Bobrobert
New Member
Hope this is the correct place for this question, and bear with me if I don’t use the correct terminology:
I have a septic tank and leach field system that is almost 20 years old. Most of that time there has only been two people using it. Nothing has ever been done to the system; it has just worked perfectly all this time. Yesterday there was cause to flush the toilet very often (lots of times actually and of which the details I will spare you), and there also was a cause to run the washer a couple of times. Short story..... the system backed up and let me know that one of my toilet seals was not perfect and I will fix that tomorrow. BUT today the system seems to work fine under normal use for two people. But now I’m concerned about the status of this 20 year old system.
My questions are this:
Is there any "tests, inspections, or procedures" that I can do that would give me some clue on how the system is working, and maybe a little warning that it may be failing?
After almost 20 years can I suspect that the leach field may be plugging up?
Would a septic tank "finally" fill up with solids to the point that it would need to be pumped?
In my Handyman magazine I recently read that you should put a filter on your washer discharge to catch the lint. They stated that “lint†from the washer can shorten the life of a leach field by years. I can’t remember the number of years they stated, but it caught my eye for sure, it was 5 or maybe 10 years, I can’t really remember.
I do have access to the tank by way of a 6 inch PVC and cap. I also can dig up the ends of the tanks where I can pull concrete wedge slabs so I can view the baffles if needed without too much trouble. Maybe 12 inches of cover, no more.
Thanks in advance for any help, advice, or information on this concern.
Bob T.
PS> I do have my fingers crossed that this was just a temporary plug type problem and has cleared itself. Could I be that lucky?
I have a septic tank and leach field system that is almost 20 years old. Most of that time there has only been two people using it. Nothing has ever been done to the system; it has just worked perfectly all this time. Yesterday there was cause to flush the toilet very often (lots of times actually and of which the details I will spare you), and there also was a cause to run the washer a couple of times. Short story..... the system backed up and let me know that one of my toilet seals was not perfect and I will fix that tomorrow. BUT today the system seems to work fine under normal use for two people. But now I’m concerned about the status of this 20 year old system.
My questions are this:
Is there any "tests, inspections, or procedures" that I can do that would give me some clue on how the system is working, and maybe a little warning that it may be failing?
After almost 20 years can I suspect that the leach field may be plugging up?
Would a septic tank "finally" fill up with solids to the point that it would need to be pumped?
In my Handyman magazine I recently read that you should put a filter on your washer discharge to catch the lint. They stated that “lint†from the washer can shorten the life of a leach field by years. I can’t remember the number of years they stated, but it caught my eye for sure, it was 5 or maybe 10 years, I can’t really remember.
I do have access to the tank by way of a 6 inch PVC and cap. I also can dig up the ends of the tanks where I can pull concrete wedge slabs so I can view the baffles if needed without too much trouble. Maybe 12 inches of cover, no more.
Thanks in advance for any help, advice, or information on this concern.
Bob T.
PS> I do have my fingers crossed that this was just a temporary plug type problem and has cleared itself. Could I be that lucky?