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JoeR
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Septic tank back up!
12/13/05 07:29 PM
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This is a new one to me! My septic tank backed up, and it was pumped out 16 months ago! My house is less than 4 years old. Now I start to panic that I have a defective drain field. So, I called the septic pumping company, and the guy tells me it is probably my septic filter. After hearing this, I think he is pulling a fast one. He said he would be out the next day, and I said, "I gotta see this, and I will be there!". I am thinking he is going to rip me off, and I am ready for him to prove his point. So he opens the tank and sure enough it is full and putting back pressure on the drain from the house. I say, where is the elusive filter! He says it is on the other side, and he digs out the septic tank cover for the other side. Sure enough, he opens it, and pulls out a plastic strainer looking filter! The water rushes into the drain field in seconds! I said what the heck is this?? A filter on a drain field? He said it is a good concept idea, but grease, slime, and hair plug it up fast! Now I sit here just amazed! I have a septic tank filter!
At my old house, I never had a filter and it didn't get pumped but every 10 years... This filter has caused me some money!
Should I leave the filter out, or put it back in? All I can say is the filter is like a pool strainer, with about the same 1/8" openings. The thought of cleaning it is a little disturbing. Almost like the TV show, World's dirtiest jobs...
Thanks,
Joe
Edited by JoeR (12/13/05 09:25 PM)
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Pat
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: JoeR]
12/13/05 09:58 PM
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Joe, It is a good news bad news deal. The good news is that you have a filter which protects your leach field from stuf that can plug it and render it totally useless and force its replacement which is a major major pain in the drain.
The bad news is that instead the filter plugs up and requires service. Better to service the filter periodically than to ever have to redo the leach field.
Someone could have two sets of filter media and periodically (even before needed,probably) he could swap the filters. Then there would be no panic rush to clean it right then and get it back in service. You could take your time and maybe imerse the dirty one in lye or whatever to disolve hair (a chief contaminant) and whatever else like grease (another bad thing if not digested properly.) If it were me I'd be looking for a better way to access the filter than calling a septic guy to dig it up. Install an access riser with lid at the surface and hide or camoflage it with landscaping if needed for aesthetics.
Having a filter is a good thing if you want the septic system to last a good long time.
Now stand by for a barage of annecdotal claims of how filters are not needed because THEIR septic system worked fine without one etc. etc.
The filter wasn't put in there to be a PITA it is there for good cause and is a GOOD THING. The major points of grief for you were 1. ignorance which has been cured by experience and education and 2. having only one filter and a big hassle to access it. Both of these items can be remedied at moderate cost.
Best of luck whatever you choose to do.
 Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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JoeR
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: Pat]
12/14/05 08:42 AM
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Thanks Pat! I feel the same way you do, but access is a real problem with this filter. I too think the filter is cheaper than fixing a drain field. I wish the filter design was a little more refined, such as ease of access and the filter itself seems to clog easily. Septic tanks don't have a constant flow of fluid to keep material from building up on the filter, so the small openings on the filter are not a good idea.
Thanks,
Joe
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Pat
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: JoeR]
12/14/05 09:12 AM
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Joe, If your access problem is not the digging which could be replaced with a riser assy with cover at the surface but is instead difficulty in R&R of the filter assy then there is hope. There are filter assemblies to be bought for adding on to a system. perhaps you could retrofit a different filter assy and make it a lot easier to deal with. I like the idea of having at least two filter elements, one intalled and one in reserve for a "quick change" which will let you put off the cleaning task till a convenient time and allow for a good soak in lye or whatever to disolve hair and such.
Best of luck whatever you decide to do.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Edited by Pat (12/14/05 09:13 AM)
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MarineJAG
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: Pat]
12/14/05 01:49 PM
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A Septic Filter is new to me as well. I have an older house w/out such a device and have had the septic open a couple of times. There is a t-pipe on the exit of the septic which is suppose to keep solids from entering the drain field. Is there something wrong with this time-tested concept to where we now need filters?
- William
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Pat
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: MarineJAG]
12/14/05 04:47 PM
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Marine Dude, I have this older car with a manual crank start. Is there something wrong with this time-tested concept to where we need electric start?
