Septic system

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    • #284802
      Avatar photoIvan Otalian

        The community where I live has installed a sewer collection and disposal system. I am not required to connect to the system as my residence is more than 200ft. from the collector line. It will cost me about $10,000 to hookup. If I decline to be connected and my system should fail in the future I would be required to connect at a cost of at least double what it would cost today. My home is located in a stream bed consisting of sand gravel and rocks. I had the tank pumped ten years ago and it has never given me any problems. My wife and I are both over seventy and I wonder if it is expedient to connect to the sewer system at this time.

      • #308426
        Avatar photoEdwin T. Malloy
        Participant

          That is a hard question that maybe only you can answer. But many people recommend having a septic tank pumped-out every 3 to 5 years. Maybe you should have it pumped again by someone that could also give an evaluation at the same time.

        • #308431
          Avatar photoEdwin T. Malloy
          Participant

            : The community where I live has installed a sewer collection and disposal system. I am not required to connect to the system as my residence is more than 200ft. from the collector line. It will cost me about $10,000 to hookup. If I decline to be connected and my system should fail in the future I would be required to connect at a cost of at least double what it would cost today. My home is located in a stream bed consisting of sand gravel and rocks. I had the tank pumped ten years ago and it has never given me any problems. My wife and I are both over seventy and I wonder if it is expedient to connect to the sewer system at this time.Edwin, in my opinion, it is never expedient to connect to a centralized sewage collection system if your on-site system is functioning properly. Most folks seem to think that a central sewage treatment plant can do a better job of treating sewage than their septic tank system. Not true. In reality, what is accomplished by centralization is merely moving pollution from one place to another, through a very expensive infrastructure with a short design life, and thereby concentrating all the sewage from a large area to a single point. An attempt is made to treat all of this sewage before discharge to surface water. Ultimately, at times, these central treatment systems fail to adequately treat this massive volume of sewage, resulting in the discharge of poorly treated sewage effluent into the environment. There is no way to shut off the flow of raw sewage in a central collection system. I read in the trade journals, and newspapers regularly about violations of the Clean Water Act by municipal and special district sewage treatment facilities, sometimes resulting in prison terms for the personnel responsible for the violations. I dont think it is prudent, nor expedient, to participate in, nor support this high cost and ridiculous method of handling sewage. The $10,000 tap fee is just the first consideration in doing an economic analysis of this sewage treatment option. Consider the monthly fees that will never end and are destined to increase in the future. These entities are usually controlled by Empire Builders.That said, I recommend that you modify your existing septic system before it fails, so that its design lends itself to easy maintenance. Regular maintenance is essential to a properly functioning septic system. Unfortunately, most of the septic system regulatory agencies in this country issue permits for septic systems on a daily basis that are designed to fail. The agencies stress the importance of regular maintenance, but then allow systems to be installed that are completely buried with no obvious indication as to where the components are located, and RESIST maintenance. It becomes a difficult task to have the sludge removed from the septic