waste water trap over flowing

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laoisfan

Registered User
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hi,

hope it is ok to post this here, if not could mod please move to relevent section please? thanks.

ok. i live in the country side, so i have my own septic tank and waste waster pit. i bought the house 3+ years ago so to be honest i am not sure where exactly the waste water pit is, i can give a good guess though.

anyhow, just outside the house (at the corner of the house) the waster water gully is overflowing. i have rodded it with chimney-rods (using the screw head etc) to see if there was any major blocking it.

would anybody have any idea as to what the problem could be?

thanks - laoisfan
 
Septic tanks require emptying from time to time, inspect the tank and see what level the effluent is at.
 
Carpenter said:
Septic tanks require emptying from time to time, inspect the tank and see what level the effluent is at.
Click to expand...

i checked the septic tank. the level is just below the pipe which feeds into the tank. i checked the inspection chamber (which is just of to the right of the tank) and there is sludge in it.

so i guess i need to get it emptied, yeah? i think some of the local farmers do it.

question. are waste water and septic pipes etc seperate? forgive me, you are talking to somebody who knows nothing about plumping systems.

based on the info i have provided, would you recommend getting the septic emptied?
 
There are tow types of waste water systems: "surface/ stormwater" which discharges to a surface water sewer or soakaway only and "foul water" which is basically everything else (water from sink, shower, washing machine, toilets etc) and this must discharge to a public foul sewer or septic tank/ treatment system. Try pouring some buckets of water down one of your gullys or flushing the WC and see if it flows clearly to tank. If water backs up (and this should be evident inside the tank) then you need to have it emptied. Most septic tanks would need to be emptied every 2 - 3 years.
 
Carpenter said:
There are tow types of waste water systems: "surface/ stormwater" which discharges to a surface water sewer or soakaway only and "foul water" which is basically everything else (water from sink, shower, washing machine, toilets etc) and this must discharge to a public foul sewer or septic tank/ treatment system. Try pouring some buckets of water down one of your gullys or flushing the WC and see if it flows clearly to tank. If water backs up (and this should be evident inside the tank) then you need to have it emptied. Most septic tanks would need to be emptied every 2 - 3 years.
Click to expand...

thanks.

i was going through some old contacts in my address book. came across the mobile numers of the previous owners. they were kind enough to give them to us incase we had any problems. would you believe it, 3+ years later and they still have the same numbers, unlike some of my friends who change theirs as often as the winds changes ;)

anyway, the previous owners were telling me that the septic tank has nothing to do with the waster-water system. they are totally seperate. the husband told me it is the water-soak pit (i think that is what he called it). he said it is more likely blocked up with all the crap from washing machine, showers etc etc. he said it happend to them before. but at the time they were building an extension to the house and they were moving it anyway.

he recommended digging a new one and running a new lenght of pipe from the water-gully to the new pit.

something i am wondering though and i hope you can answer it. would it not be possible to take off the top soil from the existing water-pit (well around the general area, as accurate as one can be). remove all the stones and crap. fill it with fresh stones etc, cover it with plastic coverings and then put about 1-ft of soil back on it. do you know if this is a possiblity?

thanks for all your replies so far, you have been helpful.

--laoisfan
 
I'm afraid the previous owners solution would not be compliant with current regulations- discharges from washing machines and the like must discharge to a septic tank or other treatment system. Otherwise detergents which contain phosphates etc will leach into the ground, possibly contaminating the ground water table. Only rainwater and other clean surface water run-oof can be allowed to discharge, untreated to a soakaway as you describe.
 
Carpenter said:
I'm afraid the previous owners solution would not be compliant with current regulations- discharges from washing machines and the like must discharge to a septic tank or other treatment system. Otherwise detergents which contain phosphates etc will leach into the ground, possibly contaminating the ground water table. Only rainwater and other clean surface water run-oof can be allowed to discharge, untreated to a soakaway as you describe.
Click to expand...

me again :)

so even if the current system was like the proposed solution the previous owner suggests, i still would have to go with current regs? would this be very expensive? i guess there are professional who could do this for me? yellow-pages :)
 
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