How To Install A Septic Tank Riser
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- Опубликовано: 15 янв 2021
- Many septic tanks have a heavy concrete clean out cover, buried a foot or more underground. They must be dug up and removed every 2-3 years to allow for a pump-out. In this video I'll show you how to replace that concrete cover with a plastic riser system which can either be buried just below the surface or be brought above the surface. This is something a DIYer can do inexpensively. A previous video ( • Find And Dig Out Your ... ) showed how to find and dig up your cover.
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amzn.to/3oL1yyb (Tuf-Tite 24" Adapter Ring)
amzn.to/3nHxMZJ (Tuf-Tite 12" Riser)
amzn.to/38IczdW (Tuf-Tite 6" Riser)
amzn.to/3bIN9ib (Tuf-Tite Domed Lid)
amzn.to/2Lx2asO (Tuf-Tie Flat Lid)
amzn.to/3oEA653 (Butyl Tape)
amzn.to/3qkkjbV (Stainless Screws) 
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Thanks for the video! Glad you didn't fall into the tank head-first while pushing down the parts!!
Yes, that would have been a bad day!
Risers are honestly one of the best investments you can make for maintenance to your septic system. Easy access for pumping, inspections, even some repair if necessary. For me, it's a visual cue, too. Infrastructure is often overlooked because it's made invisible, but seeing that green riser cover in the backyard serves as a reminder to keep tabs on the system. Not that I enjoy taking off that cover, but boy has it saved me money over the long haul. Spend the $300-$400 and give yourself some piece of mind.
Excellent video. Informative, easy to follow, and you provided all of the steps in sequence with no redoing of work. I will be adding a riser to our tank next week. This will be the go-to video for getting the job done.
Glad it was helpful!
A really superb, clearly spoken and visually demonstrated video on this subject. No redundancy, no hectic fast-forwarding and no wasted time.
Thank you!
Thanks for the video. You could also put a filter on the outlet baffle (pipe going to the leach/drain field) and keep the riser above ground, so that you'd have easy access to it and can clean the filter once a year.
Outstanding video sir. Thank you so much.
Thanks. Just did mine after watching this.
Great video Sir, I have a couple I need to rise. Thanks for the information on how to do this. Take care.
Nice video, thanks for the detailed explanation. Well done!
Awesome, detailed video. Thanks for posting!
Glad you liked it!
thanks! amazon has everything
Thanks for doing this video
thanks
COOP
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As usual, an elegant, and common sense solution. If you lived in our area you would always be my first call. What is the longevity rating of that material? Even if it is short time, it would be worthwhile. Also, as usual, its' always the prep that is the most time consuming. Nice foundation for any future work.
It should easily last the lifetime oft he septic tank itself.
Very cool
I used quick drying hydraulic cement buttered on the bottom then grouted the edge all around the ring with a nice beveled edge of the same cement...worked great
One potential issue with that approach is that the plastic will expand and contract in time, while the cement will stay put with the concrete tank. Probably you won't get cracks, but you might have some rainwater leakage. Not the end of the world as long as it isn't severe.
Thanks for this video, I have to do this very same set up. Much appreciated!!
Great video!! Would the cover fit directly on the adapter ring? I would not need any riser for my installation.
Yes, you can omit the riser if you don't need it.
I see that your tank is almost to the top. How is your house still draining in to it and not backing up? Ours is blocking constantly lately because of high water. Came here to look for a lighter lid. Great video.
When your septic tank is installed the height is adjusted relative to the main drain pipe exiting your house, typically a four inch pipe. In other words, the height of the pipe exiting your house determines the height of the tank. And, when I say "adjusted" I mean a backhoe digs to the right depth! If you have water backing up into the house from your septic tank, then something has gone seriously wrong. Possibilities include a blocked pipe leading out to the tank, a tank that was not installed correctly in the first place or that has moved with time, or the main pipe leading out from the house has moved. Septic tanks can move if they are not installed well in the first place or if you have a high water table in the area. In any case, you should have a pro take a look. If the problem is not a blocked pipe, then you may need to either lower the tank or raise the drain pipe coming from the house. Neither are simple repairs.
Very informative.
Was a safety cover installed and would you think a riding mower would be able to move across it, if the cover was flush with the surface?
If the cover will be above the surface, I believe they do have some kind of safety screen for installation in the riser. I didn't check that out at the time since this was buried. As far as a riding mower, I mean it may support the weight but why ask for trouble?
I wouldn't chance it. The poly is durable but it's already contending with the elements beating down on it every day. Mow around and tidy up as needed.