Sorry, couldn't resist. I know you have a sense of humor and will survive the jibe. Just like old home remedies with camphor, sulphur, and such have been replaced by modern pharmaceuticals, there have been advances in technology with septic systems. (See also THE INFILTRATOR system, a replacement and vast improvement over gravel or chunked up old tires in the leach field .)
No, filters are not a must. Neither is looking both ways before crossing the street but both are prudent and practial responses to extant reality.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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MarineJAG
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: Pat]
12/15/05 04:53 AM
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 I guess with that car you are set in the winter never needing to worry about your battery going dead.
- William
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RobS
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: JoeR]
12/16/05 03:34 PM
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Hi Joe, I have the same filter in our new house (actually, just outside of it ). Our old house did not have one and that may have been the reason we had to pay some extra money at sale time for a new septic field. They claim a major contributor to failure of the field was solids from the tank.
So we have this filter now. I had the same experience you did less than a year into the house. I was sure it was a field problem and was frantically looking up the warranty info. Called the builder and they mentioned the filter. Builder told me how to clean it and it's not bad at all.
You'll need a length of 3/8 steel rod and a hose. Bend the end of the rod into a short "L". Just a couple of inches on the short leg. You can bend a similar leg on the other end for a handle if you like, or a welded on "T" handle would be even better. Use this new tool to lift the lid then on down into the water for the filter. It's not too far below the lid level. Hook the "L" into the handle on top of the filter, twist and remove straight up. Water will flow out the outlet pipe which you have now exposed. Use the hose to rinse the filter right back into the tank and replace. Takes about five minutes total. I take a very satisfying shower afterwards which gets any errant gookies off and reminds me of my success as the water flows down the drain.
They recommended to us to rinse the filter twice a year and pump the tank every other year. I don't like that I have to do that, but it's still cheaper than a new field system. Apparently, there are a lot of things in our waste these days that weren't in our parents waste
Rob
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JoeR
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: RobS]
12/18/05 10:02 AM
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That's a good idea on the tool Rob. My wife and I have been discussing this, and she says to leave the filter in, but then I asked a question. Does the filter prevent damage to the drainfield from ignorance? Like people who flush cigarette butts, or tampon applicators, and hair. Or does the filter actually extend the life of the drainfield? I noticed drainfields are different too, and they no longer use rock. Could the filter be implemented to overcome a design change in the septic field? If there is no rock, then larger material would not deposit in the large openings and would stay in the pipe since it can't infiltrate the sand.
On Monday, I plan on calling the County Environmental Health Department so I can get the reasoning behind all this. I really want to understand the reason in the design change. It seems the same design has worked for 50+ years, and suddenly we changed. Maybe the drain field has changed, and we need to better protect it??
Sorry for the rant, I am just typing as I think since this has me really wondering.
Thanks,
Joe
Edited by JoeR (12/18/05 05:55 PM)
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egon
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: JoeR]
12/18/05 03:33 PM
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The filter probably keeps synthetic materials from clothes etc. out of the drain field. They may not react to bacterial action and plug the field.
Egon
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JoeR
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: egon]
12/18/05 06:19 PM
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Good point Egon, but I don't think the filter is fine enough. It is similar to a pool skimmer basket.
Here is a picture:
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twstanley
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: JoeR]
12/19/05 10:39 AM
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I think over 50 years folks realized that certain things would float thru a septic tank and out into the drain field causing it to eventually clog and require replacement.
Think of cleaning the filter as insurance against a new drain field every x years depending on the frequence and amount of non biodegradable stuff heading into the drain field.
Miscellaneous plastic and other products that don't biodegrade come to mind.
I imagine there are a lot more of these materials being flushed and washed down drains now than in 1950 as well.
The filter seems a great idea to catch this sort of thing before it goes into the drain field where it is impossible to remove....
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Pat
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: twstanley]
12/19/05 02:52 PM
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Egon hit on an important point. Synthetic fibers which are shed in abundance by clothes in the washer do not digest in the septic tank and will over time form a felt like mat which can reduce your systems effectivity and essentially ruin it over time.