tank if the location of the tank is unknown, or the soil above the access hole has to be excavated. Therefore, the event that prompts the pumping of the sludge is usually either surfacing sewage at the leach field or septic tank, or sewage backing up into the house. This regime is known as maintenance by crises.Contact a licensed septic system installer in your area, and obtain a permit to MODIFY your septic system so that it lends itself to easy, regular maintenance. Avoid calling this project a REPAIR, but rather a MODIFICATION to a sucessfully operating system. In my jurisdiction if a home is within 400 feet of the centralized sewage collection system, and the septic system fails, then it is required to connect to the sewer. The health department will not issue a repair permit. However, if the septic system is functioning properly, it is possible to obtain a permit to make modifications to the system. So in my opinion it is prudent to make an investment into the system to minimized the possibility of failure.Suggested Modifications:Install risers over both the inlet and outlet access holes of the tank, so that the riser covers extend to the ground surface. I use cast aluminum meter pit bonnets that have a rubber inner lid to prevent odors in the yard, and a cast iron top lid with a penta head locking device for security. The cast iron lid is about 12 inches in diameter, and should be installed so that it is at the final grade of the yard.Install a septic tank effluent filter in the outlet tee of the tank. This filter is very effective in reducing the suspended solids in the effluent that is applied to the leach field, thereby reducing the organic loading on the leach field. The filter should be cleaned annually by simply removing it from the tee and flushing the debris that has accumulated on the filter with the strong stream from a hose, back into the tank.If it is practical, install another leach field and place a diversion valve in the effluent pipe so that the effluent flow can be alternated from one field to the other on an anual basis. The new field should be fitted with monitoring and ventilation ports to allow for ventilation when it is in the resting mode of operation. A ventilation port should be installed in the existing field after it becomes unsaturated. This condition will occur perhaps a couple of months after it no longer receives effluent from the tank.I recommend to all of my clients that they perform the maintenance duties of their systems on the 4th of July, SEWAGE INDEPENDENCE DAY. Celebrate your independence of the SEWER GRID. With this independence, however, comes responsibility, the responsibility of a sewage treatment plant operator. You may wish to contract with the installer, or a sewage pumper to perform this annual maintenance duty.Sludge removal should be accomplished only when it is necessary. I use the 1/3 rule to determine the frequency of sludge removal. The sludge pumping event is required when the sludge accumulation is 1/3 the depth of the liquid in the tank. The sludge depth can be determined with a device known as a SLUDGE JUDGE. This device costs about $80.00, but this amount is probably half the cost of pumping the septic tank just once unnecessarily.Another option that you may pursue in obtaining septic system maintenance services is to convince the municipal sewer department to adopt what I call THE CMODS CONCEPT. CMODS (pronounced commodes) is an acronym for Centralized Management Of Decentralized Systems.I hope you can make the appropriate decision that will best suit your needs with the information that I have provided above. Please let me know by an e-mail message of your decision, or if you have any questions regarding my rather verbose response to your inquiry. This forum provides me a soap box to expound my views on how sewage should be managed. Notice that I do not refer to this substance as Wastewater. Water is our most valuable resource, and should never be wasted. JWA

