Septic tank soakaway problems...

Zed110 · 2 May 2017

Hi,

Just moved into a house in Scotland thats over 100 years old that always seems to have had a septic tank. We had it emptied when we moved in but the guy said the soakaway pipe seemed to be blocked. We had someone come out to jet it clear but he could only jet down the pipe about 2 feet and muddy water was then coming back along the pipe into the tank. It would appear to be more than a blocked soakway. Any immediate thoughts on the possible problem? I'm assuming the only way I'm going to actually know is to excavate and find out? Thank you.

Morpheus Cane · 2 May 2017

You can get people who have video cameras that they can send down pipes to access the issues, no idea on how much that would cost though, if the tank is that old it may be easier just to look at have a new system fitted but it's not cheap, in the region of £5k upwards if I remember, if its only the pipes failed then maybe cheaper and quicker just to get them dug up and replaced.

Zed110 · 2 May 2017

Hi, the tank, although old, seems to be ok and the problem just seems to be the soakaway. It seems that the soakaway pipe(s) are only about 1 feet under the soil so I guess I might just have a dig to see what it looks like. If anyone knows how easy (or not) it is to install my own new soakaway system, I'd be gratfeul for advice.

Burnerman · 2 May 2017

The success of any soak away depends on the porosity of the ground, obviously enough.....my own two chamber brick tank was built in 1959 and that is going strong, but I installed a new soak away in a herringbone pattern using perforated plastic pipe. The original was clay pipes with a small gap between each, and that had silted up.
I laid my pipes with a slight fall on crushed stone, and covered them up with the same material. The soak away started about one foot below the surface.
I was fortunate enough to obtain permission from the land owner as my own site - about one acre in total - wasn't big enough.
John

Ian H · 2 May 2017

If the tank has filled above the level of the outlet then it's likely your soakaway has reached the end of its life. If you do dig down you might be lucky and find blockage that can be cleared or a pipe fault that can be fixed.

Have a google of percolation tests, they test the porosity of the ground and there are a few types of soakaway you can put in.

Diver Fred · 2 May 2017

Sounds as if the soakaway pipe(s) could have been crushed. Dig out at the found blockage then get a set of drain rods and try pushing them through to find where (distance to) the blockage. Dig them out at that point. Also check that there hasn't been any 'Heave' in the ground where the outlet pipes run 'cause that may be causing the pipes to rise rather than fall.
Could even be a 'fat berg' (a mix of paper, grease and 'white mice') that has created the blockage.

vinn · 2 May 2017

OP,
You dont say what materials the tank or the pipes are made from? Or how old the system is?
Hand excavating at the suspect spot would be a start.
Undulations in the ground surface might indicate a collapsed pipe.
Are there any issues with drainage from the house?
Any trees in the vicinity?

Zed110 · 22 Jun 2017

As a follow up to this....

I started to dig down to where the soakaway pipe should be entering the garden from the septic tank. I didnt come across a pipe but came across a muddy soily hole filled with water. It turns out that at some point, previous owners couldnt be bothered with a new soakaway and simply removed the old damaged brick/clay pipe and simply inserted a plastic pipe from the tank that extended about 1 foot into the soil and left it. So, I now had a new soakaway installed that works beautifully.

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Septic tank soakaway problems...

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