Key Post Septic Tanks

J

jennyrusks

Guest
Hello

We moved into an old bungalow a few months ago. It has a septic tank but the drains seem to be fairly blocked at the moment.

The water leaving the washing machine is coming up above the drain hole and this drain joins another drain coming from our bathroom and kitchen. The water from the kitchen and bathroom seem to leave the house ok and get some of the way down the drain. So I was wondering ;

1. Is there any DIY we can try ourselves to help with this or should we just send for the pros immediately ?

2. Can anyone recommend a trusted drain professional in the Meath/Westmeath area (we're near Athboy).

3. Any idea how much something like this costs ?

thanks very much for your help

Jennifer
 
Re: blocked drains going to septic tank

I know this is obvious but does the septic tank need to be emptied? There should be a drain cover wher the pipes connect, open it and see if ther is anything blocked there. Try pouring buckets of water in at the drains and watch the folw of water. You should be able to determine if there is a blockage. If so, get yourselves a set of drain cleaning rods, put the hot water on and close the windows and work away. Keep going until it runs clear again.

You can get powders and liquids (enzymes) to put down drains and toilets that will eat away at most blockages but you should do the exterior drains first.

Nogser
 
blocked drain

jen,

firstly check the septic tank flush all toilets taps and listen at the septic tank for incoming water.

or put a 2m stick down the vent pipe which will give you a indication of depth of waste

hopefully it is just full .and need emptying.

for what its worth dont call the drain company out to tell you wht you can find out your self as they charge a arm and a leg.
as NOgser has said
if its isnt full pour a caustic based product and leave for a few hours.
 
Re: blocked drain

Thanks very much for the replies guys.

Well, it looks like I will be getting out in the full body wellies this evening. Will have a go at your suggestions before calling in the professionals. It could possibly be as simple as massive leaf build up or as you said maybe it just needs emptying. The last owners told us it was emptied 5 years ago, but I've read that bleaches and toilet ducks can have an adverse affect on septic tanks.

thanks again

Jennifer
 
all require emptying at some stage even the biocycle ones.

i do stand corrected
 
You can get powders and liquids

Hi Nogser,

You can get powders and liquids (enzymes) to put down drains and toilets
Click to expand...

When you operate a septic tank you have to be very careful with what you put in there. If you kill the "good bugs" the tank will not work effectively. Check to see if it is compatible with your septic tank system before putting in anything.

ajaplae
 
Re: You can get powders and liquids

If you kill the "good bugs" the tank will not work effectively.
Click to expand...

One of the joys of country living I suppose.

Safe in suburbia

Nogser
 
septic tank

Dont forget that the septic tank will and should be full of water (soiled water really). It is the heavy settleable solids (you know what I mean) that need to be evacuated from the tank periodically as a big build up of these will come to the top of the tank and block both the incoming pipes and outgoing pipes from the tank. Septic tanks are usually cleaned of the 'settleables' every year or two (depends on usage etc.) and some of the stuff is left in the tank to maintain seed bacteria (good bug) levels. Overdosing with caustic soda or other chemicals could damage or kill off these good bugs.

mind your sandwiches.

iris
 
..

did the whole drain rod things a while back on parents bungalow. Got it sorted for about 15 euro for the cost of hire. You can actually buy them for not much more, the rods that is.

Actually you know, your washing machine water I don't think should be going to the septic tank.....it should be going to a soakaway. Thats like a hole underground, covered with plastic sheet and foot or two of soil filled with biggish stones that the water drains into and 'soaks away'. I think washing machine water would defo kill your good bacteria...with all the washing enzymes. Also, water run off from roof goes to a soakaway as far as I know. So check to make sure its not a soakaway that is not draining right. Maybe you have 3 kids and lots of washing and the last owners were an eldery couple who only did like 2 washes a week to your 2 a day? Check to make sure where the waste pipe you think is blocked is going. As opposed to where the waste from the toilet flush itself is going. Also, the septic tank needs a soakaway in any case. What happens is the waste comes in high at one side. there is a pipe lower down, but not at the bottom at the other side. As it gets full from toilet use etc, the bottom has solids in it, if the water rises above the soakaway pipe it flows out through this to its soakaway.

