Septic Systems

[scfr]

For those of you who currently have (or have had in the past) septic systems, what do you think about them?

I've never had one, but some of the homes we are looking at have them, so I'm trying to learn.

I know they need some routine maintenance, and eventually need to be replaced. I also know that some localities require occasional inspections, or require that you have a service contract in place.

It sounds like they require a bit of effort on a homeowner's part, but it doesn't sound to me like anything too onerous.

I also have heard that they can negatigvely effect a home's resale value, and I'm assuming it's because some people just don't want to be bothered with maintenance. [I guess they just prefer to write a check to the city for their sewer service each month and hope the city is maintaining the lines properly?]

Any input you septic system owners (past or present) can provide will be much appreciated!

[momof1in150]

We have a septic system and in the town that we live it is not an option so we live with a septic. You should have them pumped every year and only put down them water, waste product and toilet paper.

Our house came with a garbage disposal but they aren't recommended for septic systems. We don't use ours (we still run it so it doesn't get smelly) and we are careful about scraping plates for the dishwasher.

You can have it inspected as part of your home inspection when you are buying a house. Our's cost $50.00 so it wasn't much. They do recommend the first time you pump it to hire someone that will also inspect it once it is empty. We will do that in the spring.

Our town specs the septics based on the number of bedrooms (doesn't make a lot of sense but that is how they do it). We have a 4 bedroom house with a 4 bedroom septic. Back when our house was built there weren't inspections and a lot of building codes on the # of bedrooms versus the size of the septic so you have to be careful on the age of the house, septic system and when was the last time it was pumped. This should all be in the disclosures when you look at bidding on a house.

We haven't had any problems as long as you know what you should and shouldn't put down the drains.

[St. Theresa]

I HATE having a septic system, but like the previous poster, I have no choice. There are no public sewers.

After buying this house, it was one of the first things my ex and I had to replace. I believe it cost us $5,000 and it ended up FAILING within years.

Luckily, we only had one incident when the overflow came into the basement (yuck.) Generally what happens is that it overflows over the leach pit, which is better than inside the house, but neighbors don't appreciate it.

How you handle things depends on how your system is built. Ours consists of a closed fiberglass tank with a pipe leading to a leach pit. My ex did something REALLY stupid, interfering with the way it's supposed to work. He poked holes in the fiberglass tank! That's not how it's supposed to work. The tank is for anerobic activity. Waste goes into the tank, solids settle to the bottom and excess water flows out to the leach pit. I'm sure the holes he poked are completely filled with crud by now, so really, my problem is with the leach pit.

I've learned a bit about how to avoid back-ups the hard way. First of all, you really have to pump once a year. If you fall behind, your system may fail to the point of no return.

Avoid bleach like the plague (at least, use it sparingly) - and stay away from Rid-X. They interfere with the anerobic system in the tank. When my system overflows, I've learned it's really not the fault of the tank. It's supposed to be full of water at all times (with solids at the bottom.) The water is supposed to drain out slowly through the leach pit and THERE, I discovered, is where the real problem lies.

Eventually, the leach pit can get so clogged that the water doesn't flow out fast enough to keep up with your water usage. A few years ago, when the leach pit was leaking out, forming a stinky puddle in the yard, I did some research and learned that sodium percarbonate is a wonderful thing with which to treat a leach pit. We poured the stuff in and within 24 hours, the pit was empty. Sodium percarbonate is the stuff that Oxyclean is made of. It's environmentally friendly and it eats through whatever is clogging the leach pit.

Unfortantely, the cement cover to our pit is a few feet below the ground, so we had to dig it up to treat it. It's still dug up as I write this (the awful guy I ended up living with dug it up and left it like that, and I'm afraid to fill it in because I may need to treat it very soon.)

What I'm looking for now is a cover with a pipe that will stick up out of the ground. The pipe will have it's own removable cover. This way, I'll be able to treat the tank with the SP without digging, something my back can't handle.

The idiot I lived with swore that overusing water had nothing to do with the problem, but every expert will tell you that it does. Be frugal. Never let the water run for no good reason, e.g. while you're brushing your teeth. When I scrub and rinse off dishes to go into the dishwasher I use as little water as possible. I make sure that while I'm cleaning something that the water I'm using is pouring onto other dirty items in the sink. The idiot - ugh - used to use the water at full blast, as hot as it could be, to rinse off one item at a time. I couldn't stand to watch. He'd hold a plate under the water for at least a minute, trying to make the water do the scrubbing that a brush or sponge should do. There is no reason to use several gallons of water for one item, especially when it's going into the dishwasher.

