Link :)

Here is a link that might be useful: my floorplan thread:

Dreaded? What's to dread?

There is only one thing you have to remember, "The grass is always greener over the septic tank." -- Erma Bombeck

THAT IS SO GROSS! and so funny.

stupid question: seepage. where does it seep to? like, if i go outside barefoot and play in the rain, am i standing in seepage?

please tell me no.

Gosh, I am almost 57 years old and I have lived in a few houses over the years and ALL with septic tanks!! Never had a problem; didn't know it was something to be concerned about. We(Dh and I) just moved into our new home last March and we have a septic tank. There is no "seepage" because it is all contained in the TANK!! Just don't throw certain things down the toilet and you should be good to go!!!

Agree, there's really nothing to dread. In fact, although there is the initial up front cost you'll never have a sewer bill (or related charge on your water depending on how it's done in your location).

I grew up on a septic and remember no issues. Was in a house in GA for a couple of years on a septic, no issues. Now my new house (just completed) is on a septic and I'm good with that.

I'm far from an expert, but here are my two cents. First, I think the land will dictate what type of septic you have. Does it perc for a conventional system? If not, you'll need an alternative system and I don't know a lot about those. If it percs for conventional then there's the standard gravel drainfield and there's a newer system and the name of it escapes me at the moment. I went with the traditional gravel.

Local code will also dictate a lot. I had mine installed in VA about the same time my dad had one installed in NC for about the same sized house and mine had to be about 3 times as big.

The other thing to pay attention to is the location of the drainfield. You can't really plant trees or large shrubs over it so keep that in mind. There may also be other restrictions on how close it can be to structures.

Great debate on garbage disposals. Most people agree that you can't use them to do large amounts of food and many think you shouldn't use them at all. I have one just to grind up the bits that end up in the sink after washing.

To answer one of your questions, I have a 1500 gal tank for a 4 bedroom house.

Really, septic systems are not a problem and it's nothing to worry about.

Hope this helps.

P.S. just make sure everything flows downhill.

Yes, You do not get to decide much about your septic system. The local codes and your land will determine what is used.

Your town, city, state, or some other regulatory authority will have rules and a permitting process. Find out who they are and go talk to them. You can also Google "septic system" for web sites that discuss in detail how they operate and how they are constructed.

As to where does it go, bacteria in the tank digest a lot of the material. The remaining solids settle to the bottom of the tank and have to be pumped out from time to time. The liquids pass out into the drain field (a series of perforated pipes buried beneath some sort of ground cover, usually grass) and evaporate.

Don't dread the septic tank. They're perfectly fine. Just don't flush gallons of cleaning chemicals and tons of food, or anything non-biodegradable.

And no snakeoil septic treatments down your tank.

The engineer will design a system which suits your soil type, size of house and local codes. The drain field will be a lawn of grass; no ick, no smell.

As folks said, the slope of the land, soil composition, and size of the house (number of bedrooms here in SC) will dictate what size tank (minimum) and how large of a leaching field you need. This can end up dictating where the house goes. There are some options though.

We used the Infiltrator system for our leaching field.

We have two tanks, a holding tank (standard) and a pumping tank (because our leaching field is above the lowest part of the house). So there's a sewage pump and alarm attached. Even if you don't need the pump, an alarm system isn't a bad idea for a few bucks.

On Garbage Disposals... whether you're on a septic or city sewer, you should act the same. Don't use the disposal as a trash bin. Remove large peelings and bits of food into the trash. Use the disposal to break up the smaller bits further to prevent clogs in your pipes. Putting peelings into the city system overtaxes the system just like a septic tank.

Funny how your perspective changes depending on your situation. I consider you VERY lucky. You could have my situation. We bought our beautiful dream property, with water and sewer. Began working on our house plans, when we discovered the adjoining neighborhood was suing all of the lot owners in my area over the sewer. They are asking for the sewer connection to be removed so that 18 lots will have no access to sewer. Crazy, of course, but it is going to trial, so it is a possibility. Now, because we want to build asap, we need to have a "back-up" plan in case a judge decides to remove the sewer connection (meanwhile, there are 8 homes already built which rely on this sewer). Anyway, while sewer was our first choice, we had the county come out and do a "perc" test to determine the suitability of the soil for a septic. They said not suitable. They suggested getting soil engineers to come out to my property to try to find some area OK for a fancy engineered type of septic. Again, we wouldn't plan to put this system in, we just need to know we could if the sewer gets turned off. After spending an afternoon working (and now many $1000's of dollars later) they determined no area of my property is suitable for septic. So, we have to wait for trial which has been dragging on now for years. They acknowledge we are all innocent in this -- we all just bought property with sewer, but the effect could be major. So, from where I sit, consider yourself lucky that when your sewer got delayed, you still have an option to do septic! Good luck with your build. Rachel

what is the alarm for?

If you have the choice you will want to avoid any system that requires pumps. A gravity system is far superior in that there is really nothing mechanical to break down. Worst case is a full tank requiring pumping or a plugged drain field because you were careless about what you put down the drain. Any type of system can have those problems, but they are very easy to avoid. Only the rarely occurring plugged drainfield is much of an expense.

