Our little septic tank friends

[Penners]

Ever since we moved to this house, a year ago (I can't believe it! :shock: ) we've been slightly concerned about the rather elderly septic tank. It seems to work passably, but it can be a bit smelly, not just in warm weather but - if you're standing near it - most of the time .

I know that some pong is inevitable, but I'm anxious to ensure that the installation is as biologically active as possible. I've read about "septic tank activators" - liquids or powders that restore/maintain the right balance of fauna in the tank and keep it working at optimum performance (or so the manufacturers claim).

Some of these activators are pretty costly, so I'd like to seek the views of any users before shelling out the tenners. Alternatively, I've found one DIY recipe online that suggests using a mixture of yeast, brown sugar and warm water.

Does anyone use an activator in their septic tank? If so, do you find it effective? What type do you use?

I'll be very grateful for any thoughts and advice.

PS: Yes, we do try to use only septic-tank-friendly washing/cleaning products.

 

[robgil]

when was the last time it was maintained Penners? even some septic tanks need emptying every so often. if you dont their efficiency is reduced.
does it drain off into a soak away?

 

[Penners]

It was emptied a few weeks ago, Rob. The chap who emptied it has been doing so for years, and says it normally needs to be done annually (which is pretty well spot on - it was emptied just before we moved in a year ago).

Yes, the previous owners said that there are soakaways, although their location appears to have been lost in the mists of time.

 

[Flyfisher]

Our septic tank has two manhole covers, both of which are broken (due to them being in the middle of the grass and my tendency to drive over them with the tractor before I deployed a couple of traffic cones as warning markers), but we don't notice any smell from them - which is probably why I've yet to replace the covers with new ones.

I'm sure I've read somewhere that if they do smell then it's an indication of things not working properly.

We've only had ours partially emptied once in the past four years, but a lot will depend on the size and usage. I believe it's not generally a good idea to totally empty them, although that may be less important if things are not working well and a 'fresh start' might be a good thing.

I've no experience of 'activators' but I think I'd be inclined to have a bit of a clear out before trying anything like that, just in case there is something in there that has 'poisoned' things such that an activator might not work anyway. Since you've just had it emptied it might be worth trying the yeast-based activator; I can't see how it could do any harm.

Alternatively, there's the old farmer's trick of throwing a dead sheep in there to inject a fresh load of the necessary anaerobic bacteria - assuming you have a ready supply of dead sheep of course. :wink:

 

[Penners]

there's the old farmer's trick of throwing a dead sheep in there to inject a fresh load of the necessary anaerobic bacteria - assuming you have a ready supply of dead sheep of course. :wink:

Hmmm - there's a field of sheep just across the road. And I have an airgun. :twisted:

 

[worms]

"They" say a dead chicken is a good starter for a septic tank, but I guess any day-old roadkill would do the job!

 

[robgil]

try a live one down there , when it struggles you can put the washing in there as well.
are your soakaways working ok? is the land around very clay like? the hot weather wont help things and if the clay is dry it might not help but i have read that soak aways wont work too well in clay anyway.

http://www.pavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi?s=1893efacd763dda51917455778a782b0;act=ST;f=4;t=3130

 

[worms]

Surely if there was a soakaway problem the tank would be overflowing (or empty!)?

Is it a single chamber or two?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Poor Mr P. That's not nice. What with that, and your back, and the rats, and the demands of being a grandfather over and over, you must feel quite overwhelmed.

Do you think it's particularly smelly just now because everything's been stirred up, so to speak?

We have a tank which has never been emptied. Rather than relying on soakaways which can clog, we have gone for far more efficient soak-ups, in the form of a vast hedgerow with 40 feet apple trees. The tank will be full of roots, and the plants have done marvellously well and even now need no irrigation.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

I can attest to the dead sheep trick - or rather dead lambs anyway (shh - don't tell DEFRA).

Alternatively a leg of lamb from the supermarket wroks, I'm told. Maybe your butcher will have something he can give you rather than throw it away?

I'm puzzled by the emptying. Cess-pits yes, but septic tanks? I was always told that it shouldn't need emptying if it is working properly. Indeed emptying it will mean it needs refilling and re-seeding.

If it smells a lot, I would be inclined to track down why this is first and try to rectify that.

