How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?

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ex-cavator

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #30 on: September 14, 2010, 22:28 »
nice work if you could get it  :lol:
you'd find an awful lot of bad connections though....the job could last a lifetime ;)

Lifetime in Greece - Hmmmmmmmmmmm!  ::)

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arugula

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #31 on: September 15, 2010, 06:34 »
Emptying our tank now costs about £100 .

This is cheap. Charges for this service will vary around the country, for instance £140.00 here.

:)
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ex-cavator

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #32 on: September 15, 2010, 10:31 »
Speaking to folk where we stayed in Orkney last week - they were quoted well into 3 figures for emptying theirs, but then "Farmer George from just up the road said he'd do it for 20 quid and spread it on his land". That's why Orkney produce is so good  :lol:

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John

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #33 on: September 15, 2010, 10:58 »
It does seem stupid to waste a resource! I've steered clear of the 'humanure' ideas that people email me. Without proper treatment, this way lies cholera and typhus!

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smud6ie

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #34 on: September 16, 2010, 11:05 »
When we moderised out cottage 40 years ago we built a septic tank out of concrete blocks then rendered it inside.It consists of two chambers 4' by 4' and 6' 6" deep.the sewerage enters the first tank near the top via a Tee so as not to not to disturb the surface crust that forms, the action takes place in here and liquid discharges into the second chamber onto a perforated sheet then seeps down through varipus grades of harcore/filter media.
When it gets to the bottom it runs underground through perforated pipes to soak away.
It has only ever been emptied once!! and that was after it was in about 10 years and the children we little we had a washing machine and dishwasher discharging into it  and it started to smell..we got rid of the DW and directed the WM into a huge soakaway in the field and have not had a problem since.
smud6ie

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John

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #35 on: September 16, 2010, 12:10 »
It seems to me that the amount of water is a big factor in the 'time to empty' of septic tanks. We're going to be replacing the WCs which will mean halving the amount of water discharge there and the washing machine & dishwasher will discharge far less water than they did 10 years ago as well. So hopefully that will be OK.

I need to work out where the water from the sinks / bath / gutters goes to (should be fun!)

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smud6ie

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #36 on: September 16, 2010, 12:42 »
I put it down to  the chemicals that caused our problem!
smud6ie

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John

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #37 on: September 16, 2010, 13:10 »
I put it down to  the chemicals that caused our problem!
smud6ie

Good point - we use soapnuts for the washing machine and ecover dishwasher tablets so hopefully 'septic safe' - Going to have to avoid bleach though.. not sure about anti-septic handwash. Wonder if that will be diluted enough to not have an effect. Possibly we're over-thinking / worrying :)

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smud6ie

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #38 on: September 16, 2010, 13:24 »
 not sure about anti-septic handwash. Wonder if that will be diluted enough to not have an effect. Possibly we're over-thinking / worrying :)


We use lots of that,as well as swarfega,washing out paint brushes,water based,grout and tiling adhesive  trays and tools.
smud6ie

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gillie

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #39 on: September 16, 2010, 14:11 »
"It seems to me that the amount of water is a big factor in the 'time to empty' of septic tanks. "

In what way?  plenty of water going through it will dilute any chemicals and should simply drain through into the soakaway.

We do not do anything special on account of our septic tank.  We use bleach and ordinary detergents and dishwasher tablets, clean paintbrushes and all the rest.  The only thing I have ever avoided was very powerful drain cleaner.  There is never any smell.

I think that provided your septic tank is in reasonable health you can just carry on as normal.

Gillie

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John

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #40 on: September 16, 2010, 15:15 »
"It seems to me that the amount of water is a big factor in the 'time to empty' of septic tanks. "

Just the stuff put out by the US government.

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gillie

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #41 on: September 16, 2010, 20:56 »
I am not sure that U.S. septic tanks are quite the same as U.K ones.  They seem to have things called 'leach fields' which I suppose are substitutes for our soakaways.  See for example http://www.edcgov.us/emd/envhealth/homeowner_septic.html

At one time rainwater from our house roof was going into the septic tank.  This is naughty and we have now fixed it.  However the tank took it in their stride.

Gillie

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John

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #42 on: September 16, 2010, 23:12 »
Leach field is actually a better description than our soakaway - although a rose by any other name :)


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noshed

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #43 on: September 17, 2010, 17:01 »
Self-sufficient in rasberries and bindweed. Slug pellets can be handy.

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8doubles

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Re: How Often do you Empty a Septic Tank?
« Reply #44 on: September 17, 2010, 17:39 »
There is or was a large reedbed treatment system near Winchester known to the locals as 'Stinky Hill', it works but i wouldn`t want to live with it. :D



 

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