Septic riser - DIY or buy?

[bender]

I have a pretty standard, modern septic tank with 3 ports.  I think each one is 20" diameter, but I'll have to measure.

I get it pumped every 2 years (is this frequency OK for a family of 4?).  Typically I need to access two ports at a minimum.

1st port (near house) - Open for pumping and clean/inspect output pipe from house.
2nd port - Open for pumping (optional?)
3rd port - Open to clean plastic effluent filter.  Also for pumping. 

Do I really need to have all 3 ports opened?  Can I skip the middle, or is there some baffle at the bottom of the tank that makes it hard to reach all the middle from the other two.

The real issue with access is the digging.  There are two main pains with this.  My tank is approx 12" down and it's difficult to dig out.  I don't want surface level risers in that area of my backyard for aesthetic reasons.  More importantly, I always make a mess of the lawn in this area.  I reseed but it usually grows back weeds.  It makes this area look messy most of the summer.

I am thinking of buying some sod to fix the area quickly.  Also I'd like to minimize the amount of digging if possible.  I looked into putting in some risers that ideally would come to within 3" of the surface so I could still have grass and make the job easy in the future.  These things seem a bit pricey - costing about $30 for a 6" riser on amazon.  The cover is another $30.

Ideas welcome - thanks!

[Milspecstache]

That seems crazy frequent for such a small family.  If you can handle it I would recommend waiting until you think it needs it and then opening and running a rake or some other tool to see how thick the scum layer really is.  If not thick then stir and keep going.  I think a better frequency would be every 4 years and even that is conservative for your size family.

Risers seem like a great idea.  Around here the concrete ones are ridiculously expensive.  I only have 6" of dirt over mine so not a big deal to dig it up every 4 years.

I really recommend this book on septic knowledge.  I read it frequently:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0936070404/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[sokoloff]

Concur with milspec.

If you can manage to get the lawn to come in evenly and thick, see if you can cut your own sod away from the area and carefully fold it back before digging. Lay down a tarp, use an edging type tool to (vertically) cut a strip where you want to fold back, then use a flat spade or a sod knife to make the horizontal cut, and roll the sod away onto the tarp. Cover the roots with tarp and light colored fabric while the tank is pumped (to keep them cool and moist).

When done, water the root bed where you dug, then flip the sod back and give the whole area a nice dousing of water. That'll be easier than re-seeding for sure.

[Fishindude]

If you are pumping so frequently, I'd have all risers easily accessible flush with ground level and just paint the caps green, or disguise them in a landscaping planter or something like that.

[Spork]

On frequent pumping:  Are you pumping "because you think you need to" or is there an obvious reason?  (Gurgling plumbing, soggy spots in the yard, etc)

My philosophy (and I have a plumber friend that concurs) is that you pump your septic tank when you have a specific reason to do so.   My house has never been pumped (built in 2011).  My workshop has a separate, tiny tank (and we used to live in it).  To my knowledge it has never been pumped.  We lived there from 2006-2011 and another couple lived in it the 2 years prior. 

[Aggie1999]

On frequent pumping:  Are you pumping "because you think you need to" or is there an obvious reason?  (Gurgling plumbing, soggy spots in the yard, etc)

My philosophy (and I have a plumber friend that concurs) is that you pump your septic tank when you have a specific reason to do so.   My house has never been pumped (built in 2011).  My workshop has a separate, tiny tank (and we used to live in it).  To my knowledge it has never been pumped.  We lived there from 2006-2011 and another couple lived in it the 2 years prior.

+1. My dad was a career plumber for 20+ years. While I don't know all the reasons, he has said there is no need to have residential septic tanks pumped out unless there is some issue. My parents have owned a country place with 3 houses that have septic tanks (old style with field drain lines as opposed to sprinklers) for 15 years now. To the best of my knowledge the septic tanks have not been pumped out. Now with more modern septic tanks with sprinklers this advice may or may not be applicable (I have no idea).

[Spork]

On frequent pumping:  Are you pumping "because you think you need to" or is there an obvious reason?  (Gurgling plumbing, soggy spots in the yard, etc)

My philosophy (and I have a plumber friend that concurs) is that you pump your septic tank when you have a specific reason to do so.   My house has never been pumped (built in 2011).  My workshop has a separate, tiny tank (and we used to live in it).  To my knowledge it has never been pumped.  We lived there from 2006-2011 and another couple lived in it the 2 years prior.

+1. My dad was a career plumber for 20+ years. While I don't know all the reasons, he has said there is no need to have residential septic tanks pumped out unless there is some issue. My parents have owned a country place with 3 houses that have septic tanks (old style with field drain lines as opposed to sprinklers) for 15 years now. To the best of my knowledge the septic tanks have not been pumped out. Now with more modern septic tanks with sprinklers this advice may or may not be applicable (I have no idea).

FWIW:  Both my systems are traditional gravity systems (not aerobic).  And we have EXTREMELY sandy, well-draining soil.

[Fishindude]

Like others, I've only pumped a tank once, so don't know that it is necessary.
However, I don't think you will hurt a darned thing by pumping frequently.  I could see frequent pumping extending the life of the system some, as there is less chance of minute solid particles making it into the leach field.

[paddedhat]

Yes, absent any unusual usage (holding giant parties on a regular basis, continually doing high volumes of cloth diaper washing, or something equally odd) you are pumping at least twice as often as you need to. I would wait five years, find a well regarded local septic company and be there when it is cleaned out. The caliber of the company doing the work is important, since this is one of many residential services where screwing customers is common and easy. Be there while the work is being done, so you know that all of the individual compartments are sucked clean and rinsed. Then ask the operator his opinion of exactly what he found?  How deep were the solids is the primary tank? Then ask,  "I last pumped it exactly five years ago. What schedule would you recommend going forward?"

