[jackwashere]

A pro installed my septic. The tank had a manhole but no peep hole. It is covered in dirt now which has since settled. The house is built and rented. See image on link below.

How do I check if the tank is full? Not that I am worried now but a year or two down the line how would I go about doing that?

http://tj.jjt.kinnect.me/construction/septic

 

[Daniel Holzman]

Your tank will always be "full", at least it will if it doesn't have a leak. The tank fills to the level of the outflow baffle, and remains at that level. Perhaps you want to check if the system is functioning correctly?

The simplest way to check the tank is to remove the soil from the top of the manhole, remove the manhole cover, and insert a six foot or so long wooden stick with a rag wrapped around the end. The solid material at the bottom of the tank should be no deeper than about 20% of the depth of liquid in the tank, else it is time to pump the tank. If you are not comfortable performing this test, an option is just to get the tank pumped every five years or so.

Checking if the field is functioning correctly is more difficult. You need to find the distribution box, uncover it, and verify that there is no backup of liquid in the box. Your plans will show the location of the distribution box, which is typically a small concrete or occasionally plastic box that controls flow to the field lines.

 

[Tom738]

Your tank will always be "full", at least it will if it doesn't have a leak. The tank fills to the level of the outflow baffle, and remains at that level. Perhaps you want to check if the system is functioning correctly?

The simplest way to check the tank is to remove the soil from the top of the manhole, remove the manhole cover, and insert a six foot or so long wooden stick with a rag wrapped around the end. The solid material at the bottom of the tank should be no deeper than about 20% of the depth of liquid in the tank, else it is time to pump the tank. If you are not comfortable performing this test, an option is just to get the tank pumped every five years or so.

Checking if the field is functioning correctly is more difficult. You need to find the distribution box, uncover it, and verify that there is no backup of liquid in the box. Your plans will show the location of the distribution box, which is typically a small concrete or occasionally plastic box that controls flow to the field lines.

I might pump it a little more often than that if it's a rental, because you don't know what kind of usage the tenants are putting it through. (Lots of grease down the drain, garbage disposal if there is one, guests or parties, etc...).

For general use, there are charts for usage and size of the tank that you can follow as well, but the bottom line is having to replace the field costs a lot, and pumping the tank is a few hundred bucks. 5 years is for a 900 gallon tank and two people. http://inspectapedia.com/septic/Septic_Tank_Pumping_Schedule.php

But be a little conservative, especially if you plan to hold the property for a long time, because the maintenance cost is so much lower than the capital cost of needing replacement.

 

[jackwashere]

Good idea! Just pump it every few years according to the online chart.

Follow up question. One person just uses the office bathroom just to shower once a day. Lives somewhere else. How much stress does running water add to the septic system compared to solid waste?

 

[joecaption]

No way would I be pumping that tank every few years with that little use!
Only time a tank needs to be pump is when it becomes full of soilds inside the tank.
Liquids in a properly funtioning system should have no effect on when the tank get's pumped.
Worst thing someone can install if they have a septic tank is a garbage disposal.
I've owned many houses with septic tanks, and right now have two, one being a rental.
One I owned for 10 years with 3 teenaged girls and 2, adults and had the tank pumped once and even then it turned out it was the D box had cave in, not a full tank.

 

[Tom738]

No way would I be pumping that tank every few years with that little use!
Only time a tank needs to be pump is when it becomes full of soilds inside the tank.
Liquids in a properly funtioning system should have no effect on when the tank get's pumped.
Worst thing someone can install if they have a septic tank is a garbage disposal.
I've owned many houses with septic tanks, and right now have two, one being a rental.
One I owned for 10 years with 3 teenaged girls and 2, adults and had the tank pumped once and even then it turned out it was the D box had cave in, not a full tank.

Absolutely, shower usage basically adds nothing to a septic unless it is really terribly underdesigned.

To clarify though, the tank should be pumped long before it is full of solids. There needs to be room between the sludge and the baffle for the solids to settle out of the effluent. The bigger the gap the lower the density of particulate matter near the top that gets flushed into the septic field with the rest of the effluent. And the more particulate matter that goes into the septic field, the shorter the system life.

If you're not holding the home for long, you can certainly take your chances and not pump as often. But I'd hate to be around when the $30K bill for replacing the septic comes around because you saved $1000 in maintenance over 15 years.

Similarly the scum layer (on top) can get too thick, and if it grows so thick that it reaches below the bottom of the baffle then the tank will not function properly, I believe because scum gets pushed up into the septic field.

 

[jackwashere]

So in other words you suggest to check the status of the tank once per year. Not sure what the value added of the rag would be. Someone suggested that procedure on this thread. I just used a long pole or stick the last time I did it at another location.

 

[Martin12345]

I had problems with my outlfow recently with it constantly dripping. Just had to slightly bend the mini boy thing to stop the leak.

 

[rjniles]

I had problems with my outlfow recently with it constantly dripping. Just had to slightly bend the mini boy thing to stop the leak.

mini boy thing. ????

 

[Tom738]

So in other words you suggest to check the status of the tank once per year. Not sure what the value added of the rag would be. Someone suggested that procedure on this thread. I just used a long pole or stick the last time I did it at another location.

Not at all--I suggest roughly following the chart for usage but maybe a tad more often when dealing with renters because you don't know their habits.

 

[AllanJ]

Pumping the septic tank is done using an individually designed time schedule, if you don't want to use a dipstick.

It is a good idea to have the tank pumped when you move in unless it is a new house or you know that the tank was pumped not too long ago.

Starting the time schedule is always guesswork but three years for a typical family and no sink garbage disposer and no dense solids such as tampons flushed down the drain seems about right.

Each time the tank is pumped, a good pumping technician or crew can tell you whether the time was right or you could go longer (or if you were overdue). Use this information to select the next pumping date.