How long is a piece of string?
Seriously though much of the cost depends on how much the local water authority charges for the discharge in their sewer. Mine, in the Wessex Water area, cost me £105 last autumn.
Peter Crosland
Last time I had my septic tank emptied it cost about £80. Is this still the 'average' price?
Thanks
Good point about the piece of string analogy. :-)
To be honest I didn't think that septic tanks were supposed to need emptying (I have a 'two tank' arrangement which I assume is par for the course, ie solids AND water go into one tank then when the level is at a certain height the liquid drains into the second tank and then into the soakaway).
But ever since I moved into this property a few years ago I find the tank needs emptying about once every 12 to 18 months - I know when it needs doing as the level in the 'sewer' system (that the toilet, bath, etc drain into on the way to the tank) gets higher and the solids and water inlet pipe to the first tank gets blocked every few days as the 'water' isn't flowing out as well as it used to. Empty the tanks and all is well for the next 12 to 18 months.
Up to =A3100 this year here. Plus a bit of tank looking at.
Mmm. THEY say once a year. Mine- biodisc - does about 4-5 years usually.
If the solid build up is a lot, then its not digesting stuff. Throw in=20 a dead rat etc to get the biologicals up, and refrain from TOO much=20 caustic soda. etc.
I assume you have a brick or concrete tank. It is a myth that septic tanks don't need emptying. A major problem is that they are seldom maintained and inspected for proper functionality. Any septic tanks has a finite size, and the solids need removing from this from time to time to ensure that it operates correctly. The second chamber should contain no solids because the outflow into the soakaway should be fluid only. It is good practice to have the flow through the system from the first chamber regularly and an ideal time to do this is when the tank is empty. If it is not the soakaway will, over a period of years, get clogged and eventually will have to be excavated and reconstructed. If you have not lived in a property with septic tank drainage before remember that using as few detergents as possible and not flushing disposable nappies will help to prevent blockages. This sounds obvious but it does happen! From what you say it sounds as if you should have it done annually before you get a problem and to prevent solids getting into the second chamber.
Peter Crosland
Biodisc? Is that quite a modern one? Not sure how old mine is, at a guess perhaps 20 years plus.
I don't use cautic soda and the like.
In the absence of a dead rat (or any other dead animal) is there anything else that I can use to get the biologicals up?
Neither. When both tanks are emptied they appears to by cylindrical black (plastic? firbreglass?) 'tubes' about 2 feet in diameter and, I GUESS, about 15 in 20 feet in 'depth'.
There IS a square brick 'lining' about about a foot or two in 'height' above these 'tubes'
Who should inspect them? A plumber?
I certainly can't see any solids in the second chamber (while they are of course very obvious in the first chamber) although I do wonder if it's emptying properly.
Did you miss out a word there? :-)
Do you mean tested regularly?
If so, when I get them emptied, is this something that I can do? If so, how?
Thankfully I don't flush nappies down it, and mostly only use fairy liquid and soap. :-)
Noted, thanks.
Who do you get to look at the tank? A plumber or a septic tank specialist?
Incidentally, here's some pictures of the first tank, taken very soon after it was emptied last year. You can't really judge the depth from these, but here's a general 'looking down' pic:
Sorry about the missed word that you guessed correctly. You just need to check that the pipe between the two chambers is not obstructed. Also see if the outlet to the soakaway is clear. You might be able to get the tanker driver to have a quick look asit is, obviously, a messy job.
Peter Crosland
A biodisc is rather different to a septic tank as it is mechanical. They still need inspecting and checking every six months or so to ensure they are functioning correctly. If they are just left the chances are that the outflow is well above the legal level. You can get a sort of starter culture for a spetic tank but they are often not needed.
Peter Crosland
Incidentally, normally this inlet pipe isn't vivisble as it's under water:
The usual problem that I get with increasing regularity WHEN the tank needs emptying is that more and more solids get stuck between the inlet pipe and the U-shaped arrangement that you can see around it. This causes the toilet not to flush properly until I de-bung it by using a long 'stick' to prod down into the area that you see between the inlet pipe and the U-shaped arrangement around it. This frees up the solids (fecal matter and toilet paper) and lets the water flow back in that has backed up in the pipework leading from the toilet, etc.
It's been like this from time to time ever since I moved here a few years ago and is rather annoying. It can go for months without a hitch, then when it's getting to the point where it needs emptying it starts to need the above mentioned manual 'prodding' once a week or so, perhaps more often.
Thanks. I'm still wondering if a starter culture might be needed in my tank though. Is such a culture expensive? Where could I get one?
Quite. I'll ask him to take a look and perhaps divert his suction pipe over those pipes (although they're difficult to get to due to the overhead brickwork being partly above them as can be seen in the pics I just posted).
I assume that his suction pipe would be 'safe' to use on these (plastic?) interconnect and drainage pipes?
In my case, the people who supplied it. Septic tank boys.
Google! As long as you don't use lots of detergent it should start itself.
Peter Crosland
It looks as if it might be made from sections of concrete pipe, which is a perfectly good method of making a septic tank, however it doesn't look to be very well designed.
The water level in the tank should be just below the bottom of the inlet pipe, not above it. Normally the inlet and output pipes terminate in a T so that solids enter the tank well below the surface and won't block the inlet. It would seem that solids are getting stuck because the water level is too high and the design of the inlet baffle is poor. A quick bodeg might be to cut a couple of inches off the end of the inlet pipe to give more room for the solids to disperse. You should check the level of the outlet from the second tank. If this is too high it will make the level in the first tank too high as well.
Normally a septic tank only needs to be emptied when the sludge at the bottom of the tank is getting close to the crust at the top, so I suspect that you are getting the tank emptied more often than necessary because of this poor design.
Bill
Unfortunately I have no idea who supplied mine, so it'll be the yellow pages if necessary. Have now arranged for the tank to be emptied tomorrow, cost = £100. That's 20 quid up on last year.
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