Depending on where you live... especially in the United States, most residential Septic Tanks are between 5 and 25 feet from the house. That being said, I've seen Septic Tanks between 50 and 100 feet away from the house. So, the bottom line is this, you can expect to pay a couple hundred bucks for a Septic Professional to locate your tank and dig up the covers. In fact, once you've had your Septic Tank pumped out, it's a good idea to put a marker of some kind in your yard. I recommend a lawn ornament like a sundial or a birdbath, because you'll always be able to find it... even in the winter. In my state, if your tank is deeper than 12 inches, a "riser" is required over all the covers on your tank, and typically that's 3 covers on most modern Septic Tanks. In any case, a Plastic Riser is only a few hundred dollars, and it allows access at the surface of the earth, which makes it easy to locate without digging. I recommend installing tank "risers" even if it's not required in your state, because it makes servicing the system so much easier.
I agree that risers are well worth the investment, and now that plastic versions are widely available it's much easier to do. In my area there are new septic requirements and new designs that I'm seeing, and some of them are quite complex. People are building on lots where pumping or elaborate leach fields are required and I'm not sure how well these systems will hold up over time. Here's another video I made on installing a riser: ruclips.net/video/Yfgr_CPKq_Q/видео.html
I thought your cat was a raccoon at first because of that striped tail! Helpful video too. I had no idea where our sewage went or that these fill up. We have the septic guys here now, digging up the pipes. However, we had to wait almost a week for them because the holidays are way busy...for septic tanks, as well...yikes!
Thank you! We have a strange situation at our house where we have a holding tank that gets pumped to city sewer (we’re below the city’s water lines or something?) The holding tank wasn’t ever recorded with the city though so when we have sewage problems we had to dig randomly until we found the thing! We even got the city planner out to the house and she was shocked. But after fixing it three years ago, here we are again having to dig it up! We were silly and didn’t take pictures to remember where the manhole was but this was extremely helpful. We found the plastic handle and saw that the raised lip but it didn’t look like it could move so we weren’t sure it was the hole. Sorry for the long comment, but after digging for a few hours I feel like ranting about my situation lol!
That's not unusual. Sometimes the city sewer system connection is located too high relative to your house discharge and so a holding tank is installed with an electric pump to pump the sewage up to the city system. The tank holds enough waste for an emergency if the power goes out. There are also different types of pumps available, some with a "macerator" that chews up sewage before it pumps. There are also battery back-up systems available so the pump will keep going in a power outage. if you have an older system it might be worth looking into a newer pump with some of these features.
We had ours pumped a couple years ago. It had been 13 years since it had been done and the guy said it looked good except for the personal wipes that everyone uses these days, floating in the tank. They are supposed to be septic/sewer safe, But they aren't. They will clog the line to the drain field and that would be expensive! He said it depends on how many people live there as to how often it should be pumped, 2 in our case.
+Bob Derby Yes, it is possible to go quite a long time without a problem. However, it is also a risk. There's a lot of room in these tanks, generally 1000 gallons or so, but if the solids or the "crust" on the top (eew) manage to get past the baffle and into the drain field you've got a big, expensive repair. The wipes and the various female products don't bio-compose or even sink to the bottom, so you've got trouble brewing if left for too long!
I use enzyms :) I did not pump mine in......20 years, opened it up the slug layer was WELL under 2 feet. Also use once in while yogurt the cultures do your tank lots of good ..
Yeah if you got a good bacteria going in your septic tank it'll last longer 13 years is a long time good for you that's awesome but it will last longer because the bacteria will somehow eat the solids it's weird. Once in a while I even put a little bit of sugar in water with yeast heat it up in the microwave and put it into the septic through the closest toilet just to keep that bacteria strong.
