Re: Septic Tank....
 

Well, just had a nose around next door, their well cap is just over a meter wide and has a (1.5 - 2 inch wide) pipe sticking out of it.

PS Our septic, when dug up, has metal hatch on it about two feet square into which they drop a big pipe.

Re: Septic Tank....
 

Goodness me - who let us buy this house in the sticks?!! We have no idea what we are doing!

How DO I find my septic tank then?

Re: Septic Tank....
 

A well might, I don't think a septic would as its (supposed to be) a closed anaerobic system?

Re: Septic Tank....
 

Can you see where the waste pipe leaves the basement...it will be off in that general direction.


Is there a flat area over there where the grass is lusher in the summer...that's the weeping bed. The tank will generally be on the house side, generally not too far from the house unless the geography is against you (ours is about 6 feet from the wall)


If the access to the tank is buried close to the surface it probably wont have the best grass coverage. You might be able to find it by probing with a metal rod for a hard surface maybe a foot to 18" under the surface.

Your neighbours might remember seeing it dug out in the past...worth asking anyway. Failing that, call the local septic people, there are usually only one or two in a area, and chances are they have pumped it before and remember where it is. Maybe they can stop on the way by to another job and give it the once over. Dont call them out to empty it till you know where it is and have dug out the cover, otherwise it will make a cheap job expensive. Failing that there are contractors who will figure it out for a fee.

Re: Septic Tank....
 

Well a neighbour did say the tank should only be 10 foot or so away from the bathroom so it was a little odd to find this concrete tank further away from the bathroom!

Re: Septic Tank....
 

Should be on the plans - that said it wasn't on my plans - eventually I found the "plan" drawn in pencil on the door of my fuse box! Conrad's will bring a mini-digger for an extra $100 and trash your yard as a last resort!

Can you trace the waste pipe out of the basement? That should at least tell you which side of the house the tank is on. Then it shouldn't be too far from the house.

Re: Septic Tank....
 

So... how long do these tanks 'generally' last then before they need emptying. Logically the bigger the size (assuming they come in different sizes!) then they would last longer just wondered generally how long they take until well .... something leaks and a different odor fills the air..:blink:

Re: Septic Tank....
 

Three years seems to be the recommended time periods. However my neighbours (builders by trade) got a regular size one to last 8 years by (they say) flushing any left over meat down the toilet to encourage the grow of maggots in the tank which then feed... and keep the solids down while the liquids drain off on the septic field...

They do come in different sizes, but a house will usually be built with one which is the smallest required to conform to building regs, which in this case is governed by the number of rooms designates as "bedrooms".

Re: Septic Tank....
 

Sounds interesting, but highly unlikely that maggots would survive down there! It's a very bad idea to put any more organic matter into the septic tank than is absolutely necessary.

Re: Septic Tank....
 

Now my OH is home and I have relayed all of this to him and he is still of the opinion that this thing in the trees with the vent is the septic tank. Mainly because he cannot understand why a septic tank would not have a vent - surely it would blow up with all the gases held in there and also this concrete thing is 4ft in diameter and 3ft high. The concrete lid is 5ins thick and he just cannot see why this would be a well....they only need to be little skinny things don't they?

Re: Septic Tank....
 

That's the exact description of the top of my neighbour's dug well.

Someone quoted "its (supposed to be) a closed anaerobic system?", anything that needs to vent will surely do so through the septic field won't it? I certainly wouldn't want a vent on mine given the smell that came out when it was opened!

PS - how could you possibly get the lid off if it's 4 feet of concrete?

Re: Septic Tank....
 

I always eat my veg - am very strong...lol! We have been looking on youtube and it would seem it is a septic tank...! I suppose the only way we will know for sure is when we get someone out to empty it for us!

Re: Septic Tank....
 

Well, you'll be able to take a good look down your well then!! ;)

Re: Septic Tank....
 

Okay - first one is what we think is the well, second and third the septic.

Re: Septic Tank....
 

The first one is a drilled well and I think the second is a dug well. How old is the house? If a dug well runs out or runs at low pressure, a drilled well can either replace the dug well or be used to feed the dug well increasing its pressure.