Thanks! Would have bought wrong sized riser (diameter)
Very nice. Considering this. I would put mine below the ground also so grass could grow. It is in a spot where I would need to use a push mower. Also people regularly walk through this area. Should that be a problem?
I wouldn't suggest heavy machinery over the top of the access hole or the tank top, but a single person walking across should be fine. Another option would be to plant something with shallow roots, such as perennial flowers, in that area so that people walk around . When the cover is dug up for cleaning, the perennials will tolerate being temporarily displaced.
Any use keeping the concrete lids installed in addition to the riser lid? Or just throw them away..?
Nah, just chuck it. They often crack over time anyway and nobody wants to deal with lifting them off for tank clean out.
I noticed that you did not put the access cover back on with the riser. Is this typicsl practice? You do not need the access cover after installjng the riser?
I'm not sure I follow your question. I removed the existing concrete access cover, and that gets discarded. The plastic riser is installed and then that riser has it's own plastic cover.
Great video. I’m curious if you can use some leftover butyl tape, trimmed to size, in place of the silicone caulk (for use between the riser sections). Thanks.
You could. The silicone caulk is easier, and there are also other types of construction adhesives you could use.
I did this a few years ago. The local plumbing supply sold the Tuf Tite pretty cheap. Also hammered the concrete outlet baffle to pieces to install a filter. It's so easy to inspect and clean the filter now. I'd like to ask you, the septic system layout from the county shows a 300 foot single line starting at the back of the house, going to the side then winding its way back behind the house. If that is so, does the entire line really get used? Would it have to be at a slight incline all the way to the end? Thanks for the video. Looks like I did it ok.
There are many septic field layout styles. I can't say I follow what yours is doing, though. Typically there is a pipe leading from the septic tank to a distribution box. Then there are multiple pipes leading from that "D" box to a field. All the pipes are inclined to allow drainage, and the field pipes have holes to allow fluid to escape. The solids are supposed to get trapped in the tank for cleanout later. I'm not sure what's going on with your single pipe, perhaps you have an unusual design due to site conditions.
@@enduringcharm Ok, thank you. I'm not aware of any unusual conditions. The hand-drawn illustration of the layout (from 1993) doesn't show a distribution box, just the single pipe. Maybe the drawing is not even true since it doesn't seem that such a system could be fully utilized. But thank you. Although we've never added anything before and have no issues, at 30 yrs. old, I wonder if it would be ok to occasionally add something like Roebic.
I need to add a riser to my tank. Do they make a rectangle shaped riser kit? I just found one lid like you. Is one lid common?
Thanks
If you are burying the top under some dirt, I think the additional safety screen is not necessary. But, there could be local regulations about it. I'm not aware of a rectangular riser, but who knows.
@@enduringcharm We have a square hatch as well. We found an square hatch adapter kit for Tuf-Tite - they have it for 20" and 24" riser - it uses a Polylok square base with a Tuf-Tite RTR www.completeplumbingsource.com/square-tank-adapter
Video was really helpful!
Any smells Without the use of cement? It did the silicone work alone?
No, it's well sealed. All good.
Can you explain the old fashioned way to remove the concrete lid. I see a chain wrapped around a piece of wood - did you just use good old leverage
Every septic tank cleaner seems to have his own method. The concrete lids usually have either two plastic handles or two handles made from rebar sticking out on the edge. Hopefully your handles are still intact, otherwise it becomes a problem. The lids are often stuck to the tank with mud and hydraulic force from the water, so it may be helpful to take the flat edge of a shale bar to pry up on the edge of the lid. This will just loosen the grip of the mud and water. Now you are faced with lifting the lid completely off. If you have two people, each can loop a rope or chain around a handle and the two of you can lift and remove the lid as a team. They can get pretty heavy--150 or 200 pounds, I would guess. If you are working alone it's more difficult. There are various homemade tripods that some people use. The tripod is set over the lid, and a chain is used with a pulley to hoist the cover free. Other people just wrestle the cover free using a combination of leverage and muscle. You can loop a chain around your shale bar and the lid handles, and then lift one end of the shale bar with the other end on a pivot point, for example. There's no "official" method, really. But if you can get a helper that the easiest way.
Was that a 24 inch? I measured my old cement lid and it was 26 across.
The concrete lids are typically slightly bigger than the hole so they don't fall in. The bottom edge is probably sloped or angled so it fits tightly. Measure your tank opening rather than the lid.
South florida, most of us have 2 square lids, the one closer to the house is 29 inches across. i see no sizes for that.
There are lots of different sizes, it's true. Typically the local suppliers will be aware of the commonly installed sizes and can help you. Sometimes the opening is tapered, so the size you need could be a little different from what you are measuring. I'd suggest looking for a local supplier to give you a hand.