I just dug up my yard to get to my septic tank lid, and my dad is adamant there’s a white pipe that should be sticking out the cap, but I dug it all the way up and there is no PVC pipe sticking up through the concrete cap? Is that how some are or have I not dug out far enough? To me it looks like I dug around the entire circumference of the cap
There are lots of different styles, so a lack of a pipe sticking up isn't necessarily an issue. I presume you are digging out the cover to prepare for a cleaning? If you have a single tank system, then it is typical that there are two holes on the top of the tank. The one you dug up may be the cover over the outlet of the tank, and there may also be a second cover or just a pipe over the inlet of the tank a few feet away. For a cleaning it is best to expose the outlet of the tank so you can check it for damage and make sure solids aren't getting into your leach field. If you have uncovered a plastic or concrete cap which is around two or three feet in diameter you probably have the right one.
@@enduringcharm ok thanks! Yea I had to dig up the septic cap. My father thought there should have been a pipe sticking out of the concrete cap but he realized that I dug it all the way around open and there wasn’t a PVC pipe coming out of the cap. We have one septic tank, not sure about the whole drainage field though. But we haven’t had our septic cleared in years. Last time we had a septic guy come here he was trying to explain to my dad that he rather take the entire cap off so he could completely clean the tank out, because we were having back up issues downstairs in our basement area where a stand in shower would overflow sewage out the drain. So instead of just cleaning some of it out through the small hole the guy wanted to completely clean it out but it would cost more. And the septic guy was trying to tell him this would only be a temporary fix to a bigger problem. And we would just have to keep calling him back out again to do the same thing if not. But several years have passed and not the septic is full up to the shower drain again and toilet paper and sewage came up through the drain and the water won’t go back down the drain all the way. And whenever someone flushes a toilet upstairs my toilet downstairs will start gurgling and bubbling the water in my toilet. But yea I believe the outlet of the tank is under the cap. It’s circular with one hook in it. Hoping the guy will come tomorrow, he was too busy to reach back to us today. Thank you for the info! Sorry I wrote so much just wanted to try explaining what’s been going on. Our house is an older mid 70’s house and things are starting to fall apart here left and right lol
Oh boy. That doesn't sound too good! When the solids rise above the outlet pipe which leads from the tank to the leach field, the solids start to fill the pipes in the field. That's a far greater problem than the backup into the house because it can destroy your leach field's ability to work and now you need a whole new system. With the full cap removed from the tank, your cleanout guy can do a far better job of removing solids because he can add liquid back into the tank to loosen solids and then suck it all out again. He can also look at the outlet to see if it is clogged up. If it is, they can try to use various pressure washer equipment to clean the outlet and even to back wash some of the pipes leading out to the D-box and leach field. You should take this cleanout process very seriously and be with the cleanout guy when he does his work and inspection. A whole new septic system in most places these days can easily reach $60-80K. If you can do a thorough cleaning now--no matter the cost--it;s money well spent if it saves the system.
So wait if I see that white pipe sticking out of the ground that’s connected to my septic tank it self ? Because mine is literally next to my foundation of my house
Not necessarily. That pipe could be a clean-out for the pipe leading to the tank. The tank could still be fairly close to the foundation, but usually at least 10-12 feet. That pipe you see could be a clue as to where to look, though.
Well, if you have an actual septic tank and a leach field, then you also have some sort of access for clean out. It could be well buried, though. On the other hand, if you have just a simple cesspool, which might still have been built in the 60s, then you might not have a proper clean out. Cesspools can sometimes be as simple as a hole filled with crushed rock. If you are having trouble finding your tank or clean-out, a septic company with a camera can be hired to help you locate it.
Not sure what you mean. There are typically two tubes or pipes, one of which is an "inspection" pipe and the other leads down to the removable cover for clean out. Actually, both may lead to removable covers depending on the design. Inside the tank is the inlet and outlet pipes. The outlet pipe leads to a distribution box and there the effluent goes out to the leech field in a series of drainage pipes.
Sometimes you have to use other clues. Find in the house where the main stack exits the building, typically with a four inch pipe. When a tank is installed it will typically be fairly close to the house, unless there are extenuating circumstances like a pump to go uphill, or unusual topography to the land. So, if you follow where the pipe exits the house and follow it out in a straight line 10-20 feet, that's a good starting point. If the land there is open and without shrubs, look for indentations or other clues to where the tank was installed or dug out earlier. If that fails, you may need either to dig down to the pipe outside and follow it out, or else have a pro insert a camera into the pipe and tell you where it goes. Your town may also have records if the house is not that old.