Now that he's gone, I've had no overflows!

Also, I don't let the laundry water go into the system anymore. I run the hose right out the window. I have a piece of wood with a hole for the hose which fits in the windowsill. This "grey water" goes out into the yard instead of into the septic system. It doesn't smell and it's not harmful and it saves the septic system a lot of work. During the winter months, I must pull the hose in, otherwise water in the hose turns to ice and blocks the outflow. So I pull it back in when I'm done with laundry for the day and, luckily, I have a utility sink right under the window for this purpose. In the warmer months, I just leave it out.

P.S. And yes, what was said before - don't let anything go down the drain that is harmful to a septic system. Don't flush baby wipes, feminine products, etc. NEVER pour fat into the sink. I use a large coffee can for that. Like the previous poster wrote, nothing should go down but water, TP and human waste.

[boefixepa]

It all depends on the system and the design! When my parents built a house when I was a senior in high school it had to have a spectic system. The size of the tank and the size of the leach field is REALLY important, as is the soil you are leaching into. Your leach field needs to be able to drain well or you will have problems. If you have Clay type soil...be prepared to have issues. When the threnchs for the leach field are dug ideally they should be dug oversized and lined with sand on the bottom, then large gravel then the pipe with all the holes, more garvel, then covered. This allows for much better drainage then just tossing a pipe in the dirt.

The only other advice that has not already been said is that our system did allow for a garabage disposal. It had it's own leach line right off the kitchen drain. It was not part of the rest of system....so maybe that is how they have to be done. It didn't go to the main tank at all.

Most importantly, make sure the system is throughly inspected before buying a house with one!!!

Oh I just remember somthing...make sure your system is vented properly. We did have some problems once in a while with a smelly bathroom thanks to this, but an inspection would catch that.

[mom-from-missouri]

I have been on a septic all my life (almost 50 years worth) with no problems except one tree root. (that was an easy fix-flushed stuff down the drain that disolved the root).
The house I currently live in has one. We once had someone come to pump it out, and he told us there was nothing to pump.
One thing to remember, septics come in various sizes, based on the number of people who will be using them. If you get one too small, it will back up on you. Even if you have a small system, but have lots of company for a holiday weekend, it can back up. It has to leech out thru the system, and if too much comes in at once, it has no where to leach to.
Ours runs/leeches to an "evaporation pond" after it comes out of the tank. Our system is so healthy, that flood waters this spring left behind fish in our evaporation pond--and they are still living 8 months later. We have very lush trees around it. When the water was tested in it by the county, the extension agent stated it was healther and cleaner than a lot of peoples drinking water.
We run the garbage disposal in it, and use generic laundry soap with no problems. (although the garbo items are supposed to be going to the chickens now). Rain water from the gutters also go into ours. However the only thing that goes down the toilet is toilet paper. Girlie items and diaper liners will clog up the pipes and will not break down-although they are now making ones that will break down.

[scfr]

Thank you all for your comments!

Coincidentally, the most recent issue of Texas Monthly has an article on public sewer systems. *****Warning, while it is extremely informative, it is not for the overly-sensitive, and you probably won't want to read it while you are eating:

Everyone’s Poop: Texas Monthly December 2007

The thought of a sewer failure causing widespread disease is quite frightening. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this country does not invest enough in its infrastructure, and that it takes a dramatic event like the Minneapolis bridge collapse to make people sit up and take notice.

Now that I've learned a bit more about septic systems and public sewer systems, I am developing a preference for septic. At least I can take responsible for my own system, instead of keeping my fingers crossed that my city is keeping the sewer lines up to date and my neighbors aren't abusing the system.

[LuxLiving]

I maybe too late scfr, but like mom from missouri I've lived w/a septic most all of my life and it's really not all that complicated. Just watch what you put down there and be careful of driving over the leach line pipes as they generally are not buried too deeply. Ours are buried in our big side yard (baseball size field) and when we pull my truck in there for anything we are careful to drive around the area where the septic line drains.

Oh yes, it's true what they say, the grass is always greener over the septic lines!