What gal size is your tank How often do you pump out?
The size of the tank is typically related to the number of bedrooms in a house, which is a means of determining how many people are living in the house. Common sizes are 1000, 1200 and 1500 gallons, though others exist. The rule of thumb for pumping out is every two or three years, but mileage can vary. If the system gets a lot of heavy use, or feminine products are flushed instead of tossed, or the tank is undersized, then you may have to pump every year. If the system is used by a little old lady who flushes one a day, then you might go 6-7 years between pumps! The only way to know is to do a pump and note the tank condition for next time.
OK, so I can not find a video explaining what to do when your septic tank does not have an access cover. Mine is just a pair of solid 4'x4' concrete slabs. When they come to clean it they have to lift the entire half of the top and flip it off the structure. I want to use one of these risers, but what do I need to do? cut a hole into a 70 year old concrete lid?
I'm not exactly sure what you've got there--certainly a four foot square lid is not typical. Possibly it isn't even a lid but part of the whole tank and an access cover was never originally installed. Septic regulations tend to be local in nature, often at the county level. Likewise, the manufacturing and installation of tanks and other components tends to be locally oriented. Concrete tanks and components are heavy and difficult to transport, so in areas where septic systems are common there are usually one or two small manufacturers who serve the area. My advice is to find one of those small businesses near you and stop in for a chat. Odds are that if you have this tank other homeowners in the area have faced the same issue. It's possible there exists a 4 foot square replacement with a riser hole precast into the concrete. Or, it may be that you need to cut a hole for a riser in your existing cover. Either way, you'll need the help of a pro. Search your local area for the right business to help--typically the word "precast" or "-crete" is in the business name.
What kind of silicone chaulk you used?
The brand really isn't important. Any pure silicone caulk is fine--they are all the same.
Nice video but in my area in Indiana you have to also replace the concrete cover.
You mean a concrete cover is required versus a bolt down plastic cover? There are definitely variations in local codes, especially for septic systems.
@@enduringcharm The concrete cover that comes on the tank is required to be kept on the tank even if your have a covered riser added to the tank.
What adhesive did you use
The screws hold the plastics together, so you can just use silicone to seal those parts. The connection to the concrete tank can be made with the butyl tape as I showed, and if you want to add an adhesive as well, you can use any construction adhesive which is labeled for concrete and for plastic. I don't recall which brand I had at the time, but it really isn't that important. The tape is probably enough, it was a belt-and-suspenders type of decision.
@@enduringcharm What size screw? There are no instructions that I could find on the tuf-tite website, and other instructions just say "stainless screws". What thread and length worked for you?
@@bobgcampbell When I got my Tuf-tite kit, it included the stainless screws for all attachments, except the bottom ring to the tank itself, which the OP omitted, relying on the caulk to do that. For belt and suspenders, I ordered stainless concrete Tapcons in 1.25" #8 size from amazon to fasten the bottom ring to the concrete and used caulk to seal the bottom ring to the tank.
Oh so you don’t need to add the concrete cover back on… just the plastic lid is fine?
That's a big part of the draw for this system--no more heavy concrete lid needing two people to remove. The plastic lid may seem inadequate, but it's actually quite strong. It should also hold up over time better than concrete, which can crack and break apart over the years.
A main point of a riser is so that you don't have to dig up anything to pump out or inspect the system. In the winter if you have to pump, the ground may be frozen, making it nearly impossible to dig up the lid. Don't burry the lid !!! LOL
Burying the lid can be an esthetic consideration. In this case, for example, the lid was located a short distance from the deck in a garden area and a plastic lid sticking up would be an eyesore. As for digging in winter climates, there should never be an emergency need to pump a septic in the dead of winter under a load of snow. The typical timeframe for pumping is every 2-3 years, which leaves lots of time to plan.
I'm not sure I need a riser on my tank. It took me 20 minutes to dig out mine and that was a couple minutes finding the exact location by starting 2 feet off. I'm of the belief that adding more parts adds the possibility for a greater likelihood of something to fail. I have considered building a small wood platform to sit over the cover so I can locate where to dig and attaching an old hand pump to it as a joke. Then I would just have to slide it over and dig.
Well, your digging might not be too bad. The other factor would be the weight of the concrete lid, if that's what you have. It usually takes two people or else a chain and frame to lift a concrete lid, and the handles often break off. The concrete lids are prone to cracking over time as well. So even if you don't need a tall riser, you might consider a plastic lid over concrete.
I trust no tools were "harmed" (lost) during the making of this video? ...
No joke, it does make you grip your tools a little more firmly when you are hanging over a pit of poop!
8:28 don't fall in!
That would make for a bad day, that's for sure!