Questions tagged [septic]
Questions related to septic systems
162
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Does this septic tank have built in baffles?
I had a septic tank delivered and want to understand what needs to be done for the hookup (I'm not doing it myself, just want to be sure I understand the requirements).
I'd seen / read that you ...
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Digging out septic lid but going through unexpected material
I bought this house with a septic system two months ago, and we had the septic system inspected, which left two clear dug-up areas in the lawn. I am digging up what I think is the inlet lid (closer to ...
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Home condensation pump emptying into sewage pipe. Is this functionally okay?
I was looking at a house and noticed they had a condensation pump for a hot water heater going directly into one of the houses sewage pipes, which empties into the property's septic tank. See images ...
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Septic tank TLC (Europe)
We are getting some odors; at least partly from our septic tank. We purchased the house a year ago; and don't have any detailed plumbing schematics. So trying to work out what is currently happening; ...
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How to proactively detect a clogged sewer drain pipe?
Is there a way to detect that a sewer drain pipe has clogged and is in the process of backing up? I'm not looking for a) advice like "don't put grease or tampons down the drain" or b) here ...
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Sewer connection with lift pump, or septic tank?
My wife and I are considering a building lot.
The city ran a sewer line down the street in front of the lot early this spring, so connecting to the sewer is a possibility, but would require a lift ...
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2k
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How should I interpret these septic system diagram markings?
We bought a house built in 1996 with a sand filter septic system. We got the following diagram of the system:
but it might as well be ancient runes to us.
Specific questions:
What does "D.F.S.B....
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106
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Garage drain isn't draining, how can I figure out where it ends?
My house is a 1977 ranch with double garage underneath and it has septic tanks. A round drain in the garage seems to go to the left as that's where the vacuum hose goes when I put it in the drain, but ...
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110
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Sewer gas (?) smell in one bathroom. Septic issue?
We have a half bath downstairs in a two-story home on septic. Occasionally (every 7-10 days) we get a strong odor in the half bath. It seems like sewer gas, propane, or a dead mouse. The other two ...
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Is an air admittance valve suitable on a sewage ejector pump basin?
My contractor recently installed a sewage ejector pump for a new basement bathroom that will feed waste to a septic tank. The pump will be handling a toilet, shower, and two sinks. I have some ...
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Septic PVC Collar Leaking - Surfacing Wastewater
Issue
I noticed a few days ago that the snow around my septic tank has been melting/iced. I didn't think much of it at first, because there wasn't much of an odor, and it was clear. However, after ...
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Running a gas line to the garage
Hey guys I need to run a buried gas line from my house to the garage. Its about 60 ft run. It passes through my driveway (gravel). How deep am I supposed to burry it to be safe? What line should I buy?...
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118
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Can salt water kill bacteria in septic tank
My septic tank has open bottom and as it's rainy season and the salt water from the ground (clay) is coming up to a foot, but I'm wondering whether it can kill all the bacteria (anaerobic, aerobic) ...
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Can sludge in septic tank prevent water from draining into the ground
I am just wondering whether sludge that settles at the bottom of the septic tank can block the water from draining(discharging) into the ground.
If yes then what are the steps that we have to take to ...
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Do I need buffer walls in septic tank
I studied somewhere that a septic tank should have 2 buffer walls so one side water enters and all the sludge settles down in first chamber and the water that overflows above the first buffer wall is ...
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Can someone help me identify these rough-in pipes in my basement?
I recently purchased this home and am interested in figuring out what these pipes are for, if not a rough-in.
I have a 3" pipe coming from slab at exactly 13" from wall on center.
Then three ...
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Cement holding tank
I have a new 1000 gallon cement holding tank with no plumbing or drains hooked up yet I went to the property today and it is completely full of water. Is it broken? Thanks for any help.
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Can open bottom septic tank weaken the building foundation
My building has a septic tank which is at the bottom of the groundfloor. Basically it's right underneath the building and it has open bottom.
I'm worried if this can weaken the soil (Clay ground) ...
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Drain lines to septic are going chug-a-lug
Starting recently when water from showers, washer, dishwasher, etc go down the drain pipes I hear what sounds like the wastewater stopping and starting. My best analogy would be like an unvented 5-...
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Septic alarm went off. Pump running. Unknown valve in closed position. Is there DIY fix or tank needs to be drained?
Recently bought a home with septic system and alarm went off. I silenced it:
It seems it has been in continuous mode for at least last few months. First question - Is this the expected mode or should ...
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227
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Brittle material flaking off in toilet
just moved into my first rural property which is on well and septic.
Today I noticed that the upstairs toilet had a weird flat object lying in the bowl that seemed to have come loose from flushing. I ...
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How do I troubleshoot my Septic Tank Alert and replace the float switch?
While tracing some errant electrical current, I ended up in the big concrete riser above the septic tank. The electrical is in there, rather than outside on a pedestal as is normal now. There, I ...
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Leach field absorption layer below trench
This is my first question here. I am in the process of designing a leach field. There is only a depth of 45cm (20") of soil (good perc test) after that another 20cm (8") of large stones in ...
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108
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Water softener - safe to discharge into septic?
Is it okay to connect a water softener discharge so it goes to the regular drain which feeds to a septic system, or may it cause harm or impair the system?
It seems like online there are articles ...
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235
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What should I do about accidentally penetrating a septic field line?
I'm buying a piece of property and recently did a perc test on it in order to find a suitable place for a septic system. The current owner of the property installed a septic system a few years back, ...