I would also be wary of a chap who makes his living emptying tanks, when he tells you yours needs emptying annually! 8)

 

[Penners]

Poor Mr P. That's not nice. What with that, and your back, and the rats, and the demands of being a grandfather over and over, you must feel quite overwhelmed.

At last! Someone who truly understands the vale of tears that is my life. Wouldn't you rather be an old man's darling than a young man's slave? :wink:

worms - I'm ashamed to say that I don't know whether we have a single or double chamber septic tank. There's only one manhole cover (which I pay someone else to lift!). If it were a two chamber job, would there be two manholes?

As to the soakaways, I can't really tell whether they're working properly. The land around here seems to be a rare old mixture of friable loam and solid pot-clay, although - this being East Anglia - I suspect that a short distance below my feet the clay dominates.

FW - we've lived in four houses with septic tanks, and I've yet to find one that doesn't need emptying from time to time. Theoretically you're correct, but in practice the anaerobic action never entirely gets rid of the sludge at the bottom (if you'll pardon the expression).

As for chucking in a leg of lamb, do you think it would matter if it passed through my alimentary canal first? :x

 

[chuckey]

One manhole cover would make access to the two tanks separated by the dividing wall, very difficult. I would guess that its a cess-pit. I know of a two bungalows that were built in 1973 and about 1976 that have not had their tanks emptied (yet!!). If the bacterial action is OK and the tank is of normal size I once calculated that it would hold about 150,000 people/days of waste.
My new tank is not smelly at all but that might be due to the effective vent stack on the other end of the sewer pipe and the windy conditions we get here. In windy weather ALL the toilet traps water levels goes up and down due to wind pressure. (Atmospheric wind that is, and not the occupants).
From my limited knowledge of septic tanks, they are designed for the mean time the dirty water stays in the dirty tank is 28 days, it then goes into the clean tank where it on average spends another 28 days. If you are restricted in your soakaway, then a third tank is used with a air bubbler in it which will result in water good enough to discharge into a stream.
It is not good practice to discharge the rainwater into the septic tank (as I know an architect designed into a buddies system) 'cos during a downpour you could get 30% of the tank's contents flushed out in hours!
Frank

 

[worms]

worms - I'm ashamed to say that I don't know whether we have a single or double chamber septic tank...

You will notice, that like the politicians, I have resorted to the old tactic of "if-you-don't-know-the-answer-ask-another-question"! From my limited experience, a two-chamber septic tank would have two access hatches, except for the modern flask-shaped ones where the two chambers are one above the other with a single access.

It is not good practice to discharge the rainwater into the septic tank...

That was going to be my next diversionary question! In some set-ups (sets-up?), even the grey water from the kitchen goes straight to soakaway, I believe this helps to reduce the through-rate in the septic tank, improving the anaerobic digestion. I wonder if your output is just too much for the system!

With regard to eating the leg of lamb first, I think this would be the only sensible option. It is all the bacterial decomposition fauna (and let's not forget the protozoal contingent) that you are trying to introduce and hopefully there were none on your store-bought leg of lamb in the first place. If you are using a dead sheep, you want the whole shebang, rumen et al included and the longer dead and rotting the better. Which is why the road-kill option is so much better!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Poor Mr P. That's not nice. What with that, and your back, and the rats, and the demands of being a grandfather over and over, you must feel quite overwhelmed.

At last! Someone who truly understands the vale of tears that is my life. Wouldn't you rather be an old man's darling than a young man's slave? :wink:

:lol: :lol: :lol: Yes, but you mustn't tempt me, bad man.

 

[Penners]

 

[Penners]

the road-kill option is so much better!

Aha - that's so much simpler to achieve. Instead of taking my gun across to the field of sheep, I'll just casually leave the gate open.

 

[Lime]

I came across this website while reading about sewers.

http://www.inspectapedia.com/septbook.htm

As I haven't seen it before I thought some members on here might appreciate it as it has lots of links.
It is primarily an American site but their water runs downhill just like ours.

 

[Penners]

I came across this website while reading about sewers.

http://www.inspectapedia.com/septbook.htm

As I haven't seen it before I thought some members on here might appreciate it as it has lots of links.
It is primarily an American site but their water runs downhill just like ours.

Hello there, Lime. We haven't seen you in this neighbourhood for a while.

Thanks for that information.