          • #308463
            Avatar photoEdwin T. Malloy
            Participant

              : : The community where I live has installed a sewer collection and disposal system. I am not required to connect to the system as my residence is more than 200ft. from the collector line. It will cost me about $10,000 to hookup. If I decline to be connected and my system should fail in the future I would be required to connect at a cost of at least double what it would cost today. My home is located in a stream bed consisting of sand gravel and rocks. I had the tank pumped ten years ago and it has never given me any problems. My wife and I are both over seventy and I wonder if it is expedient to connect to the sewer system at this time.: Edwin, in my opinion, it is never expedient to connect to a centralized sewage collection system if your on-site system is functioning properly. Most folks seem to think that a central sewage treatment plant can do a better job of treating sewage than their septic tank system. Not true. In reality, what is accomplished by centralization is merely moving pollution from one place to another, through a very expensive infrastructure with a short design life, and thereby concentrating all the sewage from a large area to a single point. An attempt is made to treat all of this sewage before discharge to surface water. Ultimately, at times, these central treatment systems fail to adequately treat this massive volume of sewage, resulting in the discharge of poorly treated sewage effluent into the environment. There is no way to shut off the flow of raw sewage in a central collection system. I read in the trade journals, and newspapers regularly about violations of the Clean Water Act by municipal and special district sewage treatment facilities, sometimes resulting in prison terms for the personnel responsible for the violations. I dont think it is prudent, nor expedient, to participate in, nor support this high cost and ridiculous method of handling sewage. The $10,000 tap fee is just the first consideration in doing an economic analysis of this sewage treatment option. Consider the monthly fees that will never end and are destined to increase in the future. These entities are usually controlled by Empire Builders.: That said, I recommend that you modify your existing septic system before it fails, so that its design lends itself to easy maintenance. Regular maintenance is essential to a properly functioning septic system. Unfortunately, most of the septic system regulatory agencies in this country issue permits for septic systems on a daily basis that are designed to fail. The agencies stress the importance of regular maintenance, but then allow systems to be installed that are completely buried with no obvious indication as to where the components are located, and RESIST maintenance. It becomes a difficult task to have the sludge removed from the septic tank if the location of the tank is unknown, or the soil above the access hole has to be excavated. Therefore, the event that prompts the pumping of the sludge is usually either surfacing sewage at the leach field or septic tank, or sewage backing up into the house. This regime is known as maintenance by crises.: Contact a licensed septic system installer in your area, and obtain a permit to MODIFY your septic system so that it lends itself to easy, regular maintenance. Avoid calling this project a REPAIR, but rather a MODIFICATION to a sucessfully operating system. In my jurisdiction if a home is within 400 feet of the centralized sewage collection system, and the septic system fails, then it is required to connect to the : sewer. The health department will not issue a repair permit. However, if the septic system is functioning properly, it is possible to obtain a permit to make modifications to the system. So in my opinion it is prudent to make an investment into the system to minimized the possibility of failure.: Suggested Modifications:: Install risers over both the inlet and outlet access holes of the tank, so that the riser covers extend to the ground surface. I use cast aluminum meter pit bonnets that have a rubber inner lid to prevent odors in the yard, and a cast iron top lid with a penta head locking device for security. The cast iron lid is about 12 inches in diameter, and should be installed so that it is at the final grade of the yard.: Install a septic tank effluent filter in the outlet tee of the tank. This filter is very effective in reducing the suspended solids in the effluent that is applied to the leach field, thereby reducing the organic loading on the leach field. The filter should be cleaned annually by simply removing it from the tee and flushing the debris that has accumulated on the filter with the strong stream from a hose, back into the tank.: If it is practical, install another leach field and place a diversion valve in the effluent pipe so that the effluent flow can be alternated from one field to the other on an anual basis. The new field should be fitted with monitoring and ventilation ports to allow for ventilation when it is in the resting mode of operation. A ventilation port should be installed in the existing field after it becomes unsaturated. This condition will occur perhaps a couple of months after it no longer receives effluent from the tank.: I recommend to all of my clients that they perform the maintenance duties of their systems on the 4th of July, SEWAGE INDEPENDENCE DAY. Celebrate your independence of the SEWER GRID. With this independence, however, comes responsibility, the responsibility of a sewage treatment plant operator. You may wish to contract with the installer, or a sewage pumper to perform this annual maintenance duty.: Sludge removal should be accomplished only when it is necessary. I use the 1/3 rule to determine the frequency of sludge removal. : The sludge pumping event is required when the sludge accumulation is 1/3 the depth of the liquid in the tank. The sludge depth can be determined with a device known as a SLUDGE JUDGE. This device costs about $80.00, but this amount is probably half the cost of pumping the septic tank just once unnecessarily.: Another option that you may pursue in obtaining septic system maintenance services is to convince the municipal sewer department to adopt what I call THE CMODS CONCEPT. CMODS (pronounced commodes) is an acronym for Centralized Management Of Decentralized Systems.: I hope you can make the appropriate decision that will best suit your needs with the information that I have provided above. Please let me know by an e-mail message of your decision, or if you have any questions regarding my rather verbose response to your inquiry. This forum provides me a soap box to expound my views on how sewage should be managed. Notice that I do not refer to this substance as Wastewater. Water is our most valuable resource, and should never be wasted. JWA