Julie Chandler go under your house follow the main line to were it goes outside your house. go outside to where you found the pipe under the house take a probe rod and push it into the grond usaly your tanks 2 feet or deeper when you push the probe rod into the dirt to were you followed the pipe to outside youl feel or hear it when you hit the top of the tank.
There are systems which use a leaching pit after the septic tank rather than a leach field. Not to be confused with a cesspool, which is essentially just a hole where everything goes at once.
@@enduringcharm We built our home in 1990 with a 1000gall septic tank and a 1000 gall leaching tank or leach pit with 5 ft or stone around it. We have taken very good care of it and I now pump both yearly. Our town is changing over to Town Sewer now but it will take some time before they come to our house and I don't want to have to spend a fortune to change over to a leach field. My system is 10 ft down because our basement is an apartment. They all have risers, but would love to bring the leach-pit riser to the top of our lawn with one of those green covers, so I can check it throughout the year, because it is getting so full now
There could well be regional differences. For example, septic systems in your area may have permanent clean-out pipes for access without digging. By definition, though, if you have a septic system installed in your area you must have a frost line that stays above the depth of the laterals. Here in Jersey our winters vary, but the frost line is considered to be about 36 inches, meaning it doesn't freeze below that level. I'm sure the frost line is deeper in your area, but it might not be much deeper. Digging frozen ground can be done if necessary, and the type of soil can make the job easier or more difficult. A clay soil is tough. A sandy soil not as bad.
Do you have a septic field with laterals, or is it just a storage tank kind of arrangement? If you have a field with laterals they must have found soil that percs and doesn't freeze at whatever depth they put the pipes. If you have more of a double-tank sort of arrangement you might have some vertical access cleanout pipes that can be found. If you live in a suburban/city sort of area your municipality or county may have records of the design. If you are out in the sticks you might want to contact a local septic cleaning or septic installer and see what they can tell you. There are lots of variations in design, so sometimes you just need to poke around if there are no records.
I have an existing septic tank and would like to tap into it for my fifth wheel. Can it be done? Is it costly? do i need a permit from the county? Thanks!
I haven't the faintest idea. Regulations concerning septic systems vary widely across the country, so you'll need to check with your local authorities.
That's not accurate. It all depends on volume and usage. Some septic tanks can go many years without pumping because the homeowners don't create much solids (less poop and less paper!). Other tanks with a large family (especially with a lot of women in the house) will need pumping much more often. The two year thing is a rule of thumb--your mileage may vary.
Under normal circumstances the D box is not pumped. The distribution box is really just a means to connect all the pipes in the leach field to one place. It is installed after the septic tank, so only liquids should be flowing through it. That said, sometimes things go wrong and solids from the septic tank make their way to the distribution box or the leach field pipes. That's bad. When it happens the system must be cleaned out, either by the means of a hose with high pressure water jets snaked through the system and directed backwards towards the septic tank or by the means of a backhoe to dig up the problem! If your D box is damaged or if there is significant solids from the septic tank which found their way there, it usually means a backhoe and replacement.
I have an old survey from the 70's of my yard. The point where the 2 measurements are for my septic tank aren't in a straight line from where the drainpipe is to the overflow... Is the point where the 2 measurements meet actually the service point? Its under a patio that a previous owner put there (MORON) and i have to get it serviced ASAP. I dont want to start breaking up all the cement and digging on the blind. Thank you so much.
Unfortunately there's really no standards to these drawings, especially back in the day, so there's no telling. If you are faced with digging up a patio, consider first hiring a plumber or septic specialist with a camera and/or magnetic sensor. They can snake the septic lines and tell you essentially where everything is before you dig.
