspect if you save up money for problems, your will last forever too.

[gingersmom]

Ours was over 20 years old and going strong.

 

My mother was like the military police when it came to the septic system. Only certain toilet paper and don't even dare think about a long shower. She would go inspect the ground around it regularly.

 

Our neighbor on the other hand did not take such good care of his as we discovered when their entire lawn was bulldozed to put in a new system.

[Chalex]

If you want to feel better, next time you have it pumped ask for an official inspection--something you'd have done if you were ever to sell.

 

Yes, it costs extra.  But, they would be able to tell you how long your existing septic will work, with that amount of people.

 

 

[plansrme]

Not all septic systems are so delicate. I grew up with a septic system that is nearly 50 years old now. You could flush a sofa down that system, and it would just burp and carry on. I would not necessarily assume that failure is imminent just because of its age.

[Pawz4me]

DH and I grew up with septic systems and have had them at most of our houses (just not this one).

 

We never did anything super duper special.  We certainly never limited the amount of shower time!

 

We used bleach or other disinfectants as needed, but not just willy nilly.  The level of bacteria in most systems should be well able to handle some bleach now and then.  And . . . most of us are regularly adding to the bacteria in our septic systems. ;)

 

The one thing my parents did that stuck with me was to try to avoid doing many loads of laundry in one day.  That's not such a big deal if you have a front load/HE machine, though.

 

I think the most important things as far as longevity are tree roots and the quality/type of soil.

[Melissa in Australia]

we have a septic system. I have flushed tampons for 20 years and haven't caused a single problem. The laundry water does not go in the septic, but that is not to preserve the septic but rather the grey water is too valuable to waste and waters a garden /citrus trees instead.

 

we currently have 8 people living in our house and the septic handles it fine.

 

 

one thing the septic doesn't like is grease. So kids don't poor the fat from the frying pan down the sink :glare:  :glare:

 

[creekland]

Creekland's DH here for a civil engineer's / designer's point of view...  Septic systems fail for two basic reasons:  1.  Blockage of the disposal bed/piping; or 2. Hydraulic overloading.  Most of the responses seem to be addressing the second.  Having extra people added to an older system can lead to an overloading.  Older systems were not usually designed to the current design numbers, if designed at all beyond "this should be big enough based on my experience."  Depending on the builder it may have been big enough though.

 

Blockages come from carryover of solids (either large chunkies or finer particles).  If the existing tank does not have a baffle then a piping tee at a minimum would help or the addition of an insertable effluent (water leaving the tank) filter such as a Zabel or similar can limit carryover.  I'm sure some of these terms may be unfamiliar, but they are Googleable and a septic contractor will know them.  Having the disposal bed "jetted" to clean the pipes can also be helpful in rejuvenating a bed.

 

Different locations have different rules.  Check with the local municipality about how much work can be done before a permit is needed.  In general a "failure" is defined as a backup in the dwelling or a surface discharge.  Otherwise a system is classified as distressed.  Most folks seem to wait for a total failure before doing anything.  Part of that is the old "out of sight, out of mind."

 

That is my two cents worth...

[pehp]

Our septic system performs beautifully.  We get it pumped every 5-ish years, for a family of four living normal life.  So that's the regular maintenance I would recommend that is absolutely necessary.

 

I've never heard of special toilet paper!  Obviously we don't flush anything other than TP down the toilets--but so far (it's about 22 years old), no problems at all. 

[Cottonwood]

google bokashi

[Suzanne in ABQ]

If there's room, you can add a second leach field, then alternate yearly.  This will give the "off" field time to rest and regenerate.  Our system was set up this way.  There are gate valves in the pipes leading to the leach fields, allowing me to close one and open the other, then do the opposite.  The septic guys expect the dual system to last indefinitely, as long as I remember to alternate yearly.

 

ETA: Since you're concerned, you might consider having the system inspected.  I observed the inspection of my brother's septic tank.  The inspection was required because they were selling the house.  They purposely chose an inspector that doesn't do septic installations, so there would be no conflict of interest.  Unfortunately, the septic system failed the inspection.  Here's why.  

1) Inside the tank, there was a baffle wall made of concrete, 3 inches thick.  The wall is supposed to be above the level of the water at all times, but there was lots of poop on top of the wall.  The poop was evidence that the water had backed up inside the tank, and flowed or sat on top of the wall, allowing the poop to flow over the wall.

2) The wall was thin in areas, only 1 inch thick near one end.  Also, there was yellow stuff here and there in the tank.  This indicated that methane gas had mixed with suffer in the water and produced sulfuric acid, which ate away the concrete.  This was evidence that the leach field had been overwhelmed regularly.

3) The electric lines were possibly buried too close to the tank (probably wouldn't be relevant to you)

4) The tank's cover was just a plate of 3/8 inch steel, which wasn't heavy enough and didn't seal well enough for modern codes.

 

The 3rd and 4th points wouldn't have been deal breakers by themselves, but the 4 "fails" together forced the inspector to give them a failing grade.  They had to put in a new septic system in order to sell the house.

 

To do this inspection, the septic guys brought in a small backhoe, and dug down to the tank.  Then, they opened some of the concrete access covers and looked inside.  Since you're not selling the house, and you just want to get information, you might be able to get a less invasive inspection.  I have no idea what it costs, but you may want to call around to ask.  You could then ask the inspector to project your system's life, and give specific tips about making it go longer.