So, check where the washing water is supposed to go. If a seperate soakaway check that. If it is going to the septic tank you need to open that. Check if full. If not full check the septic tank soakaway...I doubt if your septic tank is full though....if it was that full you'd literally have s**t bubbling up from it and be unable to flush your jacks. I suspect you have an old soakway that has backfilled with mud.

As I said, say jumping maybe from 2 people to 5 people can make a huge difference in terms of wate water volume produced.

Incidentally, my parents is an old old bungalow, and I don't think the septic tank was ever emptied there. It was actually fulkl enclosed under 2 feet of mud until last year and still doesn't have a vent pipe...me thinks thats not so good!
 
Re: ..

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply - all the advice was much appreciated.

We bought the rods and we got one drain unblocked using them - the one coming from the bathroom going to the tank and that seems to be ok. Even though we cleared the blockage, I think the septic tank still may need to be emptied.

The washing machine drain does appear to go somewhere else alright - although this is blocked too but we'll have a go at that tonight with the rods - domestic bliss.

thanks again
Jennifer
 
..

Thats the soakaway so that might be gone.....you may need to end up digging a new one!
 
re

how often does a soakaway for a kitchen sink need redigging? what size should I go for?
 
..

I think you dig a fairly big box in the ground. I think it would want to be a big solid 3 or 4 feet cubed at least. You then chuck in big stones, bits of concrete blocks etc. Cover it on top with a plastic sheet to stop all the earth going back in and then chuck some of the earth back on top of the plastic...maybe a foot or 18 inches.

Thats as far as I know but you'd need to ask a builder really! Also, I think you are supposed to check the drainage rate of your soil. Obviously, if it is 85% clay you are goosed!
 
from yestedays indo

Bungalow blitz 'is causing traffic problems'


IRELAND'S preoccupation with home ownership is damaging the landscape and causing traffic congestion, along with other environmental problems.

As many as four-in-ten houses built in the countryside are of the controversial one-off variety. The average three-person household generates 1m tonnes of rubbish each year, the EPA report said.

The report sys one-off housing is "generally unsustainable". Yesterday the EPA admitted that local authorities were not monitoring an estimated 400,000 septic tanks. These serve one-third of the population to ensure they were safe and not polluting the countryside.

These tanks treat more than 50m gallons of effluent from 1.2m people every day, and pose a high risk to groundwater if not property installed and maintained.

It is estimated that between 30-50pc of all rural wells are polluted with some form of faecal bacteria, mainly stemming from sewage effluent and agricultural waste.

A recent EPA study found faecal coliforms in 257 groundwater samples from 676 taken.

Almost two-thirds of Irish households are connected to municipal wastewater treatment plants, and between 2000 and 2001 23pc of all wastewater went untreated, with 41pc receiving only primary treatment.

However this figure has since risen to 73pc of all wastewater being treated following the opening of new treatment plants.

Stand-alone houses also increased road and transport costs, and resulted in a "negative impact" on the fabric of towns.

Socially they were unsustainable regarding access to schools, hospitals and other essential services.

Although the pressures placed on the environment by individual households appear minor in comparison with the impacts from industrial and public sectors, the report notes that when considered as a sector the impact is "significant".

Pressures on energy and water consumption, waste and wastewater generation and emissions to air and water pose potential problems, along with the use of land and natural resources.

Increased use of the car for commuting, and our reliance on fossil fuels for energy, is a "major contributor" to the level of greenhouse gases generated.

Sustainable Energy Ireland notes that households are responsible for 30pc of Ireland's carbon dioxide emissions, and that Ireland is among 10 of 15 EU countries that are not on target to meet Kyoto targets on harmful emissions.

With Irish weather conditions, a 1MW wind turbine could provide enough energy to power 650 homes.

Of all key economic sectors households show the least eco-efficiency, the report notes. Waste generation and private vehicle numbers have risen considerably faster than the rate of increase in population.
 
