Need septic tank cleaning suggestions

fried1765

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Oh the wonder of septic tanks. Go with the suggestion of the Honey Dipper. Odds are good that the solids will slowly dissolve back in. Increase the pump out rate to every 3-4 years for the next couple of pump outs. The fact that you had it pumped should satisfy the new owner.
The literal crap on the sides will have little to no impact on the efficiency of the tank and leach fields,
BINGO!!!
"The fact that you had it pumped should satisfy the new owner"!
 

My Barn

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All good ideas...When ours was pumped out the guy got into the tank! I would wait and use it and re-pump later.
 

fried1765

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All good ideas...When ours was pumped out the guy got into the tank! I would wait and use it and re-pump later.
OP apparently has a 12" clean out access.
I doubt that anyone but a very skinny midget would be going into the OP's tank. ;)
 

Whiskey Mike

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You are a nice home seller.... not everyone does a presale inspection as that is usually left for the buyer.

A standard septic inspection won't care about some solids on the bottom. Its more about how deep is that layer and the scum layer and how much clear water in-between. Ii wouldn't worry about it any further.
 
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dirtydeed

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You are a nice home seller.... not everyone does a presale inspection as that is usually left for the buyer.

A standard septic inspection won't care about some solids on the bottom. Its more about how deep is that layer and the scum layer and how much clear water in-between. Ii wouldn't worry about it any further.
Agreed. As long as the baffle is in place you should be good to go.
 

DustyRusty

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The solids will disperse themselves as the tank fills with water and soften them up. Your problem was the result of years of not pumping the tank. It is more than just turds, it is also the type of toilet paper used. Some papers don't break down like others. Also, the number of females in the household adds to the problems because they use more toilet paper than men do. I had a problem a few years ago when the toilet paper clogged up the tank inlet. I had the tank pumped and then used a balloon device to clear the clog once the tank was empty. The high water level was keeping the clog from falling to the bottom. Now I have the tank pumped every 3 years even though it doesn't have much in the way of solids.
On another vane, in the future make sure that the only thing that goes into the toilet in the form of paper is toilet paper. The tissues that you blow your nose with will not break down and they will clog up the system.
 
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Henro

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This thread stinks.
My place had a small "septic tank" and no drain field when I bought it. The output of the tank just dumped into a ditch and ran down back to another ditch and was carried off due to rain run off.

We have public sewers now.

Anyway, just wanted to mention something that amazed me. For reasons I can't remember now, I decided to manually dip out the contents of the septic tank and dump them into a different ditch, that got more rain water to carry them away.

The amazing thing was the black stuff that came out had no smell at all. Not sure what the message here is...but it it surprises me to this day...
 

GreensvilleJay

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no smell means is was properly and fully 'digested'. You don't get any 'smell' from a compost pile that's 'done' either..
BTW, it's common here in Ontario, that the tank be pumped out as a condition of the sale of the property.
Always 'fun' to see people TRY to locate the lids......
 

GeoHorn

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no smell means is was properly and fully 'digested'. You don't get any 'smell' from a compost pile that's 'done' either..
BTW, it's common here in Ontario, that the tank be pumped out as a condition of the sale of the property.
Always 'fun' to see people TRY to locate the lids......
Yep… I just last year bought a house for rental and the local water-shed people (Lower Colorado River Authority- Central Texas, Lake Buchannan area ) REQUIRED a septic pump out and inspection by an approved Septic Licensee. This included documentation the tank and drain-field was intact/operational.
 

Downeaster

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Why bother to clean it out in three weeks? Wait until it needs to be pump again in a year or two. Instead of a 1500 gallon tank you will have a thousand gallon tank. No one will know except you.
Heck his tank will fill to the top in a week. Blasting away the solids is something he needs to do. If not then he can plan on replacing the entire leach field. I have to clean the outlet to the field every 2 years.
 

fried1765

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My place had a small "septic tank" and no drain field when I bought it. The output of the tank just dumped into a ditch and ran down back to another ditch and was carried off due to rain run off.

We have public sewers now.

Anyway, just wanted to mention something that amazed me. For reasons I can't remember now, I decided to manually dip out the contents of the septic tank and dump them into a different ditch, that got more rain water to carry them away.

The amazing thing was the black stuff that came out had no smell at all. Not sure what the message here is...but it it surprises me to this day...

My place had a small "septic tank" and no drain field when I bought it. The output of the tank just dumped into a ditch and ran down back to another ditch and was carried off due to rain run off.

We have public sewers now.

Anyway, just wanted to mention something that amazed me. For reasons I can't remember now, I decided to manually dip out the contents of the septic tank and dump them into a different ditch, that got more rain water to carry them away.

The amazing thing was the black stuff that came out had no smell at all. Not sure what the message here is...but it it surprises me to this day...
"just dumped into a ditch"

I remember that issue WELL.
In a place called Vietnam!
My tent was alongside a ditch like that.
It is called a "benjo ditch" throughout Asia.
Lovely thing,...mosquitos enjoyed it too!
 
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motionclone

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We had some guys go into a septic tank in Maine a few years ago do do exactly what you recommend. They both died from fumes.
what did i recommend?
 

pigdoc

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I once had a project where we had to suck out a large manure pit between 'treatments' of the pigs that were filling the pit. When we started, the pit was about half full of sludge. I had the empty truck fill up with water from a nearby creek, and then dump that into the pit before he sucked it out. That helped some, but we never got the pit what you might call '"clean".

There are large, PTO driven agitators for manure lagoons that are almost always used before pumping them out. They have what looks like a 12-18" steel boat propeller on the end that's underwater.
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OKC (Obligatory Kubota Content): I doubt that Kubota sells one of these! ha, HAH!

-Paul