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Keep condoms, kotexs, grease and such out of it and anything else that's not bio degradable and you may never have any issues with it.

I had to have one of mine pumped once in 30 years. And that was due to a renter flushing tampons down the toilet for several years when they were there.
My parents has had there tank in service for over 50 years. With them and three kids and I can not remember them ever having to have thiers pumped.

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Originally Posted by 458 Lott
When we had our septic system installed the guy said our soil was some of the best he's seen and our field should last forever...

...provided we didn't use powdered laundry detergent or dish detergent. So we've been using only liquid detergents. And the garbage disposal only gets the small bits that get past the strainer in the sink.


This is so true. Powdered detergents never completely dissolve and build up like cakes of stuff.

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With a properly working system, and some of the above mentioned precautions system may never need pumped. Lot of people that have bought property never even know where the system is !!!!!!

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Originally Posted by mohick
With a properly working system, and some of the above mentioned precautions system may never need pumped. Lot of people that have bought property never even know where the system is !!!!!!


The guy who installed my concrete septic tank when we rebuilt the system said the same thing. His mother has lived on a ranch and the septic system has never been pumped since it was installed in 1990. We didn't know where ours was when we bought the farm in 1999 but found it when we hit it with a plow.

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Some good advice.

Sounds like you guys know your $h!t.


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_Eileen Clarke


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Steve Offline OP
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Originally Posted by Ranger99
you'll probably be able to go a
good while between pumpings then.
i burn my paper and don't put
any bleach down the spout.
good luck


I'll let you know if I'm in your area if you'll let me know if it's burn day and I'm downwind. wink


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Not sure of the acres required by state but the easiest, most trouble free is to build a lagoon! Here they only have to be 3 feet deep and in full sunlight, and burmed so no surface water gets in or out, and fenced. Straight pipe all the way there, nothing to get plugged, if so easy clean out!!!

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Originally Posted by Steve
Originally Posted by Ranger99
you'll probably be able to go a
good while between pumpings then.
i burn my paper and don't put
any bleach down the spout.
good luck


I'll let you know if I'm in your area if you'll let me know if it's burn day and I'm downwind. wink


it very nearly takes less time to burn
a bucket of t.p. than it does to generate
a post about it grin

Last edited by Ranger99; 01/07/17.
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Most states have info available that is pretty good. Septic tanks have been around a looooong time and are pretty well figured out.

Oregon DEQ: Oregon DEQ septic tanks

Handy sheet from WV: http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/pdf/ww/septic/pl_fall04.pdf

Find a good pumping service that will check about every 3-5 yrs (with only two of you you can probably go 5-7 yrs), pump as needed.

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My wife and I lived in our last house for 16 years and only pumped the tank because it was required by the buyers and the pumper said it was in great shape as far as solids go, so I plan to go about 15 years before pumping at the new house.


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Ours (two of us) has been used for 24 years - never pumped and never a problem. I ran a gray water system so the laundry water does not go to the septic tank and we use liquid soap in the dishwasher. Little or no food residue goes in. Every now and then my wife throws in old yeast, spoiled dairy products, etc. to liven the bacterial array but we use no Rid-X or such.

Once in a while we will have a few - or as many as 23 - visitors for a week or more and they seem to be careful (after the "talk") about allowing nothing but human waste and TP go down the toilets. More than one septic "expert" has told us that the occasional infusion of loads of varied human waste from visitors is beneficial to the breakdown process.

Having helped a couple of other folks diagnose/deal with problems, I've learned that a long/strong pole with a slight paddle effect on the end can be helpful in determining the degree of solids in the tank. If that probe swishes around down there at the bottom with little or no resistance, you are probably in good shape. Rubber gloves recommended.


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Originally Posted by Steve
New to a septic system. There's only two of us. Had it pumped right before we moved in a year ago. House is 6 years old, so newer system.

When should we get it pumped or look at it to see if it need pumped? I'm guessing at least two more years. Am I in the ball park?


