Problems with septic tank: 'stuff' inside was set solid

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milly123

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Hi,

Recently moved to a new house that has a septic tank. Got a guy out to empty it and the 'stuff' inside was set solid, so he was unable to do so. He recommended leaving a water run into it via a hose and then try to break it up with a stake.

has anyone any experience of this or any other ideas ?

Thanks very much.

Milly
 
As previous reply said run water in with hose, and then ask your local friendly farmer to mix it with a slurry agitator. (Most farmers have these for mixing slurry tanks nowadays). To prevent this happening in future, keep your tank septic, ie minimise use of detergents and other anti bacterial agents when cleaning toilets. Toilets are not as dirty as many leading cleaning agent adverts would have us believe. To restart your septic tank once it is damaged, through in a dead animal (preferably roadkill and not your neighbours pet). This will introduce the right decomposition bacterial to the tank
 
Cheers Mike, thanks for that. Eh prob a silly question - but if 'roadkill' wasn't available, would a large piece of raw meat / fish do the same job ??
 
An unused septic tank needs to have the bacteria cycle started again. I have only ever seen it done with a dead calf or something of that size, cheaper than wasting a peice of good meat too!
 
thanks Plane, dead calves aren't really plentiful around where i live, maybe I will buy a few chickens and hope for the best.

Would it be a good idea to top up the septic tank with fresh meat every year ?
 
There is no need to add dead animals to a septic tank to 'start' it.
Plenty of bacteria in our own waste.
Dead meat just adds unnecessary bulk.
As Mike C said, get the solids loosened with an agitator and the tank emptied. After that just use the thing and get it emptied regularly.
Also go easy on the disinfectants and no bleach.
 
teabag, a slurry agitator is a mechanical device to things stir up
milly, roting fish or meat of any kind would be benefical, a septic tank can work without this type of kick start but it does help especially when the housekeeper likes the smell of toilet bleach and other detergents
 
Surely the inside of the septic tank is supposed to be solid? Does the waste not separate once inside and the liquid flows out to the percolation area. I'm no expert and we have ours emptied once a year by a qualified person with the proper equipment.

What are people doing with the waste from their septic tanks? please dont say they are spreading it on the field!
 
Mike_C, one of the chambers in our septic tank has 'stuff' that is set solid - it is blocking the flow to the second chamber. The guy who emptied it said it was like concrete and would be impossible to get at it (the first chamber) without destroying the old septic tank. So is a slurry agitator a large device ?
Any other solution ?
 
Teabag said:
Mike_C, So is a slurry agitator a large device ?
Any other solution ?
Click to expand...
Agitarors, dead calf, detergents,getting tank emptied, when the real problem is the tank is probable leaking as it is not sealed right, Is it a pre-cast tank or one built? the best answer and probable the cheapest would be to put in a new one beside old one
 
bskinti said:
Agitarors, dead calf, detergents,getting tank emptied, when the real problem is the tank is probable leaking as it is not sealed right, Is it a pre-cast tank or one built? the best answer and probable the cheapest would be to put in a new one beside old one
Click to expand...

Its an old built tank. I dont think its leaking. It fills up fairly fast. It wasn't regularly maintained by previous owner and the waste solidified.
You are probably right, put in a new one beside old but other people tell us that the old ones are the best etc.
 
I had same problem when I bought our house about 15 years ago It was due to house being empty for some time and was all dried up I think, but changed the whole lot, no problem since, Its not something you want to be confronted with ever again and thats why I changed it.
 
Right, get this! I bought my holiday home in Romania a few years ago. Septic tank in the garden....no problem...

2 years ago my Scottish mate bought a house 2 doors down from me. No indoor plumbing. Poohing in an outside pooh house. The neighbours came and built him a 3 x 3 x 3 metre septic tank from red bricks which they rendered both sides, lined the bottom with fine sand and that was it. Works like a dream. No odours, no problems and, since his well is 25 metres deep, no seepage.... We hope!!!!!

Whats all this crap (if you will pardon the pun!) about throwing rotten things in to stimulate the tank. Most people have bums which are rotten enough already......!!!!!!
 
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