Eh, probably not. The pipe is usually an extension from a connector at the tank cover and if they didn't glue that connection well (assuming it's PVC) then it may have come loose. What you don't want is nearby dirt just falling into the tank. The only way to know for sure what happened is to dig down to the inspection cover and take a look at where the pipe enters.
Mine is the same, someone hit it with the lawn mower...no big deal. Just seat it as best you can and cement it in place next time you clean the system out.
First, do you have a cesspool or a septic system? Two different things. A cesspool is a simple pit typically filled with stone, and effluent just flows into the pit until one day it doesn't drain anymore. They have not been permitted new for many decades, but there could be a few survivors out there. A septic system has a concrete tank and a drainage field, so that solids stay in the tank and liquids drain off into the field (there are variations, of course). The solids are removed from the tank every couple-few years. Anyway, to find your tank or cesspool, first look inside your home. There should be a main "stack" pipe where all drains in the house lead. That stack goes upwards to the roof where eventually it is vented, and it goes downwards, eventually leading to a lateral pipe. That lateral pipe, typically four inch diameter, exits the building somewhere. If you have a basement it will go through the basement wall. If you have a slab foundation the stack enters the slab and the lateral may be under the slab. If you can find where this pipe exits the building you will be headed in the direction of your septic tank. Typically the tank is not located far from the house. Push comes to shove, a plumber with a camera can find the tank by following the inside of the pipe until a distance and direction is measured.
They should always install risers for easy access. But no. Bastards want to save few $ and always bury the lid 2-3 feet below ground and never leave the location known. Not even on the septic permit chart. Makes me so mad...
Somehow, to me, that seems like a hell of a lot of shit, to deal with. Just bought a house ... found out it has a septic system ... and I feel pissed that I bought it. How could I not know to asked that question. I live in the city. I thought septic tanks and propane tanks were in unincorporated counties. My dumbass wish it was a city sewer system. Now, I got to learn a whole new way of living. I feel so FUCKED. Just don't see the advantages to having a goddamn septic system. First chance I get, I'll sell the damn house. FUCK IT! 😠
That's a well accepted rule of thumb. The variables which determine the length of time you can go are many, and include the number of people using the system, how they use the system (such as the use of certain hygiene products or the length of showers), how large the system is and the condition of the field and tank, what cleaning products or other chemicals might be sent down the drains, the operating condition and age of household toilets, whether a garbage disposal unit is installed or not, the amount of laundry done in a week and the type of washer, and more. I have seen homes with septic systems that must be cleaned every few months to avoid complete failure, and I have seen systems that have not been cleaned in ten years. In my area a cleanout is about $300 currently, so an average of $100 a year to keep a septic tank operating well doesn't sound like a lot.
Hello, I am interested in pumping septic tanks out for a living. So far I have noticed that I need to get a license in doing this and pay various fees. Do I need to do an apprenticeship with anyone or take any tests? Thanks!
Depending on where you live... especially in the United States, most residential Septic Tanks are between 5 and 25 feet from the house. That being said, I've seen Septic Tanks between 50 and 100 feet away from the house. So, the bottom line is this, you can expect to pay a couple hundred bucks for a Septic Professional to locate your tank and dig up the covers. In fact, once you've had your Septic Tank pumped out, it's a good idea to put a marker of some kind in your yard. I recommend a lawn ornament like a sundial or a birdbath, because you'll always be able to find it... even in the winter. In my state, if your tank is deeper than 12 inches, a "riser" is required over all the covers on your tank, and typically that's 3 covers on most modern Septic Tanks. In any case, a Plastic Riser is only a few hundred dollars, and it allows access at the surface of the earth, which makes it easy to locate without digging. I recommend installing tank "risers" even if it's not required in your state, because it makes servicing the system so much easier.