            • #308488
              Avatar photoEdwin T. Malloy
              Participant

                : : The community where I live has installed a sewer collection and disposal system. I am not required to connect to the system as my residence is more than 200ft. from the collector line. It will cost me about $10,000 to hookup. If I decline to be connected and my system should fail in the future I would be required to connect at a cost of at least double what it would cost today. My home is located in a stream bed consisting of sand gravel and rocks. I had the tank pumped ten years ago and it has never given me any problems. My wife and I are both over seventy and I wonder if it is expedient to connect to the sewer system at this time.: Edwin, in my opinion, it is never expedient to connect to a centralized sewage collection system if your on-site system is functioning properly. Most folks seem to think that a central sewage treatment plant can do a better job of treating sewage than their septic tank system. Not true. In reality, what is accomplished by centralization is merely moving pollution from one place to another, through a very expensive infrastructure with a short design life, and thereby concentrating all the sewage from a large area to a single point. An attempt is made to treat all of this sewage before discharge to surface water. Ultimately, at times, these central treatment systems fail to adequately treat this massive volume of sewage, resulting in the discharge of poorly treated sewage effluent into the environment. There is no way to shut off the flow of raw sewage in a central collection system. I read in the trade journals, and newspapers regularly about violations of the Clean Water Act by municipal and special district sewage treatment facilities, sometimes resulting in prison terms for the personnel responsible for the violations. I dont think it is prudent, nor expedient, to participate in, nor support this high cost and ridiculous method of handling sewage. The $10,000 tap fee is just the first consideration in doing an economic analysis of this sewage treatment option. Consider the monthly fees that will never end and are destined to increase in the future. These entities are usually controlled by Empire Builders.: That said, I recommend that you modify your existing septic system before it fails, so that its design lends itself to easy maintenance. Regular maintenance is essential to a properly functioning septic system. Unfortunately, most of the septic system regulatory agencies in this country issue permits for septic systems on a daily basis that are designed to fail. The agencies stress the importance of regular maintenance, but then allow systems to be installed that are completely buried with no obvious indication as to where the components are located, and RESIST maintenance. It becomes a difficult task to have the sludge removed from the septic tank if the location of the tank is unknown, or the soil above the access hole has to be excavated. Therefore, the event that prompts the pumping of the sludge is usually either surfacing sewage at the leach field or septic tank, or sewage backing up into the house. This regime is known as maintenance by crises.: Contact a licensed septic system installer in your area, and obtain a permit to MODIFY your septic system so that it lends itself to easy, regular maintenance. Avoid calling this project a REPAIR, but rather a MODIFICATION to a sucessfully operating system. In my jurisdiction if a home is within 400 feet of the centralized sewage collection system, and the septic system fails, then it is required to connect to the : sewer. The health department will not issue a repair permit. However, if the septic system is functioning properly, it is possible to obtain a permit to make modifications to the system. So in my opinion it is prudent to make an investment into the system to minimized the possibility of failure.: Suggested Modifications:: Install risers over both the inlet and outlet access holes of the tank, so that the riser covers extend to the ground surface. I use cast aluminum meter pit bonnets that have a rubber inner lid to prevent odors in the yard, and a cast iron top lid with a penta head locking device for security. The cast iron lid is about 12 inches in diameter, and should be installed so that it is at the final grade of the yard.: Install a septic tank effluent filter in the outlet tee of the tank. This filter is very effective in reducing the suspended solids in the effluent that is applied to the leach field, thereby reducing the organic loading on the leach field. The filter should be cleaned annually by simply removing it from the tee and flushing the debris that has accumulated on the filter with the strong stream from a hose, back into the tank.: If it is practical, install another leach field and place a diversion valve in the effluent pipe so that the effluent flow can be alternated from one field to the other on an anual basis. The new field should be fitted with monitoring and ventilation ports to allow for ventilation when it is in the resting mode of operation. A ventilation port should be installed in the existing field after it becomes unsaturated. This condition will occur perhaps a couple of months after it no longer receives effluent from the tank.: I recommend to all of my clients that they perform the maintenance duties of their systems on the 4th of July, SEWAGE INDEPENDENCE DAY. Celebrate your independence of the SEWER GRID. With this independence, however, comes responsibility, the responsibility of a sewage treatment plant operator. You may wish to contract with the installer, or a sewage pumper to perform this annual maintenance duty.: Sludge removal should be accomplished only when it is necessary. I use the 1/3 rule to determine the frequency of sludge removal. : The sludge pumping event is required when the sludge accumulation is 1/3 the depth of the liquid in the tank. The sludge depth can be determined with a device known as a SLUDGE JUDGE. This device costs about $80.00, but this amount is probably half the cost of pumping the septic tank just once unnecessarily.: Another option that you may pursue in obtaining septic system maintenance services is to convince the municipal sewer department to adopt what I call THE CMODS CONCEPT. CMODS (pronounced commodes) is an acronym for Centralized Management Of Decentralized Systems.: I hope you can make the appropriate decision that will best suit your needs with the information that I have provided above. Please let me know by an e-mail message of your decision, or if you have any questions regarding my rather verbose response to your inquiry. This forum provides me a soap box to expound my views on how sewage should be managed. Notice that I do not refer to this substance as Wastewater. Water is our most valuable resource, and should never be wasted. JWA

              • #308489
                Avatar photoEdwin T. Malloy
                Participant

