Sewage Backup-Overflow

[61BRAVO]

When the electric power is off sewage lift systems stop pumping the poop over the hill. Soon after the sewage backs up into homes and businesses. The first sign of this is the smell and rising black sewage into bath tubs, toilets, and last the higher sinks. All the neighborhood homes will eventually be fouled.

Water supply would soon fail and cleanup would be impossible. This would render your home almost useless. The option then would be to pitch camp in the yard and hope the smell and the flies would go away. It is possible to find the sewer clean-out riser neat the rear of the house and jam a bed sheet into the line. The block might stop the sewage from entering the house, remember this blocks your outgoing flow. Knowing when to block is the question. Get camp portable toilet.

[BioG8r]

We have a septic tank out here in Gods Country! We also have dug and built a good ole fashioned OutHouse. Complete with a lime bucket, just a little helps alot!! an elevated 275 gallon rainwater catch tank on the back corner. We will be able to wash hands as long as it rains.
In the winter we plan to use hand sanitizer out there and wash where its warmer.

I will be using ziplock bags of water for fly control!!!

[Matt In Oklahoma]

seems a bag of quickcrete would need to be stored for just such an emergency as a bed sheet is porus

[JUSTIFIED]

Matt I heard about a backflow valve you can install in your drain line. Let's waste out but doesn't let it, or anything else, backbuild and come in. Don't know how easy, or hard, it would be to install but might be a good idea to have one!

[rockriver]

bravo,
i've been in a bunch of houses with the problems you mentioned.
this is a great post.

i hadn't thought of this being a result of a breakdown, but it sure is.

[protus]

step 1- find clean out
step 2- dig slit trench to guide sludge where you want- dig a hole/pond for it/aim it down hill to your neighbor you hate
step 3- open clean out( watch the pressure aka dont stand over it with open mouth more or less ;p )
step 4- make sure its flowing down your little brown river youve made..test for flow..message in a beer bottle maybe?
step 5- go back inside and make sure your waste program is in effect

while your yard may have a poo pond now, you wont have to deal with what is gonna be coming up into the home if you hadnt done any of the above.
YMMV only do any of that if it really is a SHTF....event lol

[jimmydiablo]

My house was built 3 years ago. In the front yard, I have two big black pvc caps that I can unscrew. Would those be what I open and block?

[61BRAVO]

If the PVC caps are yards apart you have two sewer lines to the main collector. If the caps are onlu inches apart you have a cleanout access that allows sewer tapes to enter the line to cleanout either way, toward the house or to the main sewer.

[jimmydiablo]

So by blocking those, no backflow?

[thedreamers]

An easy way to fix this if you have a septic system at home, do what my dad did. Get a small solar panel (12x12 w/charge controller built in)and 2 batteries and an invertor. Whole project is under 250. Since your sump pump only runs when at the full level the batteries charge all the time then discharge when needed. He has the same set up on his well as a back up with a 4.7gpm pump. And please o please fence the poo pond if you do the yard thing(protus's way). Dont want anyone getting into it.

[tech]

An easy way to fix this if you have a septic system at home, do what my dad did. Get a small solar panel (12x12 w/charge controller built in)and 2 batteries and an invertor. Whole project is under 250. Since your sump pump only runs when at the full level the batteries charge all the time then discharge when needed. He has the same set up on his well as a back up with a 4.7gpm pump. And please o please fence the poo pond if you do the yard thing(protus's way). Dont want anyone getting into it.

If you have a septic system, you don't need a pump. Just bacteria.

A sewage treatment system does require a pump...and possibly an aerator if it is an aerobic design...or is it the anaerobic? Way too much BS just to decompose crap.

BTW JimmyD, those pipes are likely going into the 2 or 3 tanks of the sewage treatment system. No, it won't block off backflow, but a valve between the house and the system would do the trick. Just look up an automatic backflow valve.

[jimmydiablo]

Thanks, will do.

[Elza]

step 2- dig slit trench to guide sludge where you want- dig a hole/pond for it/aim it down hill to your neighbor you hate

You could always dig a moat around your house and let the sewage fill it up. Although a might stinky it would help keep the riffraff out. :p

[blackhawk]

Find your clean out to the sewer main insert a sewer plug no backflow. you can buy one from a harware or on line . it want be just your sewer backing up but the whole blocks.

[Rmplstlskn]

Pity the fool on the low point of a WW system who lives near the lift station...

People on the hill will be able to flush, and flush, and flush... A miracle they will think. No sewer problems here...