Septic tank may need emptying?

I was always under the impression that septic tanks did not need to be emptied. We have been in our house just under a year, there are just the two of us and the house was newly built.

I noticed yesterday that the toilet was under a bit of pressure when flushing and after a bit of investigation discovered that the tank appears to be full. Now I know these should normally be full of water anyway.

The seepaway outlet could be blocked, it was getting dark when I was conducting my investigations.

I got rid of a bit of the pressure, but I may need to get a local farmer to empty it

I didn’t think that you needed to empty septic tanks at all, that only the water would seep away and the solids would be broken down by bacteria.

I will have to get the wellies out tomorrow, since the tank is buried down about a foot, so I will need to do a bit of digging to get at the manhole cover
 
Re: blocked drains going to septic tank

Some other posts

Joan
Unregistered User
Septic tank

How long does a septic tank last and does anyone know how much it cost to install one. What are the regulation concerning installing a septic tank. Also how would I know if the one install is working or not is there any clues that I should be looking for.
Any help would be greatly apprecaited

sinead76
Registered User
Septic Tank

We got one for €4900 + VAT from www.shaymurtagh.ie/
(could be .com not sure)

they're somewhere in the midlands i think but delivery and installation is included in the price

EAMONN66
Registered User
Re: Septic Tank

bord na mona do one

from the faq:

A standard single house Puraflo Intermittent Peat Filter system sells for €3947.14 + VAT at 13.5% including delivery and installation. This compares very favourably to other systems when installation, site preparation, delivery and maintenance costs are all included.

the link is

[broken link removed]

iris
Unregistered User
Septic tank

A septic tank is basically a tank made of concrete or reinforced plastic or other and is installed sunken into the ground. It has an inlet for the raw sewerage and an outlet pipe. The solids settle out of the sewage in the tank and fall to the base of the tank. Bacteria in the tank help to break down the solids. However, the tank needs to be 'desludged' periodically. The waste water exits the tank through the outlet pipe which drains to a percolation area. This consists of a sytem of perforated pipes laid in the ground in gravel filled trenches and uses a wide surface area to allow the waste water to seep into the ground. There are official guidelines for the construction and installation of the septic tank and percolation area. The older guidelines are titled SR6:1996 guidelines and should be available from the Co. Co. offices. The most up to date guidelines are contained in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wastewater Treatment Manuals "Wastewater treatment systems for small communities, business, leisure centres and hotels" and "Wastewater treatment systems for single houses". These may be available for download on the EPA website www.epa.ie.

There are domestic wastewater treatment plants available including the Bord na Mona puraflow system, the Biocycle system and Butlers Engineering plants (Longford, I think) and probably others. These are generally small basic treatment plants, are more expensive than an ordinary septic tank and will require a percolation area (though usually of smaller dimensions than that required for a septic tank system).

Good clean fun.

iris
 
Re: Key Post: Septic Tanks

Septic tanks by and large are an ecological disaster. In leitrim for instance the soil is known as "Leitrim Daub". This has not got the ability to percolate the issuance from septic tanks. Builders are notorious for getting out as cheaply as possible, and unless forced to do so, will only install a bog standard concrete tank with no treatment aspect whatever. In many cases the "percolation" pipe or pipes are directed into the nearest land drain or ditch. This is a complete disgrace, but as long as engineers and the local Council continue to turn a blind eye, the practice will continue. If we as a nation were really serious about our environment there would be a team of inspectors located in key areas around the country. In the same manner that an engineer must "sign off" on the dwelling house itself, these inspectors would have to certify that the house met all requirements in relation to the treatment of all wastes emanating from the dwelling. Periodical unannounced inspections would need to be a feature of these environmental protection regulations.
 
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Re: Key Post: Septic Tanks

Hi Feorais, agree with you 100%. The same can be said for the majority of waste water treatment systems aswell. It is scarely to think that there is no regulations or standards in this industrial at all. You can more or less get a tank put a blower in it call it a wastewater treatment system and away you go. There is no form of testing whatsoever. And we wonder why all are rivers and lakes are polluted.
 
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