There are various filters available to install in the outlet of the washing machine which collect these errant fibers and prevent them going down the drain. I tried one that was essentially a stainless steel mesh that fit on the drain pipe of the washer. It was fairly effective but was a royal pitb to R&R for cleaning. Now there are much better ones available that filter vey well and are easy to clean out.
These are a much more appetizing chore to clean than cleaning out the in-tank septic filter. If you want long term septic funtion and efficiency, one of these washing machine filters is a practical and cost effective improvement.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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CJDave
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: Pat]
12/19/05 06:33 PM
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 I have a long-time buddy who owns a septic tank truck and whose business is located in an intensely-cropped area of California's irrigated agriculture. Many of his clients are tractor drivers; whose clothes are often covered with dirt when they drop them into the wash. That same dirt goes into the septic system and forms layers in the bottom of the tank. Once the tank is level full and can no longer process sewage, they call him and he responds with his truck and an air compressor in tow. He uses an air wand to agitate the tank and get the layered solids back into suspension. We installed a Barnes, hydraulic motor-driven sewage pump on his truck, driven from a "wet kit" on the main transmission of his White Western Star Diesel. The Barnes will pump a piece of debris the size of a t-shirt with no problem. It will also pull heavy sludge and water through 60' of 3" suction hose. This truck was really cutting edge when we built it ten years ago....maybe fifteen, I cannot recall exactly. We avoided using a vacuum system because the heavy wall tanks were too heavy. We traded that weight for additional sewage water capacity so he can carry 2010 gallons legally. The vacuum pumps were also very slow and expensive. His motto is: "washing machines are the enemy of septic tanks".
CJDave
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MarineJAG
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: CJDave]
12/20/05 07:29 AM
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I've had the septic pumped a couple of times. Question: Where does the septic truck take the sewage?
- William
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twstanley
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: MarineJAG]
12/20/05 03:17 PM
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I imagine to a municipal sewage facility somewhere for treatment.
I know some small towns used to have points where you could empty holding tanks in campers, etc. I'm not sure if those are still around.
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CJDave
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: MarineJAG]
12/20/05 05:49 PM
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Out in La-La Land, they have to get a registered permit that allows them to drive into the sewer farm and dump in a designated opening. They have to have the number of gallons of capacity and the permit number printed or painted on the truck. Of course on farms they often dump it in the cow pasture; splashing poo and condoms all over the place.....it's a ghastly sight!. 
CJDave
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Pat
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: CJDave]
12/21/05 12:16 PM
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Dave, Dave, Dave, Where are yoir manners, Dave? IAW acceptable use of euphemisms that would be poo and Allegheny White Fish. I learned the term from an actual Pennsylvania waste disposal engineer.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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CJDave
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: Pat]
12/21/05 08:46 PM
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YUK! Just thinking about it makes me nauseous. Allegheny White fish.....yuk!!! Barfo......
CJDave
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JoeR
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: Pat]
12/21/05 10:34 PM
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How do you prepare Allegheny White Fish? Do you fry or broil it? I bet you will find whole corn in that fish!! hahaha!! Sorry, my juvenile tendencies took over!
Joe
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cwarrix
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: JoeR]
12/21/05 11:42 PM
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OK, that one pushed me over the limit, I'm putting this thread on my ignore list... wait there is no ignore list. Man, that would be a good feature to add
Ahhhhhh, YUK!!!!! Can't get the picture out of my head (banging head on wall) Get out, get out!!
This thread sure went down the drain in a hurry
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CJDave
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: cwarrix]
12/22/05 06:41 AM
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 I'm sickened by that........just sickened.
CJDave
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JoeR
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: CJDave]
12/22/05 08:58 AM
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Sorry Dave, I couldn't help it... I learned way too much after looking in my septic tank. Although, it was Pat that started the fish comment!
Joe
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Pat
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: JoeR]
12/23/05 09:20 PM
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Joe, Neither... VULCANIZE!
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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lbrown59
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Re: Septic tank back up!
[re: JoeR]
05/01/06 07:43 AM
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I start to panic that I have a defective drain field.
============
That's what I like about my system.
There is no drain field to go bad or cause problems.
lb
3 Kubotas
1 BX23
2 BX1500s
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