Steve, thanks for bringing up the topic. Hope you're enjoying life up on the hill in "rural" Portlandia. wink Never did get a chance to visit with you when we were in Sherwood/Newberg and my wife got a job down here in extreme NE California so I wish you, the bees and your new place the best.

We picked up a place here for her with ~7 acres, well, and septic. Pumped before our purchase. Friends we rented from in Sherwood recommended we not use "Charmin" type TP as all "septic safe" paper is not the same. They recommended a simple test. A mason jar half full of H2O, a couple/three sheets of your preferred TP, wait 20 minutes, shake and your paper should be pretty well broken up. If not, one might want to change their brand of TP.

I'm hoping to get at least 5 years between pumpings here, as there are just the two of us and we're not water hogs. Neither of us uses harsh chemicals for cleaning, we use vinegar for the hard water stains in the john, regular dish soaps, that sort of thing. We don't bleach our clothes.

My worry right now is a possible saturation of the drain field as we have had a lot of moisture for the area, snow/rain more snow, more rain, thawing, then freezing and thawing again today. Our soils are pretty gooey right now. Just hoping it doesn't lead to problems.

As for burning the TP, I'm afraid my wife would kick me out if I suggested such. We're not using an outhouse like we did on trips to Baja!

Again, thanks for bringing up the topic as I have an idea from everyone's posts that I may be thinking along the right lines for when to call the pumper again.

Geno


The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men.
In it is contentment
In it is death and all you seek
(Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)

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Geno-
How many bedrooms is your system designed for? How many gallon tank?


If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
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Originally Posted by ironbender
Geno-
How many bedrooms is your system designed for? How many gallon tank?


'bender,
county paperwork from original installation says 3 br, two bath, 1000gal concrete tank, three 80' leach lines for 240' total, trenches are 36' deep X 36" wide.

all inspected and approved in '05, '06

as I mentioned, pumped last year when we purchased the place.

Geno


The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men.
In it is contentment
In it is death and all you seek
(Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)

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Should be good to go in that 'warm' soil! wink


If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
--Pat Parelli

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Aren't there laws that govern that?

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Steve Offline OP
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Originally Posted by Valsdad
Originally Posted by Steve
New to a septic system. There's only two of us. Had it pumped right before we moved in a year ago. House is 6 years old, so newer system.

When should we get it pumped or look at it to see if it need pumped? I'm guessing at least two more years. Am I in the ball park?


Steve, thanks for bringing up the topic. Hope you're enjoying life up on the hill in "rural" Portlandia. wink Never did get a chance to visit with you when we were in Sherwood/Newberg and my wife got a job down here in extreme NE California so I wish you, the bees and your new place the best.

We picked up a place here for her with ~7 acres, well, and septic. Pumped before our purchase. Friends we rented from in Sherwood recommended we not use "Charmin" type TP as all "septic safe" paper is not the same. They recommended a simple test. A mason jar half full of H2O, a couple/three sheets of your preferred TP, wait 20 minutes, shake and your paper should be pretty well broken up. If not, one might want to change their brand of TP.

I'm hoping to get at least 5 years between pumpings here, as there are just the two of us and we're not water hogs. Neither of us uses harsh chemicals for cleaning, we use vinegar for the hard water stains in the john, regular dish soaps, that sort of thing. We don't bleach our clothes.

My worry right now is a possible saturation of the drain field as we have had a lot of moisture for the area, snow/rain more snow, more rain, thawing, then freezing and thawing again today. Our soils are pretty gooey right now. Just hoping it doesn't lead to problems.

As for burning the TP, I'm afraid my wife would kick me out if I suggested such. We're not using an outhouse like we did on trips to Baja!

Again, thanks for bringing up the topic as I have an idea from everyone's posts that I may be thinking along the right lines for when to call the pumper again.

Geno


Geno,

Sorry I missed your reply before this. It's too bad we didn't get together along with Scott. If you get up this way again, we should all get together. Been a hell of a winter. Coldest and wettest I can remember in my 50+ years I've lived here. Hope you're coping well in California, but NE part would be pretty nice.





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