I agree that risers are well worth the investment, and now that plastic versions are widely available it's much easier to do. In my area there are new septic requirements and new designs that I'm seeing, and some of them are quite complex. People are building on lots where pumping or elaborate leach fields are required and I'm not sure how well these systems will hold up over time. Here's another video I made on installing a riser: ruclips.net/video/Yfgr_CPKq_Q/видео.html
I thought your cat was a raccoon at first because of that striped tail! Helpful video too. I had no idea where our sewage went or that these fill up. We have the septic guys here now, digging up the pipes. However, we had to wait almost a week for them because the holidays are way busy...for septic tanks, as well...yikes!
Thank you! We have a strange situation at our house where we have a holding tank that gets pumped to city sewer (we’re below the city’s water lines or something?) The holding tank wasn’t ever recorded with the city though so when we have sewage problems we had to dig randomly until we found the thing! We even got the city planner out to the house and she was shocked. But after fixing it three years ago, here we are again having to dig it up! We were silly and didn’t take pictures to remember where the manhole was but this was extremely helpful. We found the plastic handle and saw that the raised lip but it didn’t look like it could move so we weren’t sure it was the hole.
Sorry for the long comment, but after digging for a few hours I feel like ranting about my situation lol!
That's not unusual. Sometimes the city sewer system connection is located too high relative to your house discharge and so a holding tank is installed with an electric pump to pump the sewage up to the city system. The tank holds enough waste for an emergency if the power goes out. There are also different types of pumps available, some with a "macerator" that chews up sewage before it pumps. There are also battery back-up systems available so the pump will keep going in a power outage. if you have an older system it might be worth looking into a newer pump with some of these features.
We had ours pumped a couple years ago. It had been 13 years since it had been done and the guy said it looked good except for the personal wipes that everyone uses these days, floating in the tank. They are supposed to be septic/sewer safe, But they aren't. They will clog the line to the drain field and that would be expensive! He said it depends on how many people live there as to how often it should be pumped, 2 in our case.
+Bob Derby Yes, it is possible to go quite a long time without a problem. However, it is also a risk. There's a lot of room in these tanks, generally 1000 gallons or so, but if the solids or the "crust" on the top (eew) manage to get past the baffle and into the drain field you've got a big, expensive repair. The wipes and the various female products don't bio-compose or even sink to the bottom, so you've got trouble brewing if left for too long!
I use enzyms :) I did not pump mine in......20 years, opened it up the slug layer was WELL under 2 feet.
Also use once in while yogurt the cultures do your tank lots of good ..
Not to mention garbage disposal units!!!
Yeah if you got a good bacteria going in your septic tank it'll last longer 13 years is a long time good for you that's awesome but it will last longer because the bacteria will somehow eat the solids it's weird. Once in a while I even put a little bit of sugar in water with yeast heat it up in the microwave and put it into the septic through the closest toilet just to keep that bacteria strong.
@@Septiczone If people just use the soluble ones it's not a problem. Packaging clearly says when they can be flushed.
Our cap was visible for years but I guess dirt/grass overtook. Looking for it now and this helps.
Good information.
I digged all the way to the roof around the access vent but I couldn't find any handles... I'm done! I'm moving back to the city in a month!!!!
Ha! Well, country living isn't for everyone!
Call a company to find it. You may also be able to find a diagram from the city.
first name last name they all dont have handles some have wire on top of your square lid on your tank.
If you have a metal detector it will find any existing metal handles...that's what the pumping companies use.
I’ve never in my life heard of having to dig like this! Mine gets cleaned out from the vent pipe area!
Great video.
I just dug up my yard to get to my septic tank lid, and my dad is adamant there’s a white pipe that should be sticking out the cap, but I dug it all the way up and there is no PVC pipe sticking up through the concrete cap? Is that how some are or have I not dug out far enough? To me it looks like I dug around the entire circumference of the cap
There are lots of different styles, so a lack of a pipe sticking up isn't necessarily an issue. I presume you are digging out the cover to prepare for a cleaning? If you have a single tank system, then it is typical that there are two holes on the top of the tank. The one you dug up may be the cover over the outlet of the tank, and there may also be a second cover or just a pipe over the inlet of the tank a few feet away. For a cleaning it is best to expose the outlet of the tank so you can check it for damage and make sure solids aren't getting into your leach field. If you have uncovered a plastic or concrete cap which is around two or three feet in diameter you probably have the right one.
