when we use a large amount of water quickly ie. washing machine, shower, etc. and i go outside i can smell something bad. do i have a problem? what do i need to do about it? i have never owned a septic system before, the house was built it '98 and i dont have any maintence records on it. suggestions?
If you end up needing the tank pumped, call Bill Hardee of Hardee's Septic Service. Very nice man and reasonable prices.
i think i have already called him. he quoted me 200 for a pumping and inspection. i have been calling around but was looking for an unbiased opinion.
What makes you think her opinion isn't unbiased? Do you know her relationship with this person? Is it iron you smell perhaps? edited to fix spelling, not that it matters now a day later lol
as far as her opinion being unbiased...thats why i posted to an internet message board. to get several peoples opinions. im sure bill does great work, but he is also in the business of making money so... dont think its iron, it smells like an overflowed toilet at times.
I think you meant to say you were looking for various opinions. I gotts agree, though, it sounds like you need it pumped. It should be done every three to five years, on average. Take a look at the table on THIS PAGE.
$200 is a very reasonable price. I know some companies charge up to $500 to locate and pump the tank out. How old is the system? That is, how long have you been in the house? Did you build it and have the system installed? If the septic system has never been pumped out, and you're not the first occupants of the house, it may be time. Once done, you should not have to do it again for many years. Well worth having it done, if it needs it. Otherwise, could end up being a "stinky" mess to deal with later.
ok, thats what i meant..trying to sound smart and all but failed :cry: the house was built in 98, i know there has been 1 previous owner that lived here since the house was built. i have owned the house for 1.5 years. there are 3 people living here, but i dont think my 2yo uses alot of water. i will call bill and get a pumping scheduled. any idea how long it takes for someone to find te tank and pump it. i know i have a 900 gallon tank.
It does seem a bit strange, with the house having only been built in 98, and the fact that there are only three people in the house; one being a small child. But, nevertheless, it does sound as though something is not right. I've lived in my house for over 12 years; house built in 85 and we are four; two teenages. I'm just now considering to have our tank pumped. It hasn't started causing any problems, but I just want to make sure it doesn't. It shouldn't take them long to find the tank. Generally, they (or you) should be able to contact the County Health Dept, I believe, and see if the location is on record. When the house was built, the placement (location) of the tank, and capacity, had to be approved by the county. There should be a record on file. Good luck!
When we lived in Forsyth County we spoke with the person who deals with septics through the county (I think it was through cooperative extension but am not 100%). He relayed basically if it's not broken don't mess with it. That a septic was built to do it's job and there was no need to pump unless there was indeed a problem. Anyone heard this same advice?
Actually he was saying, "If it ain't broke, don't maintain it." This is a poor attitude when it comes to septic systems.
I had "Wink" Davis from Davis Septic pump ours out last year. Very nice and really seemed to know what he was talking about. Several of my neighbors have used him since & have been very pleased. I think he's in Pine Level or Princeton.
Certainly not trying to take any work away from those who operate the "honey trucks". Lord knows it is an honorable and needed profession that I would not choose to do. Have you maintained the septic? It is a system designed to breakdown organic materials through bacterial decay process. Depending on how much bleach and other antibacterials get washed into the tank, the bacteria that break down the organic material may have been killed off. You can add bacteria to the tank. Septic bacteria is available in the toilet chemicals area of most stores...fl, lowes food, lowes, wm. Shouldn't cost more than ten bucks per container. Flush the new bacteria components into the tank, and allow it to work. Should notice a difference in 24-48 hours. If not, you need a "honey wagon"professional stat! And a 900 gallon tank seems small for an active family. Does your dishwasher and laundry water empty into the septic? If so, between the bleaches and other chemicals, the excess water may also be affecting the decomposition capability. Dilution of the bacterial count may adversely affect its ability to decompose the waste. I am not a fecal maintenance technician, nor do I play one on TV.
With a 2-yr old, you've got to watch out for those so-called flushable potty wipes! We've been in our house for 2 years (new construction) and had the septic tank overflow a few weeks ago. We called Mr Hardee (used him at our last house - great service) he came out the next day and proceeded to remove what appeared to be thousands of those things -- they clogged the filter in the tank, which caused the smell and eventually an overflow. He pumped the tank as we were due anyway and charged $200 for everything (you could't pay me $200 to remove those $&#* wipes from the tank) -- great service and a really nice guy.
Septic systems... Man that sounds like a >crappy< situation. Sorry, plumber humor You definately have some sort of problem if you are smelling it. Could be a million things, like a plugged vent stack, tank is full, etc. As the earlier person stated try the enzyme stuff first, it's dirt cheap. I used to have a septic tank @ my old house and kept a box of Rid-X on the back of the toilet. Every other day or so, toss in a scoop when you flush. If infact your washer is plumbed to it, it kills the enzymes, so you might have to not run the washer or the dishwasher with soap in them for atleast a day or so while treating it. Read the back of the box of Rid-X. Another idea is to not flush everytime you just tinkle...... If its yellow, let it mellow. If its brown, flush it down. Saves water also. Good luck.
I am now an unofficial Septic Tank expert with all we have been through with our old system and upgrading to a fancy pump system. PM me for everything you would want to know and more. No, I am not a plumber & I'm not married to one. Kelster
I'm sorry but that's just nasty. I don't care what it costs to pump the s**tter, I'm flushing every time.
If you wanna save water, fill a 2 liter bottle up with water and set it in your toilet tank. Or put sand in it if you don't want to waster water filling the bottle. You can let it mellow, if you use one of those disenfecting tabs in your tank, otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.
