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Uh oh! Running washing machine you hear the "blub blub blub" of the bubbles in the toilet.
Not a good thing.
Do you know where your septic is located? That's the starting point.
Sometimes it's something simple like the waste line from the house just needing to be "snaked" out. If it's been a little while, or it's seen heavy use, etc. then the tank might need to be cleaned.
Upon digging around the cover of the tank you might see something like this-
Not good...
Note the liquid coming out after the tank lid was levered up just a bit.
Here's a few notes from this-
After you locate the tank top, you need to figure out what KIND of top it is. In this case this one of ours is the old school solid concrete one where it can be split into three sections. Usually one section is leveraged up and slid out of the way, then the cleaning guy can pump it.
Newer ones have a 24" or so round cleanout in the top of the tank. Usually this is a concrete plug with a handle, then often times a plastic top covering that. That type CAN be easier for the tank cleaning crew NOW. But I wonder in the PAW having to use "various methods" to pump the tank would the 24" cleanout be a good thing or bad thing? Seriously, you may have to get access to get into the thing with buckets (Got Prisoners? LOL), some sort of homemade pumping apparatus, etc.
How to open-
I've heard the tool called a "railroad wrecking bar" but the people that I work with tend to call things different than what others in the free world call them :) It's basically a massive metal rod with an angled end on it. Think a giant crow bar that's straight instead of crooked. It's long for leverage and levering all sorts of things with them, I've never seen one break. I suppose you could do it with a couple crow bars also but it would be more of a PITA. I could see where some wedges would be really handy as well.
A little yanking on the top, once all the dirt is removed from the top and edges, usually breaks the "seal" of the tank top. Here's where the fun begins- don't fall in ;)
If you have a wedge, use it. Tank lid is beau coup heavy, even if it's just a third.
Now here's the cool thing-
What to do with the third of the lid? If you cleaned off all the tank lid you can sometimes slide part of the top over on the other part. Which brings up an important point- WHICH part of the top to open? If it's one of the old break in thirds deal- take the piece closest to the INTAKE off. Why? Cause sometimes it might be something stupid like just the intake is clogged- you might be able to clear it without having to pump the tank.
Here's probably the time to talk just a second about rise and run, necessary drop, turns etc. Obviously you want a good drop from the house- i.e, the tank should be below the level of the house. Pretty straightforward right? Cause as the saying goes "poop runs down hill!" But it's important to make sure your 4" pipe from the house has correct drop as it goes AND the least amount of turns possible. In general you want to avoid 90 degree turns where you can. A slower turn over a little distance seems to be better than one steep turn that's quick. And I did I mention cleanouts, cleanouts and cleanouts? Have multiple cleanouts in the line to the tank so you can "snake" it free of obstructions.
OK, so back to the problem at hand- you got the lid cracked, you have it wedged, now what? Check this out-
This device was similar to a log roller/peavy that holds the log up after gripping it so you don't cut into the ground. Notice the little kickstand deal and the part that's attached to the lid is simply a two pronged fork. As the lid is lifted the kickstand comes from and holds it in place. Quite cool.
Water, water water....
Unless you plan to dig and bucket it, you'll need a lot of running water to keep everything your removing in as much of a "slurry" as you can. A long piece of metal pipe, maybe with a tee on the "business end" with a couple of six inch stubs on either end of the tee, can be very helpful in breaking up solids. Basically the top will be more liquid than the bottom and as the more liquid material comes out, you will need to start adding water and breaking up the "solids." Yeah I know, fun subject right?? LOL
Now, keep in mind this is an old school tank with no chambers. I.e, one big opening. A lot of the newer tanks have two "chambers" with a little window type deal between, some with a filter here. The idea with the two chambers is that the "solids" will stay in the first chamber and the liquids will go to the second one wherein they flow out to the distribution box and leech field. I suspect the two chamber ones would be harder to clean with post PAW methods- i.e, a "trash" pump, buckets (Got Prisoners? LOL), etc. Hard to say, probably harder to do with post PAW methods.
I can definitely see the need for a good quality "trash" pump and a hose long enough to outlet it into the neighbors yard (Just kidding). The question does come up in the PAW what to do with the waste?
Burying it seems like the most sensible thing to do. Some would argue that if the tank is doing it's job correctly that the waste is now perfectly safe. And it might be. Am I going to put it on my tomatoes? Heck no. Will I bury it deep in an area I use for pasture or timber? Probably.
Gotta have a plan you know.
So, really tall concrete boots, a water source, RR wrecking bar, wedges, buckets, trash pump, piece of pipe to break up solids. What else?