@@enduringcharm ok thanks! Yea I had to dig up the septic cap. My father thought there should have been a pipe sticking out of the concrete cap but he realized that I dug it all the way around open and there wasn’t a PVC pipe coming out of the cap. We have one septic tank, not sure about the whole drainage field though. But we haven’t had our septic cleared in years. Last time we had a septic guy come here he was trying to explain to my dad that he rather take the entire cap off so he could completely clean the tank out, because we were having back up issues downstairs in our basement area where a stand in shower would overflow sewage out the drain. So instead of just cleaning some of it out through the small hole the guy wanted to completely clean it out but it would cost more. And the septic guy was trying to tell him this would only be a temporary fix to a bigger problem. And we would just have to keep calling him back out again to do the same thing if not. But several years have passed and not the septic is full up to the shower drain again and toilet paper and sewage came up through the drain and the water won’t go back down the drain all the way. And whenever someone flushes a toilet upstairs my toilet downstairs will start gurgling and bubbling the water in my toilet. But yea I believe the outlet of the tank is under the cap. It’s circular with one hook in it. Hoping the guy will come tomorrow, he was too busy to reach back to us today. Thank you for the info! Sorry I wrote so much just wanted to try explaining what’s been going on. Our house is an older mid 70’s house and things are starting to fall apart here left and right lol
Oh boy. That doesn't sound too good! When the solids rise above the outlet pipe which leads from the tank to the leach field, the solids start to fill the pipes in the field. That's a far greater problem than the backup into the house because it can destroy your leach field's ability to work and now you need a whole new system. With the full cap removed from the tank, your cleanout guy can do a far better job of removing solids because he can add liquid back into the tank to loosen solids and then suck it all out again. He can also look at the outlet to see if it is clogged up. If it is, they can try to use various pressure washer equipment to clean the outlet and even to back wash some of the pipes leading out to the D-box and leach field. You should take this cleanout process very seriously and be with the cleanout guy when he does his work and inspection. A whole new septic system in most places these days can easily reach $60-80K. If you can do a thorough cleaning now--no matter the cost--it;s money well spent if it saves the system.
I have the same helper! And she looks just like yours. 😂
So wait if I see that white pipe sticking out of the ground that’s connected to my septic tank it self ? Because mine is literally next to my foundation of my house
Not necessarily. That pipe could be a clean-out for the pipe leading to the tank. The tank could still be fairly close to the foundation, but usually at least 10-12 feet. That pipe you see could be a clue as to where to look, though.
my house was built in the 60's were septic access ports common then?
Well, if you have an actual septic tank and a leach field, then you also have some sort of access for clean out. It could be well buried, though. On the other hand, if you have just a simple cesspool, which might still have been built in the 60s, then you might not have a proper clean out. Cesspools can sometimes be as simple as a hole filled with crushed rock. If you are having trouble finding your tank or clean-out, a septic company with a camera can be hired to help you locate it.
The second tube 5 feet away is full of dirt? Drainfield tube?
Not sure what you mean. There are typically two tubes or pipes, one of which is an "inspection" pipe and the other leads down to the removable cover for clean out. Actually, both may lead to removable covers depending on the design. Inside the tank is the inlet and outlet pipes. The outlet pipe leads to a distribution box and there the effluent goes out to the leech field in a series of drainage pipes.
What size tank is that?
I'm sorry, I don't recall now.
If you don’t have a inspection pipe , how do you find tank?
Sometimes you have to use other clues. Find in the house where the main stack exits the building, typically with a four inch pipe. When a tank is installed it will typically be fairly close to the house, unless there are extenuating circumstances like a pump to go uphill, or unusual topography to the land. So, if you follow where the pipe exits the house and follow it out in a straight line 10-20 feet, that's a good starting point. If the land there is open and without shrubs, look for indentations or other clues to where the tank was installed or dug out earlier. If that fails, you may need either to dig down to the pipe outside and follow it out, or else have a pro insert a camera into the pipe and tell you where it goes. Your town may also have records if the house is not that old.
