So, my septic is backing up...

Topic: So, my septic is backing up... (Read 3578 times) previous topic - next topic

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #15 – January 07, 2009, 07:56:37 PM

Thanks for the link, very informative! Being that it's going to get cracked open this year anyway, I'll definitely have a better idea about what's going on inside. The excavator is a licensed septic inspector too. But that washer filter looks like a good idea, I'm thinking about that.

I also am considering getting an extended lid so that it will be easier to pump out in the future. The tanks are in about the worst possible location for my convenience, and the extended lid is going to be right in the way...but my other alternative is to keep burying it, then digging it up, and that's a major hassle.

After the excavator levels out the dirt directly behind the house, I'm going to put down some pavers to make a patio area, something I've really wanted since I moved in here. Well, I WANT a cement pad but with the septic cisterns right there, obviously that's a bad plan, so this is the best solution I've come up with. The tank is right about at the end of the proposed patio area. Of course. So I guess we'll just wait until we're digging and see what we can do. He may have a better solution for me, too, who knows.

My neighbors down the street got a brand new septic system installed about 2 years ago. It's the new, state-of-the-art kind with the vent caps. They were able to put that down by the street so it doesn't impede with their yard that much. It was $13K. Fortunately they had already figured for the new septic install when they bought the house 4 years ago, and had the extra money added into their mortgage.

I think it was a floating loan. Hope it didn't wipe out their savings.

Overall I like the septic system way of waste disposal. It's natural, "green" (both environmentally and for the lawn LOL), and self-sufficient--as long as it's working correctly. It's not easy to have this kind of "country" setup but it is pretty reliable.

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #16 – January 07, 2009, 08:19:29 PM

If you do get the washer filter, you might want to get it here - it's $35 less!

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #17 – January 07, 2009, 09:26:20 PM

Oh, and...

:rollin:

Best movie character ever.

Mmmmmmhmmmmmm :hick:

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #18 – January 07, 2009, 11:45:17 PM

Quote from: Cougar5.0;250680

I am looking into that Septic Protector filter now. Anything I can do to save my drainfield at this point. How often do you change the filter and can it be cleaned?

You can see how much lint it has collected through the clear plastic. You take the filter out, turn it inside out and shake it off.

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #19 – January 08, 2009, 12:09:27 AM

Thanks - I read a bit more and they suggest replacing the filter after 1-3 years (which means "5 years" - lol)

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #20 – April 11, 2009, 01:07:14 PM

[SIZE="1"]despite all the shiznit talkin in this thread, it seems like there are some knowledgeable people in here, so im diggin it up.[/SIZE]

help, im septic stupid!
i bought this house 2years ago, and was told it has city water, and a private septic. while this concerned me a bit, the wife really liked the house, so i added septic system to my list of things to learn about being a home owner...yeah....2yrs later, i still know nothing....
i bumped the lid to what i was told is the septic access, while mowing the lawn this morning and i thought WTH may as well look inside. i lifted the lid and i have no idea WTF im lookin at here. what exactly is the stuff in this hole?

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #21 – April 11, 2009, 01:18:31 PM

What you see is the top part of a holding tank. The drainfield is a bunch of pipes layed out like a candlebra with the main pipe feeding into it. The pump turns on when the level reaches a certain height, and shuts off when it drops below the shutoff line. In laymans terms. The white stuff is likely a grease layer. Too much grease and it can clog the drainfield....no problem here.

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #22 – April 11, 2009, 01:38:14 PM

thanks. now, based on your labeling, shall i assume this is gonna be a problem in the near future??

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #23 – April 11, 2009, 08:20:33 PM

Yikes. That looks to be an issue to me but I'm about as much of an expert as you are so don't take my word for it.

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #24 – April 11, 2009, 09:49:36 PM

Have a professional look at it. Doesn't look good to me, but you also don't want anything there causing a spark. Therefor a pro should be doing it. If nothing else, he/she can look at it for their opinion. Hopefully they don't charge for a consult.

Believe me, that spider won't stand a chance against an explosion. Coworker suffered from a bacterial meningitis that nearly killed him when he was working on his septic. So I always err on the side of caution.

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #25 – April 11, 2009, 10:23:55 PM

not all septics are like that, I do not need electricity to operate my septic.

