Septic tank back up!

[JoeR]

Good point Egon, but I don't think the filter is fine enough. It is similar to a pool skimmer basket.

Here is a picture:

[twstanley]

I think over 50 years folks realized that certain things would float thru a septic tank and out into the drain field causing it to eventually clog and require replacement.

Think of cleaning the filter as insurance against a new drain field every x years depending on the frequence and amount of non biodegradable stuff heading into the drain field.

Miscellaneous plastic and other products that don't biodegrade come to mind.

I imagine there are a lot more of these materials being flushed and washed down drains now than in 1950 as well.

The filter seems a great idea to catch this sort of thing before it goes into the drain field where it is impossible to remove....

[Pat]

Egon hit on an important point. Synthetic fibers which are shed in abundance by clothes in the washer do not digest in the septic tank and will over time form a felt like mat which can reduce your systems effectivity and essentially ruin it over time.

There are various filters available to install in the outlet of the washing machine which collect these errant fibers and prevent them going down the drain. I tried one that was essentially a stainless steel mesh that fit on the drain pipe of the washer. It was fairly effective but was a royal pitb to R&R for cleaning. Now there are much better ones available that filter vey well and are easy to clean out.

These are a much more appetizing chore to clean than cleaning out the in-tank septic filter. If you want long term septic funtion and efficiency, one of these washing machine filters is a practical and cost effective improvement.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[CJDave]

[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] I have a long-time buddy who owns a septic tank truck and whose business is located in an intensely-cropped area of California's irrigated agriculture. Many of his clients are tractor drivers; whose clothes are often covered with dirt when they drop them into the wash. That same dirt goes into the septic system and forms layers in the bottom of the tank. Once the tank is level full and can no longer process sewage, they call him and he responds with his truck and an air compressor in tow. He uses an air wand to agitate the tank and get the layered solids back into suspension. We installed a Barnes, hydraulic motor-driven sewage pump on his truck, driven from a "wet kit" on the main transmission of his White Western Star Diesel. The Barnes will pump a piece of debris the size of a t-shirt with no problem. It will also pull heavy sludge and water through 60' of 3" suction hose. This truck was really cutting edge when we built it ten years ago....maybe fifteen, I cannot recall exactly. We avoided using a vacuum system because the heavy wall tanks were too heavy. We traded that weight for additional sewage water capacity so he can carry 2010 gallons legally. The vacuum pumps were also very slow and expensive. His motto is: "washing machines are the enemy of septic tanks". [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[MarineJAG]

I've had the septic pumped a couple of times. Question: Where does the septic truck take the sewage?

[twstanley]

I imagine to a municipal sewage facility somewhere for treatment.

I know some small towns used to have points where you could empty holding tanks in campers, etc. I'm not sure if those are still around.

[CJDave]

[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Out in La-La Land, they have to get a registered permit that allows them to drive into the sewer farm and dump in a designated opening. They have to have the number of gallons of capacity and the permit number printed or painted on the truck. Of course on farms they often dump it in the cow pasture; splashing poo and condoms all over the place.....it's a ghastly sight!. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Dave, Dave, Dave, Where are yoir manners, Dave? IAW acceptable use of euphemisms that would be poo and Allegheny White Fish. I learned the term from an actual Pennsylvania waste disposal engineer.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[CJDave]

[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] YUK! Just thinking about it makes me nauseous. Allegheny White fish.....yuk!!! Barfo...... [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

[JoeR]

How do you prepare Allegheny White Fish? Do you fry or broil it? I bet you will find whole corn in that fish!! hahaha!! Sorry, my juvenile tendencies took over!

Joe