Julie Chandler go under your house follow the main line to were it goes outside your house. go outside to where you found the pipe under the house take a probe rod and push it into the grond usaly your tanks 2 feet or deeper when you push the probe rod into the dirt to were you followed the pipe to outside youl feel or hear it when you hit the top of the tank.
even bought the book. Great info, thank you.
mine goes into a leachpit, installed in 1990, when we built our home
There are systems which use a leaching pit after the septic tank rather than a leach field. Not to be confused with a cesspool, which is essentially just a hole where everything goes at once.
@@enduringcharm We built our home in 1990 with a 1000gall septic tank and a 1000 gall leaching tank or leach pit with 5 ft or stone around it. We have taken very good care of it and I now pump both yearly. Our town is changing over to Town Sewer now but it will take some time before they come to our house and I don't want to have to spend a fortune to change over to a leach field. My system is 10 ft down because our basement is an apartment.
They all have risers, but would love to bring the leach-pit riser to the top of our lawn with one of those green covers, so I can check it throughout the year, because it is getting so full now
So how do they pump it in winter in Alaska? Ain’t no way I can dig it up this time of year.
There could well be regional differences. For example, septic systems in your area may have permanent clean-out pipes for access without digging. By definition, though, if you have a septic system installed in your area you must have a frost line that stays above the depth of the laterals. Here in Jersey our winters vary, but the frost line is considered to be about 36 inches, meaning it doesn't freeze below that level. I'm sure the frost line is deeper in your area, but it might not be much deeper. Digging frozen ground can be done if necessary, and the type of soil can make the job easier or more difficult. A clay soil is tough. A sandy soil not as bad.
Enduring Charm LLC I have glacier rock soil
Do you have a septic field with laterals, or is it just a storage tank kind of arrangement? If you have a field with laterals they must have found soil that percs and doesn't freeze at whatever depth they put the pipes. If you have more of a double-tank sort of arrangement you might have some vertical access cleanout pipes that can be found. If you live in a suburban/city sort of area your municipality or county may have records of the design. If you are out in the sticks you might want to contact a local septic cleaning or septic installer and see what they can tell you. There are lots of variations in design, so sometimes you just need to poke around if there are no records.
Plan to pump in summer not winter
I have an existing septic tank and would like to tap into it for my fifth wheel. Can it be done? Is it costly? do i need a permit from the county? Thanks!
I haven't the faintest idea. Regulations concerning septic systems vary widely across the country, so you'll need to check with your local authorities.
found mine 50ft away from home..pvc vent pipe broke off below dirt line
It's NOT required to pump every few years IF you are maintaining it CORRECTLY with bacteria kits.
That's not accurate. It all depends on volume and usage. Some septic tanks can go many years without pumping because the homeowners don't create much solids (less poop and less paper!). Other tanks with a large family (especially with a lot of women in the house) will need pumping much more often. The two year thing is a rule of thumb--your mileage may vary.
Paper towels, handi wipes, disposable diapers, condoms... you got problems in a couple years.
@tonykubera3691 Only stupid people would flush Diapers, paper towels, and other Non flushables
Can you pump the D box?
Under normal circumstances the D box is not pumped. The distribution box is really just a means to connect all the pipes in the leach field to one place. It is installed after the septic tank, so only liquids should be flowing through it. That said, sometimes things go wrong and solids from the septic tank make their way to the distribution box or the leach field pipes. That's bad. When it happens the system must be cleaned out, either by the means of a hose with high pressure water jets snaked through the system and directed backwards towards the septic tank or by the means of a backhoe to dig up the problem! If your D box is damaged or if there is significant solids from the septic tank which found their way there, it usually means a backhoe and replacement.
I have an old survey from the 70's of my yard. The point where the 2 measurements are for my septic tank aren't in a straight line from where the drainpipe is to the overflow... Is the point where the 2 measurements meet actually the service point? Its under a patio that a previous owner put there (MORON) and i have to get it serviced ASAP. I dont want to start breaking up all the cement and digging on the blind. Thank you so much.