The thought that you don't service a system until it has an issue, or that system pumping is not necessary, is a great way to destroy an entire drain field. In some areas, you will be damn lucky to get away with a $20K bill, and a giant mound in your yard after you wrecked the last one, since they "never need to be pumped unless there is a problem".  The first tank, or compartment, of a system gradually fills up with bio-solids. If you are a little old lady, living alone, and have a 1000 gallon primary tank, it may never fill up in your lifetime. If you live in the same house, with six kids,  it may fill in 2-3 years. After it fills, it may back up into the house, it may fill the secondary tanks and compromise a pump and pump controls, or fill up piping in the drainfield, depending on many variables.

As for specifics on the risers, I would install them, and keep them 6-8" below finished grade. You do not want them above grade on the first two compartments, as they are not typically gas tight and they will leach gas and stink. The amazon prices are cheap. I pay $110 for a   short concrete riser with no lid.

Finally, when pumping a multi-compartment or multi-tank installation ALL tanks need to be pumped, and a competent operator will clean and visually inspect the inside of each tank.

[Milspecstache]

... but how thick is too thick for the scum layer?  I can also hose off the filter.

I've always figured if it is too thick to break through and mix, then it will need pumping.  We are real careful to avoid sending clothes lint and grease down to the tank so our layer forms very slowly despite having 6 people in the household.

[Milspecstache]

Anyone have any further insights?  Milspecstache - does your book cover this type of system?

Yes, your system is the traditional 'tank and gravity drain' system but just has a different leach field design.  The book would help you understand it better.  Certainly pumping it frequently is cheap insurance.

Leach fields are really about:
Keeping effluent close enough to surface to allow bacteria to live
Lots of surface area for bacteria to live on as they digest the effluent
Of a material that doesn't rot or feed wrong bacteria or feed vegetation

I've heard of glass, styrofoam pellets, plastic pipe, or the traditional gravel.

[BAMxi]

Just want to chime in on the "don't pump it until you have to" theory. My parents built their house about 20 years ago and had never had their septic tank pumped. It's a standard tank with the leech field extending out into their yard. They live on about 2 acres. Last summer after an extremely heavy rain, their entire basement backed up with septic runoff. This was caused by a number of things that kind of all conspired together at once: 1. unbeknownst to my dad, the drain field had collapsed in part of the yard (likely from him driving trucks/tractors, etc over it), so no graywater was running out of the tank, so it was filling up much faster. 2. At some point one or both of my parents had been using "flushable wipes" that just sat in the top of the tank. When they opened the lid to pump it out, they literally shot out into the yard. 3. An outside basement stairwell drain is tied to the septic and runs rainwater straight into the tank.

So, while I don't know that you need to have your tanked pumped regularly, I would think that at least occasional inspection and pumping would be a good idea. My parents' tank showed no signs of issues prior to ruining a whole lot of carpet and stinking up their house. I am certain that some level of inspection by a professional would have caught at least one of those issues before it became a problem.

We are in the process of buying a house that has a brand new tank installed with a 2 year Roto-Rooter warranty and service plan. It's the fancy kind that uses a main tank, pump system to a smaller tank and a drip line due to the smaller size of the lot. The complexity of this system makes me a little nervous but I don't know that I'll do the recommended "Every 6 months" inspection after the warranty period expires. I may drop to once per year and see how things go and then evaluate from there. It's my understanding that they only pump occasionally and not on every visit. As pumping every 6 months for a family of 3 just seems way too frequent.

[paddedhat]

I lived in a fairly populated rural area where 95% of all single family homes were served by on site wells and septic systems. Due to several issues with unaddressed failures, and lack of maintenance on these systems, mandated regularly scheduled inspections and pumping  is now becoming a requirement enforced by townships and other authorities.  There is only so much tolerance for standing pools of sewage leaching out of drain fields, and swimming bans every summer in local lakes, due to high e-coli  counts. A lot of these local townships then end up battling residents who don't appreciate the big brother aspects of the requirement, but OTOH, the townships are hoping to avoid too much attention from the state DEP, which will require community sewage systems installed, if the pollution exceeds thresholds.

Maintaining a septic system is cheap and easy. Dealing with a failure can be horrifically expensive. I know of several extreme cases where systems failed, the state was unable to approve a new system on the property, due to limitations found in available space, soil and percolation testing. This required the property owner to buy another piece of nearby land to install a system on. In one case it was a restaurant that had to install a field on the opposite side of a four lane interstate. In another a homeowner bought a 1/4 acre from a farmer. The land was 1000 feet from the house. The job literally involved installing a private sewer line, down the shoulder of an existing street, including a pump station. That job was almost as much as the house was worth. The problem is that it creates a catch-22. The new system was a extremely expensive, but the house was unusable without it. OTOH, I doubt it will ever resell, since only a fool would buy a mess like that.

[big_owl]

I only pump every five years or so, just because.   It's probably overkill but at about 200 dollars it's pretty cheap insurance for me.

Anyway, our tank is down 4ft, and after it took me a whole weekend the first time to dig down to the lids I said screw that and had somebody install risers.  They installed these very nice green plastic risers that look good and blend in with the landscaping.  I'd recommend asking about something like this if you're worried about looks.