septic tank question

I am looking to buy a home and had them come out and pump as well as inspect the septic tank before I commit to buy.

The guy who pumped put the septic tank said that the tank is in good shape but could not tell me the shape of the field lines. He said he did notice that there were black marks on the walls of the septic tank that come from the septic tank being at different levels but other than that all looked good.

I want to know what would cause the fluctuation of the level in the tank? Is or could that be a sign of anything bad? I dont know much about septic tanks and need some type of input on what would cause this.

I must also say that one of the tanks tops were off when we got there and it had rained for 4 to 5 days before the inspection was done. The home is a foreclosure and I have clue on how long it has set empty. Before pumping the system I did have a home inspection and he flushed the toilets and ran water at all faucets and nothing drained or flushed slow nor were there any gurgling while test them systems. Standing outside there was no odors or sogginess around septic tank or field lines. Not sure if it matters or helps but the home is in central east Alabama.

If a septic tank is pumped out and the house is empty and it rains for a day or two, should the tank fill back up with water from the field lines? Or should it remain empty until the sinks and toilets are used in the house? If it does the opposite of what it is suppose to do would that be due to bad field line?

Somehow spam???

New member asking about his septic tank in Alabama at 3 a.m.????

no sir, i work 3rd shift and was googling and found this forum. I know its not fishing or hunting related but i seen one other post from some one else asking about septic tank and figured it was worth a shot.

How many tanks are there before the drainfield and what size?

We have three, 1000 gallon tanks. The first two tanks remove the solids and the last tank pumps the liquids back to the drainfield.

There should not be any solids in your last tank where it’s being pumped to the drainfield.

There should be an inspection holes on your drainfield where you can see if it’s flooded or dry.

If the inspector did not find anything upfront the only way you can tell if it’s any good is by using it. That will depend how many people are in your family and how many times your wife washes clothes and things like that.

I’m certainly not a professional. Getting a second opinion by someone that did not install the septic tank might be some sound advice.

I am new to this but I think it is a 1500 gallon system. Like you said one side is for solids and the other is for liquid to the drain field.

I plan to look in the second tank today to see if it is empty or what. The water in the house is cut off and the only way it could be filled up is if it drained back from the field lines.

I’m assuming if the field lines drained back and filled it up there is an issue….is that safe to say?

Is it a gravity system or does it pump to the drain field?

Just depends on how old it is too. A septic tank and drain field are 15 yr life items. Ours was 24 yrs old when we bought our current home. We negotiated that into our price and had a new tank & drainfield system installed for $6,600. So we just added 5k to their asking price and made that part of the deal. New septic system was installed before closing. Guy who did the install said the old system was shot and we were lucky we did the new one cause it was just one old man living here the 24 yrs and with the increased use from our 3 people, we woulda had problems that first winter.

What is the age of the current system? What is your worst case scenario if the system fails, cost of replacement? I am currently setting money aside for replacement of my system. Its going on 45 years now but still working fine. Between code changes, its age and seeing a fair amount of new systems going in in the neighborhood its time to start planning for us. Not to worried about the cost as its just part of home ownership. Up dating well is on the list to.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

Is it a gravity system or does it pump to the drain field?

It is gravity fed

Deleted wrote:

Just depends on how old it is too. A septic tank and drain field are 15 yr life items. Ours was 24 yrs old when we bought our current home. We negotiated that into our price and had a new tank & drainfield system installed for $6,600. So we just added 5k to their asking price and made that part of the deal. New septic system was installed before closing. Guy who did the install said the old system was shot and we were lucky we did the new one cause it was just one old man living here the 24 yrs and with the increased use from our 3 people, we woulda had problems that first winter.

The home was built in 1995 so I’m guessing it is 23 years old.

I just left from looking at the septic tank and it is still emtpy, well less than 2/3 empty from what I can see. That’s after a couple days of rain after it was pumped. I poked around the yard at different spots and smelled no odors whatsoever. I guess I will proceed with the buy and just know I need to save as this system could be at its life’s end. It’s a foreclosure so they will not negotiate on the septic tank, but I am getting a good deal so I guess I won’t complain.

If a septic tank is pumped out and the house is empty and it rains for a day or two, should the tank fill back up with water from the field lines? Not if it is gravity fed, but yes if the covers were left off Or should it remain empty until the sinks and toilets are used in the house? If it does the opposite of what it is suppose to do would that be due to bad field line?

Remember all systems are not built/designed the same especially in different parts of the country.

I guess Caveat Emptor.

Good luck and welcome to the site.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

If a septic tank is pumped out and the house is empty and it rains for a day or two, should the tank fill back up with water from the field lines? Not if it is gravity fed, but yes if the covers were left off Or should it remain empty until the sinks and toilets are used in the house? If it does the opposite of what it is suppose to do would that be due to bad field line?

Remember all systems are not built/designed the same especially in different parts of the country.

I guess Caveat Emptor.

Good luck and welcome to the site.

I just checked it and it is still empty, not even a 1/4 of the way. The guy who pumped it said some would return. Not sure what some means though

Forgot to ask, see any fish in there?

Brown Trout?

Ours ran $15k for three 1000 gallon tanks and the drain field (best of three quotes).
There wasn’t a law that require inspection prior to sale back then.
The original was from 1957 with 2 500 gallon tanks that had a gravel bottom…that was the drain field.