I have had both pumped and gravity systems. Trust me that you do not want to pump sewage if you can avoid it.

what is the alarm for?

That pump that you don't want. It is telling you that the holding tank is full because the pump isn't pumping.

The alarms can fail, too. Sometimes you don't find out about that until the pump fails. :-(

A pump is no big deal. The best location for our field was slightly uphill from the tank. The septic tank has 2 chambers, one for the pump. In the 4 years we have been in the house the only time the alarm went off was when we tested it. The alarm is in the kitchen pantry and a light shows it is working. Believe me, it is loud. Even with the pantry door shut I could hear it anywhere in the house. The alarm is to tell you the pump isn't working, so you don't overfill the tank. Worse case scenario, you have the tank pumped until you get the pump replaced (although, once open, you could just replace the pump then). DH has designed and installed septic and drainage systems in 3 states and had zero concern about us having a pump.

Garbage disposal are a controversial thing. Some people will say "I've had a septic system for 20 years, used a garbage disposal, and never had an issue". But that should not be considered the norm. Grinding up food particles creates little floaters that can get into the field, clogging it and causing it to fail. It's a gamble. Disposals are also not allowed in many communities (such as mine), probably because the fields fail and then the waste goes into the steams, rivers, ponds, etc.

Sue, you are pumping effluent. That's the best case. The worst case is pumping sewage out of a holding tank. I have seen both and had the same system as you.

My system eventually failed and I was told the alarm did not go off. As the house was a long distance rental under the auspices of a management company at that time, I wasn't intimately involved in the details. I just paid the bill.

I have known several people whose homes had holding tanks and sewage ejector pumps. I can't recall one of them that didn't have a problem with their system at one time or another. I knew one individual rather well whose system failed on the average of every six months. I don't know why. There are some things you just don't want the details on.

I'm sure there are some holding tank/ejector systems out there that never give any problems. I have just never met anyone who had one.

Rachel, you should be able to build an engineered sand mound system. It's more expensive. I am not sure, but it might have to be below the level of your house.

An old house I had had such a system; the entire site could not pass a perc test. The original homeowners who built the house filled in the lot under the foundations so the house itself set higher than the tank and the mound, which was itself built-up. I am not sure if this was a requirement, a preference or just more cost effective since the lot was already slightly sloping.

I don't know the issues involved, but I'd be talking to a lawyer -- and your other neighbors who are being affected -- about counter-suing that neighborhood for the costs of retrofitting septic for your homes. Or, if the neighbors have a legitimate grievance with the authorities over the sewer system, the city/county itself might be liable. This is not the kind of thing you should be having to deal with AFTER you have a building permit.

I've heard horror stories about the costs of being required to hook up to sewer when the city decides to run sewer in your neighborhood, but this is the first time I've heard of the reverse!

-Nicole (Feeling glad I only have to deal with the frustrations of an urban infill lot!)

Thanks Nicole,

I've looked into many types of engineered systems, including a "drip" system. None of them passed -- yikes! But, I will leave no stone unturned and I appreciate your suggestion of the sand mound system. I believe the county guy told me that any form of "mound system" is not allowed in Mecklenburg county. But absolutely worth another look --- at this point I'm on a first name basis with all of these people. One of my sons lost his first tooth at the sewer plant ----that will be great in the baby book!

Hopefully you will not have to build a septic system at all. But given the situation, the inspectors may allow a variance for an engineered system if it will function. I doubt the jurisdiction wants to deal with the legal ramifications of condemning these houses for lack of sanitation.

The only other option I can think of is composting toilets.

Here is a link that might be useful: Composting Toilets (PDF link)

Perhaps those systems weren't designed and installed correctly. Our sytem doesn't pump from the holding tank, it pumps from the second tank. Only what flows over into the second tank is pumped. In a regular system that flow over would flow directly into the leach field. Pumping it is no different.

"The liquids pass out into the drain field (a series of perforated pipes buried beneath some sort of ground cover, usually grass) and evaporate."

They sink deeper into the earth, not evaporate.

that is why the land must pass a 'perk test' before installing a drain field.

The perk test also helps determines how large the drain field must be to make sure it can keep up with the input side.

Outside of periodic pumping of the solids in the tank, there is not much work required.

If you need a pump for effluent the output of the tank) to the drain field it will require some maintenance eventually, but should run fine for many years without issues.

Ejector pumps that move black water are a little more trouble prone, but still very reliable.

We have had a septic in our current house of over 30 years. I would rather see the water go back into the ground then be sent somewhere else by sewer systems. After the water is depleted you will have no drinking water and other water sources could dry up. Rain can only replace so much.
Septic systems of all kinds need to be cleaned. In our area its required every 4 years.

mythreesonsnc
I have a sand mound at the house we are building In our township any septic system has to be 100 ft from the well. The planners should be able to tell you where it needs to go. Our area has a very high water table. Some places its only 5ft below the surface. So getting a sand mound shouldn't be problem for you. There are also charcoal systems you can have built.

I have lived with septic systems my entire life and now my DH and I are building and our septic system hopefully will be going in next week.

