31
votes
Is it safe to have a drain in the floor out to the septic tank with no trap?
There may be a trap but if no water was put in it won't stop the smells. Contractors sometimes forget to add water to floor drains. The water will also eventually evaporate from the trap if there is ...
- 411
25
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to have a drain in the floor out to the septic tank with no trap?
NO NO NO. It's not safe. Your plumber was completely incompetent or negligent to do that. It definitely needs a trap. I would make him fix it.
- 23.3k
23
votes
Is it safe to have a drain in the floor out to the septic tank with no trap?
A water heater drain should never drain to a septic tank.
One purpose of the drain is to reduce or eliminate water damage to your home in case the tank leaks. However, if the tank develops a fast ...
- 3,392
16
votes
Looking at buying house with mechanical septic system. What questions should I be asking?
I've converted isherwood's comment into an answer, with the additional backing that I was employed by a local company for a period of many years.
If you want peace of mind, consider to contact the ...
- 11.3k
15
votes
Accepted
Is Liquid Plumr or Drano safe to use with a septic system?
TLDR;
As a one-off use, Drano® is fine provided you aren't cleaning your floor or doing a couple loads of whites on the same day.
What independent studies say:
According to a 2004 paper by Cornell ...
- 2,617
13
votes
Looking at buying house with mechanical septic system. What questions should I be asking?
As an owner of a home with a septic system for over 30 years, I would be wary if I was told the system was pumped twice a year.
That said, this can depend on where the home is located. I'm in Florida....
- 42.8k
12
votes
Understanding the risks surrounding empty tanks & containers (propane, natural gas, septic, etc.)
The basic one common to all is that they can accumulate gasses you can't breathe, or smell. Without active ventilation (a blower, run for some time before entering and all the time a person is inside) ...
- 226k
11
votes
Accepted
How should I interpret these septic system diagram markings?
What does "D.F.S.B.L." mean?
Based mostly on context, I'd guess Drain Field Setback Boundary Line (or ...Set Back Line). It would be the practical extremity of the septic system area.
What ...
- 149k
10
votes
Accepted
Why did a new drain pipe cause my septic tank to smell outside?
If your HVAC system has a fresh air intake -- for example a small duct to the outside to add 10% fresh air whenever the blower runs -- then you could have positive pressure in the house. If you feel ...
- 12.8k
10
votes
Looking at buying house with mechanical septic system. What questions should I be asking?
The main components of modern septic system include the connection to the house, the actual septic tank, a D-box, and the drainfield. There is not much you can inspect yourself, and there are ...
- 9,011
10
votes
Accepted
Looking at buying house with mechanical septic system. What questions should I be asking?
For any home purchase, I would ask these questions:
where is(are) the tank(s)? How many? How big are they?
where is the leach/drain field?
is there a pump (air, effluent, sewage)? is there an ...
- 1,088
8
votes
How should I interpret these septic system diagram markings?
Adding to @isherwood's answer, I believe that half of the drainfield that the drawing lays out is not actually installed, but is a representation of how the laterals can be arranged in the reserve ...
- 4,142
7
votes
Can I run septic effluent through a series of filters and get clean water out the other end?
Let's pretend that my leach field suddenly malfunctions ... but we need to continue occupying our house
So, you have the pump truck come on a regular basis to pump out your tank, while having a new ...
- 226k
6
votes
Is Liquid Plumr or Drano safe to use with a septic system?
According to Drano
Will Drano® products harm my septic system?
No, all Drano® products are septic safe drain cleaners and will not upset the bacterial action in septic systems. Follow the package ...
- 26.3k
6
votes
Can I run septic effluent through a series of filters and get clean water out the other end?
it can be done, but it's rarely economical as small scale.
For example it's done on the international space station, but shipping water there costs $10000 per glassful, so they have an incentive.
on a ...
- 24.7k
6
votes
Accepted
How to make the septic tank safe for human entry
Please call septic tank specialists and speak to them. Do not do anything before speaking to them. A mason and plumber are not experienced enough to enter a septic tank, even one you have cleaned out. ...
- 76
6
votes
Understanding the risks surrounding empty tanks & containers (propane, natural gas, septic, etc.)
Filling any container completely/over fill that might have held explosive/flammable contains with water or non explosive gas(CO2) before cutting/doing something that might cause sparks, should be the ...
- 30.3k
5
votes
Is Liquid Plumr or Drano safe to use with a septic system?
In what way are you using "safe"? It is not supposed to damage the pipes where some stronger drain cleaners will etch metal pipes. As far as chemicals in the tank it may affect the bacteria until ...
- 103k
5
votes
Grey water tank issues
Putting plastic on top when you cover with dirt will extend the life of the drain. This can be verified by looking at how to design a French drain--if you prevent the dirt from settling in the rock ...
- 103k
5
votes
Accepted
Can someone help me identify these rough-in pipes in my basement?
It's definitely for a future bathroom. One of the 1.5" is going to be your vanity drain. Usually there's a 2" under the slab that you can bust out of install a shower or bathtub. The 3" ...
- 1,823
5
votes
Understanding the risks surrounding empty tanks & containers (propane, natural gas, septic, etc.)
For a true explosion to happen, you need the right mixture of flammable gas and air inside a container. When the air/gas mixture is ignited, it expands quickly, breaking the container and thus the ...
- 9,011
4
votes
Septic tank concrete flooring
A septic tanks purpose is to allow the anaerobic bacteria to break the effluent down and also allow the aerobic bacteria to die. This takes time so a septic tanked should be sized based on the inflow ...
- 1,301
4
votes
Can flies get in the house from the septic tank?
The flies could be getting in from the septic tank if one or more P-traps has dried out. If a P-trap that has completely dried you could check it by pushing something flexible down the drain a few ...
- 66.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Toilet clogged with paper cat litter
There are no clear cut rules on how an auger should work. They're designed to "screw" into the clog and either break it up so it flows down the drain or catch the clog so you can pull it out with the ...
- 86.4k
4
votes
How to change waste pipe fitting with a small amount of male pipe to work with?
The bad news:
As already noted: you don't have enough pipe left inside the house to cut that clean out off and glue a new one one.
The good news:
It looks like they ran the 4" pipe through a 6&...
- 48k
4
votes
Accepted
Should I install a second septic tank or add a long run for an outbuilding?
So much of this depends upon local regulations and soil conditions on your site.
If you decided to do a separate septic tank, you'd also need another drain field (in some parts of the country called a ...
- 23.3k
4
votes
Looking at buying house with mechanical septic system. What questions should I be asking?
There are two kinds of septic inspection. In one, dye is put in the system so they can track flow and measure things. This is the kind of inspection that would be performed by a home inspector and ...
- 1,075
3
votes
Accepted
Replace septic system before failure?
Like you I recently bought a house on a septic system that also had some storm water drainage issues, so I'm answering not as an expert, but as someone with recently-acquired insight.
How seriously ...
- 514
3
votes
How can I remedy a septic system that is sometimes below the surrounding water level?
You have the wrong type of drainfield.
When there is a high watertable, alternate types of septic systems need to be installed, including: 1) curtain drains around your septic system (if the curtain ...
- 23.5k
3
votes
What does it mean when a property listing says that the county denied for a "conventional" septic system
This is likely off topic on the site. You'd be better off talking to a real estate agent, or the local government.
My guess is that they did a Percolation test (perc test), and the results came back ...
- 132k
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