On your situation, where is your last point of responsibility as a home owner in your community?

Having city septic may mean exactly that .... your point of responsibility stops where the turd drops.

It would stand to reason the city would control that tank because they controll all flow. I would check first before hand, you may not need to be or allow to tinker with that portion of your sewage. Your point of electrical responsibility may be on one side of the wiring splice while the pump side splice would be on the city.

The wiring to the pump would be your point of responsibility but the pump, I would say is the city as well.

I dono,, never lived in a city or a suburb. I do know my zoning though and its best to check with neighbors first. You might be surprised to find out that when the homes were built, the city originally provided all plumbing and the pump from the collection point, the home owners were responsible to provide power and discharge lines while the house was under construction.

The city has a right of way for thier plumbing from your collecton point leading to the street or where ever the outlet unions with the larger flow line. Having said that, who installed the pump, who owns the pump, and who has responsibility over the operation of the pump.

The last people i would talk to is the city,,, meaning save them for last because they are alows going to say you are responsible for everything. Been there , done that.

Nowadays, electric companies are making people responsible for the wiring drop from the pole mounted transformer to the meter base. This is illegal by way of a direct NEC violation that says residential customers must use copper wiring. There are ways to make sure you are not responsible for portions of your septic, just do some askin around. If its on the city , they have to do a trouble ticket and come out to fix whatever especially if they own the pump and the wirng on the pump side is the damaged area.

An answer would be down at the city in respect to the permit pulled to install the septic or inspection of septic.

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #26 – January 29, 2010, 05:50:00 PM

time for a follow up i guess. put it off and put it off, last week had a load of laundry back up into the tub. thankfully, all clear water and nuthin smelly.
called a septic company to pump the tank. they showed up same afternoon i called, and figured out real quick that the only visible lid was to the tank pictured above, not my septic.
dig up the lid, and sure enough the tank is full full. pump it out and check for flow from the house....little to none. call my buddie with a snake and we snake the main and all is good, right?

wrong. septic guy said the reason the wires are burnt in the dosing tank is cause the pump is broken. $1000 for a new one.
ok, fine. call them out and have them put in a new pump. this is where things go real wrong. i was at work, and the wife was home while the guys installed the pump. theres no power out to that dosing tank. no breakers flipped, no GFI outlets tripped, nuthin. just no power. THEY INSTALLED THE PUMP ANYHOW.

so today, im under the house looking for where the electric comes from the lift pump, and cant find anything. call my buddie and he says start diggin. beginning at the tank, i dug a shallow trench and followed the wire up to about 12" from the house. the wire ends, just stops. been cut, cleanly. obviously my system hasnt been utilizing this tank, or the pump, for at least three years(bought the house about 3yrs ago)! if my septic went more than three years w/o an issue while this pump was non-operational and im supposed to pump every 2-3yrs anyhow WTF is the point of this dosing tank?

called the septic guy back and asked him why i needed his new $1000 pump, and he basically said its your problem now, im not an electrician....

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #27 – January 29, 2010, 06:49:35 PM

On the subject of TP, don't forget that there are other products that should not go into a septic tank.

1. No feminine products, even if they say "flushable" on the package.

2. No Kleenex. It doesn't break down like TP.

3. Try to keep bleach to an absolute minimum!

4. If you need to buy a washer, get a high efficiency model, they use less water and less detergent.

5. Loose weight. If you eat less, you poop less!

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #28 – January 29, 2010, 06:52:50 PM

Quote from: gumby;308360

called the septic guy back and asked him why i needed his new $1000 pump, and he basically said its your problem now, im not an electrician....

I think I might call the owner of the company! Let him know that the next calls will be to the Better Business Bureau, whatever licensing agencies he needs to operate his business, and maybe even to a lawyer. While his diagnosis of the pump might have been correct, he should have taken not that there was no electricity getting to the ed thing!

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

So, my septic is backing up...

Reply #29 – January 29, 2010, 06:57:23 PM

The septic guy was an ass.

They should have not gone any farther if there was an obvious issue with the power to that pump. Their job was to install a pump and leave you with a working system, which they didn't.

I would say it's time escalate. If it were me, that pump would be sitting back at their shop, and I'd want my money back.