Septic tank question

[Ydraiggoch]

Hi, I have a septic tank in a house I have recently moved into. I have just looked inside to find that there appears to be a thicker than usual amount of Scum on the top. I poked a stick through it and the crust was pretty hard.

So it got me wondering if this means it's time to pump it out? Below the Scum is a deep level of water and what feels like very little sludge at the bottom. The second tank is full of water with no sign that the scum is passing through from the first tank.

Any thoughts? What's the tell tale sign that I need to clean it? To be honest, I'm not wanting to fork out £250 if I don't need to.

Cheers

 

[Ydraiggoch]

Just tried uploading a pic of the first tank..Hope it works. Oh and apologies if you're squeamish!

 

[Burnerman]

I don't think that's really a huge deal, but of course you don't know the depth of the solids down below. It looks like the property may have been empty for a while? More importantly, have a look at the outlet chamber, where the liquids drain into the land.....that chamber should be empty with no solids present.
John

 

[Ydraiggoch]

Hi John, The property hasn't been empty for any length of time? What makes you think that (if you don't mind me asking?)

The scum at the top must be about 3" thick and can best be described as a big floating cow pat...... Poking through with the stick shows about 3 foot of liquid. Then I hit something hard...pushing down hard on the stick breaks through something to give about an extra 2" of depth.

The second chamber doesn't appear to have any solids, just stinky water!

Thanks

 

[Nige F]

Sounds fine - just monitor the second tank for solids - every 3 months or so.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Make sure the top is not left off, if anyone falls in they would have trouble to climb out.

Andy

 

[Burnerman]

Maybe the previous occupants of the property have been using additives to assist the digester action of the tank? This can often produce a crust as you see.
No matter.....keep an eye on the second tank - this will be shallower than the first one and should only be full of liquid as the solids remain in the primary tank. At the end of the day you don't want solids going down the outfall drains so it's worth keeping an eye on that as the days go by.....at this stage you don't know if the outfalls are fully working or not.
Are there any records of when the tank was last emptied?
John

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

A crust on the top is perfectly normal, and in fact shows the tank is working as it should be. Keep detergent and chemical use to a minimum, and ideally water and the 3 P's only (that's pee, poo and paper), to discharge to the tank, and certainly no rainwater or discharge from a water softener!

There should be 'dip pipes' on the inlet and outlet to each chamber, to allow the effluent to enter/leave the tank under the surface, thus allowing the blanket to form on the surface and the bacteria to happily carry on their work of breaking down the waste, below the surface, anaerobically. A common problem is when the dip pipes fall off, so flows in and out keep disturbing the surface, preventing the blanket from forming, which in turn affects the breakdown of the sewage, and the quality of the final effluent discharged to land.

Desludge as required, I'll echo the others, its the quality of the final effluent that matters. If there is too high a concentration of suspended solids, the soakaway/leachfield will soon clog up, rendering the whole system useless. If the clarity of the final effluent begins to wane, time to have the tank desludged.

Lastly, under NO circumstances ever attempt entry to the tank after its been emptied. Hydrogen Sulphide may well be present, a gas which is heavier than air, deadens the sense of smell at dangerous levels, (which aren't very high!), which can, and has, proved fatal on several occasions. A gas monitor, and Confined Space training are minimum requirements for working in such an environment.

 

[Ydraiggoch]

Hi Thanks again for all the responses. You guys may have just saved me rushing out and spending £250 in a clean that isn't necessary yet. I will keep an eye on the second tank as advised and see how it goes.
Interestingly, I noticed that the dip pipe in the second tank is broken. So, will need to get this mended the next time I do pump it out.
Thanks again

 

[Diyisfun]

£250 seems a lot its £125/£150 my area.
If you get no smells, no problem with waste / foul water leave it.
There are those that say empty it regularly & those that say if is working you wont need to empty.
I had lots of problems with mine when first moved in (part of the purchase was ensuring previous people had the tank emptied).
My problem turned out to be a worn out drainage field, had a new one laid, not had any problems or emptied it for three years now, fingers are crossed.

 

[RTFB]

What you have is a true septic tank. There was one where I was brought up, it was put in 11 years before I was born, and it worked without trouble until the village went on to mains sewers, 30 years after it was installed. I don't remember it ever having any attention, even when the main drain blocked, and it received several days' offerings from five people all at once. I know Dad was always concerned that excess detergents should not go into it, and the washing machine outlet in fact went into the surface water drains. These, with the outfall from the septic tank, ran down to a brook which very soon disappeared into the premises of a huge oil refinery, and beyond that, into the River Mersey. I suggest you adopt the old policy of: "If it ain't bust, don't fix it!"