Lowdown3
Not a good thing.
Do you know where your septic is located? That's the starting point.
Sometimes it's something simple like the waste line from the house just needing to be "snaked" out. If it's been a little while, or it's seen heavy use, etc. then the tank might need to be cleaned.
Upon digging around the cover of the tank you might see something like this-
Not good...
Note the liquid coming out after the tank lid was levered up just a bit.
Here's a few notes from this-
After you locate the tank top, you need to figure out what KIND of top it is. In this case this one of ours is the old school solid concrete one where it can be split into three sections. Usually one section is leveraged up and slid out of the way, then the cleaning guy can pump it.
Newer ones have a 24" or so round cleanout in the top of the tank. Usually this is a concrete plug with a handle, then often times a plastic top covering that. That type CAN be easier for the tank cleaning crew NOW. But I wonder in the PAW having to use "various methods" to pump the tank would the 24" cleanout be a good thing or bad thing? Seriously, you may have to get access to get into the thing with buckets (Got Prisoners? LOL), some sort of homemade pumping apparatus, etc.
How to open-
I've heard the tool called a "railroad wrecking bar" but the people that I work with tend to call things different than what others in the free world call them :) It's basically a massive metal rod with an angled end on it. Think a giant crow bar that's straight instead of crooked. It's long for leverage and levering all sorts of things with them, I've never seen one break. I suppose you could do it with a couple crow bars also but it would be more of a PITA. I could see where some wedges would be really handy as well.
A little yanking on the top, once all the dirt is removed from the top and edges, usually breaks the "seal" of the tank top. Here's where the fun begins- don't fall in ;)
If you have a wedge, use it. Tank lid is beau coup heavy, even if it's just a third.
Now here's the cool thing-
What to do with the third of the lid? If you cleaned off all the tank lid you can sometimes slide part of the top over on the other part. Which brings up an important point- WHICH part of the top to open? If it's one of the old break in thirds deal- take the piece closest to the INTAKE off. Why? Cause sometimes it might be something stupid like just the intake is clogged- you might be able to clear it without having to pump the tank.
Here's probably the time to talk just a second about rise and run, necessary drop, turns etc. Obviously you want a good drop from the house- i.e, the tank should be below the level of the house. Pretty straightforward right? Cause as the saying goes "poop runs down hill!" But it's important to make sure your 4" pipe from the house has correct drop as it goes AND the least amount of turns possible. In general you want to avoid 90 degree turns where you can. A slower turn over a little distance seems to be better than one steep turn that's quick. And I did I mention cleanouts, cleanouts and cleanouts? Have multiple cleanouts in the line to the tank so you can "snake" it free of obstructions.
OK, so back to the problem at hand- you got the lid cracked, you have it wedged, now what? Check this out-
This device was similar to a log roller/peavy that holds the log up after gripping it so you don't cut into the ground. Notice the little kickstand deal and the part that's attached to the lid is simply a two pronged fork. As the lid is lifted the kickstand comes from and holds it in place. Quite cool.
Water, water water....
Unless you plan to dig and bucket it, you'll need a lot of running water to keep everything your removing in as much of a "slurry" as you can. A long piece of metal pipe, maybe with a tee on the "business end" with a couple of six inch stubs on either end of the tee, can be very helpful in breaking up solids. Basically the top will be more liquid than the bottom and as the more liquid material comes out, you will need to start adding water and breaking up the "solids." Yeah I know, fun subject right?? LOL
Now, keep in mind this is an old school tank with no chambers. I.e, one big opening. A lot of the newer tanks have two "chambers" with a little window type deal between, some with a filter here. The idea with the two chambers is that the "solids" will stay in the first chamber and the liquids will go to the second one wherein they flow out to the distribution box and leech field. I suspect the two chamber ones would be harder to clean with post PAW methods- i.e, a "trash" pump, buckets (Got Prisoners? LOL), etc. Hard to say, probably harder to do with post PAW methods.
I can definitely see the need for a good quality "trash" pump and a hose long enough to outlet it into the neighbors yard (Just kidding). The question does come up in the PAW what to do with the waste?
Burying it seems like the most sensible thing to do. Some would argue that if the tank is doing it's job correctly that the waste is now perfectly safe. And it might be. Am I going to put it on my tomatoes? Heck no. Will I bury it deep in an area I use for pasture or timber? Probably.
Gotta have a plan you know.
So, really tall concrete boots, a water source, RR wrecking bar, wedges, buckets, trash pump, piece of pipe to break up solids. What else?
Lowdown3
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