I think you are right to wish you didn't have to have a septic system. But if that is what you have to have, I think you are asking the right questions.

I remember at least a few times growing up that we had problems with our septic system and although I don't know the details behind what caused the problem I do know one thing -- When a septic system has a problem (even if it is only once every 10-20 years) IT IS NO FUN.

Personally I would recommend not using a disposal at all, oversizing your holding tank like you mentioned and making sure that it is located somewhere that a pumping truck can get to it. I know one time the truck had to come when it was muddy and they drove on my mom's lawn and tore everything up pretty bad. Also, when you talk to the people who will be putting in your system ask them what types of cautions you should take.

They sink deeper into the earth, not evaporate.

Much if not most of the drainfield liquids do indeed eventually evaporate or are transpired by grass, which is normally required over a drainfield and some distance beyond. Some liquid will pass through the soil to the water table. Ideally, none will.

I've lived with septic tanks for twenty years...no problems, no snake oil additives, no pumping solids. A big plus is every drop of water we pump out of the ground is returned to the ground instead of to a treatment plant and off to the Gulf of Mexico.

I simply can't think of why anyone would think of a septic tank as being 'dreaded'. I'd rather be on a private septic systm than a public system ANY day.

brickeyee is right on track. The liquids in the drain field to not evaporate...that's why it's called a DRAIN field and not an evaporation field. the drain field is set into a large gravel bed where the liquid leaches into the surrounding soils. It slowly seeps through many feet of soil where it is filtered and returns to the ground water from which it originally came.

A properly designed and used septic tank should never need to be pumped. If the drain field is damaged by heavy vehicles traveling over it or if too much indigestible stuff is put down the drains, you may have a problem later on. Also avoid using an excess of heavy cleaning agents, especially bleach. Bleach kills the beneficial bacteria that lives in the tank and digests stuff. Don't rinse grease down the drain....wipe grease out of pans and dispose of it in the garbage instead. Don't use a garbage disposal. don't flush paper towels or other things that do not break down easily. I have lived with septic tanks for the last 35 years and have never yet had to have a tank pumped.

"A properly designed and used septic tank should never need to be pumped."

Not everything can be digested by the bacteria in the tank.
Just as with larger sewage treatment plants, there remain solids that must be disposed of in some other way.

Sludge for the big plants, periodic pumping and disposal for a septic tank.

Failing to pump can result in a loss in the available liquid volume in the tank, and then the solids can enter the drain field.

They will clog it up rather quickly, resulting in a major problem.
Effluent will not be able to drain away.

our house has 2 septic systems, not a big deal to me at all most of the time. of course we have had flooding rains lately and right now cannot use the toilet in teh MB due to teh field backign up. why it ONLY affects this one toilet and does not back up into the tubs, i don't know bu it am happy it don't!

as said earlier, your county/state dept health will determine what you need. they may or may not allow ANY deviation from what they say either. for instance if they say you need a 750gallon tank, and you want to put in a 1000 they may say no. this is rare, but has happened here. for many years rural parts of MS have had no building codes at all except for septic. you could build your house out of driftwood and wire it with metal coat hangers twisted together and that was fine, but you will have a state approved septic! a few counties are now adopting codes for the unincorporated areas, but most are still build as you please.

We are in the same situation, but are deciding if it is wise to wait on sewer lines to be run to the property (which could be upwards of 4 yrs) or go forward with septic. What did you eventually do with your property?

We have a pressurized system, uphill drain field. Had it for almost 20 years. When we built our new house the system had to be inspected. We had the septic guys run some enzymes down the lines which is supposed to help keep them clean and further break-up any small solids that could clog the drain holes, it also help keep the drain field from clogging up. It was in perfect condition after 18 years of use, had it pumped once about 10 years ago. Drain fields have a life span, in almost every case (at least in Oregon) you have to have a plan with a secondary drain field in case the original field fails to leach over time. In talking w/the septic guys these are almost never needed with a properly set-up drain field. There is a required amount of feet needed for the drain field and leach lines depending on the size of your tank and amount of bathrooms in the house. Ours is 300 ft, however it can be done in multiple runs, ours T's 3 times on it's way up the hill. And yes, the grass does stay nice and green over the drain field, mostly following the lines. In nearly 20 years we had the alarm go off once, when the input exceeds the outflow and overwhelms the pump. Had some water back up into the laundry room, it was a very minor event. Glad for the alarm! Ours is 1500/500 gallons. The 500 gallon side has the pump. One thing I will mention don't pay attention to ads by Ridex and the like. Our county has asked all residents on septic systems to NOT add any additives to the septic system. A properly used system will have plenty of bacteria and enzymes to break down the solids. Haven't used the stuff in over 10 years (only used it sporadically prior to that). I'm not exactly sure of their reasoning other than it shouldn't need it, maybe it's not good for the soil.

Septic tank system is good for you and your family, it is necessary for a clean environment and prevent contamination of your ground water that prevent from various health issues.

If you go for a well designed and proper size septic tank according to the number of rooms you will not face any problem... And problems can be solved easily...