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Should I install a second septic tank or add a long run for an outbuilding?
We have a barn in which we want to install a flush toilet (for human use). It is 53' from the home's septic tank.
Would it be better to install a septic tank near the barn to service the toilet and ...
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522
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Green grass streaks over septic tank field
I've noticed in my yard where the septic tank is that there are two rows of green streaks of grass going in a single direction for about 20 yards or so.
Is this a sign for concern or normal for a ...
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690
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Septic system was designed for 3 bedrooms but we need 4, what are my options? [closed]
We're looking to build an in-law space and for it to be legal it has to have a bedroom, which means our septic is undersized. The town has our house listed as three bedrooms (It's actually already ...
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Propane and septic pipes
Is it safe to have a propane line (within a PVC conduit) cross a septic pipe (house to septic tank) underground?
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450
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Septic tank pumped 6 months ago, filter cleaned 2 weeks ago, toilet backing up again. Plumbing or septic problem?
I have a septic tank that was pumped out 6 months ago. The toilets started backing up and one was leaking from the base. I had plumber out, they snaked line to septic tank but said the tank needed ...
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What is this pipe? It leaks when the sink runs
I have a pipe that is halfway under a door jamb and inside the concrete floor which when I run a the sink water is now coming out of it. This pipe is next to our AC blower unit inside the basement. I ...
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Stacking septic leach fields
I am getting ready to build a house and the state code is 100 ft of leach field per bedroom. Due to the size of the lot I am limited to where I can place the house due to the leach field length code. ...
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How to change waste pipe fitting with a small amount of male pipe to work with?
I'm adding a 4th bathroom to my home and need to update the waste pipe going to the septic tank from 3" to 4". The pipe coming out of the foundation immediately transitions from 4" to 3&...
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39
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Unknown wire in septic tank pump installation
I have a septic lift pump station. When I open the outdoor control box I find one wire-nut connection connecting the 12V 14-2 wire from indoor low voltage alarm box with wire to high level float that ...
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Do I need an emergency septic pumping or to have pipes cleaned when toilets flood after cleaning filter?
I own a rental property with a septic tank built in 2010. There are about 5 people living there and it was last pumped out 18 months ago. Their toilets started flooding yesterday. I dug out the ...
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well pump will not fill pressure tank
Just installed a Wayne WLS150 water sprinkler pump in addition to a 20 gallon pressure tank on our boat dock. The tank has a 40-60 pressure switch on it. Pump works well and pumps an enormous amount ...
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Purpose of septic vents both in the yard and also through the roof?
My house has both septic venting that goes up through the roof and also a vent in the yard. What is the need for the yard vent? Is this vent a requirement (code or otherwise)? A "best practice&...
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Can a septic effluent filter be installed on a pumped system?
I have found only 4"+ and larger septic effluent filters, and they all are not rated for pressure or the flow rates of a pumped system. This leads me to believe that there are not effluent filters ...
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Septic/Dry Well Question
Our graywater drywell, which handles our washing machine and sinks, has come to the end of its life and no longer drains. Our options as presented to us are: dig and install a new drywell (~$5k); run ...
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Is it ok that the drain line for a septic system is above ground?
Looking to buy a property with mound septic. The pipe coming out of the house going into the mound is above ground. Is this ok? Would the pipe not freeze?
Thank you.
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Can open-bottom septic tanks get full?
Our house has one of those two-chambered standard (Philippines) open-bottom septic tanks. I think it's also called a cesspool.
I got into a discussion with someone on whether it can get full. Their ...
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358
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Sink Smell and Slimy P-Trap
I have a sink which emits an odor from the drain. I checked the p-trap and there was a pretty nasty buildup of black slime in it. I'm cleaning that out, but find it strange that just this one drain ...
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Toilet clogged with paper cat litter
Here's a very related question but seems to be about clay litter: Flushed cat litter, maybe clogged?
I flushed paper cat litter down my toilet. I have been doing this for 5 years without any problems,...
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Washer and toilet water backing up into shower. Can't change plumbing. What can I do?
Renting a tear down, landlord does next to nothing, house will be torn down. Water drainage from house is not working, also not going to be redone.
So the problem is drainage for 3 showers 4 toilets ...
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529
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My septic works fine, but I have wet spots
So, I have had 2 septic companies inspect our septic system. One pumped all the water out of the lines and dropped a camera in. Everything is working perfectly. We have saturation on our lawn. So, ...
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Are there ways to minimize the area of my septic leach field?
We have a working septic system that we have no complaints about.
However, we'd like to add a guesthouse and more bedrooms and that requires expanding the septic system.
I am happy to do this and ...
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Grey water tank issues
I just finished installing a new Grey Water Pit (4’deep, 4’wide & 32’long). 4” perforated PVC runs down the middle of pit to 8” off the bottom & tees out in both directions 16’. Then filled ...
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Did I flood my septic system?
New leach pit was put in 4 months ago. The system hasn’t been used at all since then due to renovation. Yesterday however, one of the faucets was accidentally left on for about 16 hours at full blast. ...
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Does anyone know what this material is in my septic system?
These photos are of my sewage system and were taken at an inspection point right outside my house.
I have had this issue for years and I don't know what the material is. I have tried changing ...
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Foundation flooding caused by new septic line
We've been living in our house for 10 years, and a few years after moving in our sewer line began backing up every 6 months or so. Each time, we'd have to pay a plumber to come in a "roto root" or ...
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