The second month after we moved in the tile between the two tanks broke and we were down to one tank…which meant the wife had to take all the laundry into town for washing…for two years.

Point being, you’re ahead of the game with the inspection, but you really won’t know until it’s being used.

Good luck!

If you haven’t lived in a house with a septic system before here are a few tips.

Do NOT use the extra-soft-triple-thick toilet paper (like Charmin Ultra, etc.) It doesn’t break down fast enough and it will likely clog your system. And do NOT flush other things like cleaning wipes, tampons, condoms, etc.

Avoid using bleach for laundry. It kills the bacteria in the tank – the bacteria in the system is what breaks down the paper and solids in the tank.

Avoid doing massive amounts of laundry all at once – at least until you know how the system is doing. Even then it’s better to do one or two loads a day than 10 in one day. This is especially true if you live where there is heavy soil.

Get your system pumped and the filter cleaned regularly as recommended by your pumping service.

Good luck with the new house!

Eelpoutguy wrote:

If a septic tank is pumped out and the house is empty and it rains for a day or two, should the tank fill back up with water from the field lines? Not if it is gravity fed, but yes if the covers were left off Or should it remain empty until the sinks and toilets are used in the house? If it does the opposite of what it is suppose to do would that be due to bad field line?

Remember all systems are not built/designed the same especially in different parts of the country.

I guess Caveat Emptor.

Good luck and welcome to the site.

i looked in there today and there is a little water but even close to being full. I think it is ok to go since the top is put back on there like it should be.

Bassn Dan wrote:

If you haven’t lived in a house with a septic system before here are a few tips.

Do NOT use the extra-soft-triple-thick toilet paper (like Charmin Ultra, etc.) It doesn’t break down fast enough and it will likely clog your system. And do NOT flush other things like cleaning wipes, tampons, condoms, etc.

Avoid using bleach for laundry. It kills the bacteria in the tank – the bacteria in the system is what breaks down the paper and solids in the tank.

Avoid doing massive amounts of laundry all at once – at least until you know how the system is doing. Even then it’s better to do one or two loads a day than 10 in one day. This is especially true if you live where there is heavy soil.

Get your system pumped and the filter cleaned regularly as recommended by your pumping service.

Good luck with the new house!

Thank you for the quick list of do’s and don’ts as I have never had a septic tank before. I will make sure to follow these.

Good list Bassin Dan,

I’ll add to fix any leaky faucets or running toilets asap.

This is a few things I’ve learned since recently buying a home with septic and well.

Don’t be undersold when you replace the septic. By having the septic put in by the seller I had no input as to what I was getting. In hindsight my system is less than I would have chosen, capacity wise.

Do the Toilet paper square test …..in a glass of water, add a square of tp to it, let stand 10 minutes then give it a swirl and empty the glass on the lawn. If it looks like a tp square still, it’s not good for the septic system, regardless of whether it is marked “septic safe”. If it looks like it all dissolved to small fragments in the water, you’re golden. I had to learn this the hard way with regard to tp. I was using septic safe stuff but it was not breaking down well so my tank was packed with tp.

NO : grease, butter, oil, coffee grounds, food, hard liquor, pet waste, tampons, condoms, cleaning wipes, excessive dish soap,(I used it in my laundry once and it was bad) , paper towels, egg shells, DOWNY liquid fabric softener, pop, fish scales, excessive hair, vegetable peelings

YES : beer, milk, yeast, bodily fluids, human waste, household grey water (I do one load a day or a second at night if I have to),

I get mine pumped out at least every fall. Figure I’m not wanting any trouble over the winter. I did get it pumped twice this last year, just cause we had a couple big family BBQ’s with 20+ people here (heavy use) so I did spring and fall. It’s $125 for a pump out here , cheap peace of mind.

Don’t drive anything bigger than a riding lawnmower over your drain field. Same for the tanks. Don’t plant trees or anything but grass over drain field also.

Drop food coloring in the back toilet tank before bed, to check if toilet is leaking water. If there is colored water in the bowl, from the back tank, (by morning) you need toilet repair or replacement. I replaced mine.

Good additions by Brian K and Thomas N. to the do’s and don’ts for septic tanks. Cottonelle “Clean Care” toilet paper works well for our system with NO paper to be seen the last time it was pumped.

A couple of other things.

Our pumping service prefers to pump systems in spring or summer – that way the bacteria that digests the waste in the tank will repopulate faster than in cold weather – it might be different in the South…

Probably doesn’t apply to Alabama, but for us Northerners spreading the laundry over multiple days also helps keep the system “warm” to prevent freezing in years with no snow.

Ridex or yeast feeds the system’s bacteria – not a bad idea Robert to put some in your system if it’s been sitting idle for a while.

I agree with Thomas’ “no food” in the system suggestion, and would NEVER have a garbage disposal with a septic tank. Some people don’t like that, but it’s easy enough to just compost vegetable waste, bury fish remains, and put other kitchen waste in the garbage.

When you have your system pumped talk to the pumping service guy and ask if he has any recommendations. They see a LOT of systems and know what works well and not well in your area and with your soil type.

New here also – this discussion interested me since I have a newly raised awareness of the need to keep water clean at every stage of the hydrologic cycle. Especially for our fish and game, since most septic systems are out in the country.
Looks like your questions were answered and things are under control. Lots of good information here.

Man o man the stuff you learn!

Learn more here by accident then other places by design. – Garage Logic