are there any special precautions to take (for a short period of time) after having the septic tank pumped? (routine maitenance pumping)
or should life just continue per normal, as if nothing had changed?
also, what is the purpose of the "baffle" near the input end of the tank?
Continue that normal life.
Don't Know.
Are you baffled?
I think it is used to encourage better mixing of the incoming effluent. It prevents the stuff from flowing quickly from input to output without mixing with the rest of the crud.
Baffels are often used to create turbulance in a smooth flow or to otherwise change or control flow patterns in liquids or gasses.
There are no precautions with normal use, although filling the tank faster is preferable. It isn't really a baffle, it is just a T or an L to direct the influent flow down so that the influent doesn't mix with the floating layer. The purpose of the T at the outflow end is to allow the liquid layer to flow out and keep the foam layer (floating) in the tank. You don't want either the floating layer or the bottom layer to enter the drain field.
Continue as normal. Flushing your toilets will eventuall bring things back to normal and fill the tank with liquid.
If the wall, or baffle were not there between the inlet and exit of the tank, the toilet paper, poop etc would flow out into the drainfield, clogging everything. As all this stuff enters the tank it takes time for the solids to settle to the bottom. The liquid is free to pass under the baffle and up into the exit pipe.
The exit pipe is normally a pipe that exits slightly lower in elevation than the inlet pipe, and the exit pipe should be a pipe that goes through the tank wall and bends 90 degrees downwards about
2' into the liquid on the inside of the tank.I am a tiler by trade but have had to restore/rebuild/repair most of my own septic system so know a bit about it.
thetiler
On Tue 28 Mar 2006 10:24:51p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it George E. Cawthon?
This leads me to my own question. We have never lived with a septic system before, but will soon be moving into a new home with a new septic system. The tank size is 1500 gal. Given that this is a brand new system, is there anything special that should be done in the beginning of our using it?
Yes, I've been told all of this before, by tank manufacturers, engineers, and installers. I'm old school. I listen, I nod. I'm not buying it (the reasons)....yet. The exit baffle: great idea. The intake baffle: whatever you say.
No. An average family of 4 uses 440 gallons of water per day (by design ;-) , so you will fill the tank to full operating condition in 4 days or so. Make sure you know *exactly* where the septic tank and distribution box access covers are. You should get a "treasure map" from your builder that will allow you to triangulate the location from 2 fixed points. Then be sure to have your tank pumped every 2 years or so.
Kind of backwards. It's set up that way to PREVENT the incoming flow from disturbing either the floating scum layer or the bottom sludge layer.
This leads me to my own question. We have never lived with a septic system before, but will soon be moving into a new home with a new septic system. The tank size is 1500 gal. Given that this is a brand new system, is there anything special that should be done in the beginning of our using it?
-- Wayne
Andy replies: That's a BIG tank.... Make sure that you have a multitank system and not just a single big tank. The baffles mentioned in other posts act to separate the liquid from the sludge. My system is a three tank system. The "last" tank is always pure liquid. The "first tank" catches almost all of the
non-dissolvable matter while the "second' acts as a further filter..... The "last " tank feeds the drainfield, where the liquid dissipates into the earth. You do NOT want any dissolvables in the drainfield.....
I have seen single tank system and multitank systems. Single tank systems need to be pumped out every couple years. A multitank system can go 10-15 years before any sludge builds up inthe third tank......
The only caution about having a tank pumped out is that you would normally like it to be filled with water, or stuff, before a major rainstorm. Else the tank might "float" up and dislodge. Usually not a problem, but it CAN happen.....
Andy in Eureka, Texas
( Where EVERYBODY has a septic tank )
As someone who has had a broken intake baffle I will give you my opinion. It keeps the floating crud from backing up into the drain line. If you are willing to pump the thing out every year or two you can live without it.
No need to do anything. But you need to be careful of what you put down the sewer--no feminine products, no baby stuff (a lot of wipes and stuff won't dissolve), and nothing that doesn't dissolve. Forget about using the garbage disposal (compost the garbage and put it in your garden) or put it out for garbage pickup. Then your system will need pumping in 6-10 years depending on how many people you have and how good the drain field of the septic tank is.
george is right on. if your soil is clay and gets real wet, i would make sure there is plenty of water in it. especially in spring. i was told by the people that put mine in that in central ohio sometimes a lot of rain can pop the tanks out a little if dry. don't know for a fact but was told that.
Ether:
Hold your nose, if it's a hot day, until the truck drives away! If you have your tank pumped by a pro you're done as far as I know. All you're doping is having the solids removed, the bacteria remains to continue the work down there.
Jay
Wayne:
My goodness, 1,500 gallons, how many bedrooms is that bad boy rated for????
Jay
In Massachusetts, 1500 gallons is the minimum size tank allowed for new construction.
I have been living in this home for almost 40 years, raised
3 children ...yada yada yada...I ripped out our garbage disposal 39 years 10 months ago (not really but darn fast)... and at one time one of the children (I will not tell you "HIS" name.. had a ball flushing everything down the toilet whcih created a problem... But other then that... No problems at all...
when he children were little the tank had to be pumped about every
6-7years...afte that the tank has lasted at least 10 years between pumping.. just make sure you know exactly where it is and how deep the opening is.....Never added anything to the tank to increase its effeciency... Septic tanks(most anyway) are not any real source of concern..to me Bob G...
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