Unfortunately there's really no standards to these drawings, especially back in the day, so there's no telling. If you are faced with digging up a patio, consider first hiring a plumber or septic specialist with a camera and/or magnetic sensor. They can snake the septic lines and tell you essentially where everything is before you dig.
Cheaper to remove and redesign the concrete patio than install a new septic system.
My inspection pipe in the tank is "loose". When I tried taking off the cap, the pipe started moving. Is that normal?
Eh, probably not. The pipe is usually an extension from a connector at the tank cover and if they didn't glue that connection well (assuming it's PVC) then it may have come loose. What you don't want is nearby dirt just falling into the tank. The only way to know for sure what happened is to dig down to the inspection cover and take a look at where the pipe enters.
Mine is the same, someone hit it with the lawn mower...no big deal. Just seat it as best you can and cement it in place next time you clean the system out.
Hello, I bought a house 3 years ago and I don't know where the cespool is, how could I find it, I would appreciate the help
First, do you have a cesspool or a septic system? Two different things. A cesspool is a simple pit typically filled with stone, and effluent just flows into the pit until one day it doesn't drain anymore. They have not been permitted new for many decades, but there could be a few survivors out there. A septic system has a concrete tank and a drainage field, so that solids stay in the tank and liquids drain off into the field (there are variations, of course). The solids are removed from the tank every couple-few years. Anyway, to find your tank or cesspool, first look inside your home. There should be a main "stack" pipe where all drains in the house lead. That stack goes upwards to the roof where eventually it is vented, and it goes downwards, eventually leading to a lateral pipe. That lateral pipe, typically four inch diameter, exits the building somewhere. If you have a basement it will go through the basement wall. If you have a slab foundation the stack enters the slab and the lateral may be under the slab. If you can find where this pipe exits the building you will be headed in the direction of your septic tank. Typically the tank is not located far from the house. Push comes to shove, a plumber with a camera can find the tank by following the inside of the pipe until a distance and direction is measured.
Have you not watched the freaking video?
Are is like the one in the video
They should always install risers for easy access. But no. Bastards want to save few $ and always bury the lid 2-3 feet below ground and never leave the location known. Not even on the septic permit chart. Makes me so mad...
The laws and regulations can vary quite a bit by state or county, but I agree--a riser should be required now.
It's because they are ugly. If they had a way to disguise what they are more people would have them.
Somehow, to me, that seems like a hell of a lot of shit, to deal with. Just bought a house ... found out it has a septic system ... and I feel pissed that I bought it. How could I not know to asked that question. I live in the city. I thought septic tanks and propane tanks were in unincorporated counties. My dumbass wish it was a city sewer system. Now, I got to learn a whole new way of living. I feel so FUCKED. Just don't see the advantages to having a goddamn septic system. First chance I get, I'll sell the damn house. FUCK IT! 😠
Did you sell the house?
lol
Every 2 or 3 years ?????? Should be able to go longer if its working properly …
That's a well accepted rule of thumb. The variables which determine the length of time you can go are many, and include the number of people using the system, how they use the system (such as the use of certain hygiene products or the length of showers), how large the system is and the condition of the field and tank, what cleaning products or other chemicals might be sent down the drains, the operating condition and age of household toilets, whether a garbage disposal unit is installed or not, the amount of laundry done in a week and the type of washer, and more. I have seen homes with septic systems that must be cleaned every few months to avoid complete failure, and I have seen systems that have not been cleaned in ten years. In my area a cleanout is about $300 currently, so an average of $100 a year to keep a septic tank operating well doesn't sound like a lot.
Hello,
I am interested in pumping septic tanks out for a living. So far I have noticed that I need to get a license in doing this and pay various fees.
Do I need to do an apprenticeship with anyone or take any tests?
Thanks!
Lol @ my helper
Joe exotic about to get to work
Hate septic!