                  : : :Thank you John for your definitive advice. I have declined connection to the sewage system and am following through with your other suggestions. : : Edwin, in my opinion, it is never expedient to connect to a centralized sewage collection system if your on-site system is functioning properly. Most folks seem to think that a central sewage treatment plant can do a better job of treating sewage than their septic tank system. Not true. In reality, what is accomplished by centralization is merely moving pollution from one place to another, through a very expensive infrastructure with a short design life, and thereby concentrating all the sewage from a large area to a single point. An attempt is made to treat all of this sewage before discharge to surface water. Ultimately, at times, these central treatment systems fail to adequately treat this massive volume of sewage, resulting in the discharge of poorly treated sewage effluent into the environment. There is no way to shut off the flow of raw sewage in a central collection system. I read in the trade journals, and newspapers regularly about violations of the Clean Water Act by municipal and special district sewage treatment facilities, sometimes resulting in prison terms for the personnel responsible for the violations. I dont think it is prudent, nor expedient, to participate in, nor support this high cost and ridiculous method of handling sewage. The $10,000 tap fee is just the first consideration in doing an economic analysis of this sewage treatment option. Consider the monthly fees that will never end and are destined to increase in the future. These entities are usually controlled by Empire Builders.: : That said, I recommend that you modify your existing septic system before it fails, so that its design lends itself to easy maintenance. Regular maintenance is essential to a properly functioning septic system. Unfortunately, most of the septic system regulatory agencies in this country issue permits for septic systems on a daily basis that are designed to fail. The agencies stress the importance of regular maintenance, but then allow systems to be installed that are completely buried with no obvious indication as to where the components are located, and RESIST maintenance. It becomes a difficult task to have the sludge removed from the septic tank if the location of the tank is unknown, or the soil above the access hole has to be excavated. Therefore, the event that prompts the pumping of the sludge is usually either surfacing sewage at the leach field or septic tank, or sewage backing up into the house. This regime is known as maintenance by crises.: : Contact a licensed septic system installer in your area, and obtain a permit to MODIFY your septic system so that it lends itself to easy, regular maintenance. Avoid calling this project a REPAIR, but rather a MODIFICATION to a sucessfully operating system. In my jurisdiction if a home is within 400 feet of the centralized sewage collection system, and the septic system fails, then it is required to connect to the : : sewer. The health department will not issue a repair permit. However, if the septic system is functioning properly, it is possible to obtain a permit to make modifications to the system. So in my opinion it is prudent to make an investment into the system to minimized the possibility of failure.: : Suggested Modifications:: : Install risers over both the inlet and outlet access holes of the tank, so that the riser covers extend to the ground surface. I use cast aluminum meter pit bonnets that have a rubber inner lid to prevent odors in the yard, and a cast iron top lid with a penta head locking device for security. The cast iron lid is about 12 inches in diameter, and should be installed so that it is at the final grade of the yard.: : Install a septic tank effluent filter in the outlet tee of the tank. This filter is very effective in reducing the suspended solids in the effluent that is applied to the leach field, thereby reducing the organic loading on the leach field. The filter should be cleaned annually by simply removing it from the tee and flushing the debris that has accumulated on the filter with the strong stream from a hose, back into the tank.: : If it is practical, install another leach field and place a diversion valve in the effluent pipe so that the effluent flow can be alternated from one field to the other on an anual basis. The new field should be fitted with monitoring and ventilation ports to allow for ventilation when it is in the resting mode of operation. A ventilation port should be installed in the existing field after it becomes unsaturated. This condition will occur perhaps a couple of months after it no longer receives effluent from the tank.: : I recommend to all of my clients that they perform the maintenance duties of their systems on the 4th of July, SEWAGE INDEPENDENCE DAY. Celebrate your independence of the SEWER GRID. With this independence, however, comes responsibility, the responsibility of a sewage treatment plant operator. You may wish to contract with the installer, or a sewage pumper to perform this annual maintenance duty.: : Sludge removal should be accomplished only when it is necessary. I use the 1/3 rule to determine the frequency of sludge removal. : : The sludge pumping event is required when the sludge accumulation is 1/3 the depth of the liquid in the tank. The sludge depth can be determined with a device known as a SLUDGE JUDGE. This device costs about $80.00, but this amount is probably half the cost of pumping the septic tank just once unnecessarily.: : Another option that you may pursue in obtaining septic system maintenance services is to convince the municipal sewer department to adopt what I call THE CMODS CONCEPT. CMODS (pronounced commodes) is an acronym for Centralized Management Of Decentralized Systems.: : I hope you can make the appropriate decision that will best suit your needs with the information that I have provided above. Please let me know by an e-mail message of your decision, or if you have any questions regarding my rather verbose response to your inquiry. This forum provides me a soap box to expound my views on how sewage should be managed. Notice that I do not refer to this substance as Wastewater. Water is our most valuable resource, and should never be wasted. JWA

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