Crapper Tank Arrg

So I've had a failing septic system that we have been babying for 20 years. The problem is year after year, after year I have been spending a lot of money on the yard and landscape around it, big pool to the side of it, large deck around the pool over it, another deck for the jacuzzi area, flowers, shrubs, dog pen....blah blah blah. Not to mention the pond and outside fire place. Started taking it all down. It sucks cause it's all the stuff I've built over the years and loved spending time back there. Not sure if I'll start over once the new septic is in or maybe bite the bullet and find something I like on a bigger piece of property where I can build a pole barn for keeping my toys and building stuff in. We'll see. Some pictures of what has to go, some gone already. Makes me a bit sick to my stomach....

All I can say is... I HATE MOVING! Nice yard!!!

BoB

All that stuff is pretty, but too cluttered for me! I'd rather have a big open yard full of grass.

Tripper said:

All I can say is... I HATE MOVING! Nice yard!!!

BoB

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I use my scythe for almost everything, and I`ve got lots to mowe.... I love it.

Note to self. Never build anything over septic tank...

I built my house in 1991(or started then) I have had to open the septic tank twice in 33 years. Both times I dug it up by hand with a shovel because I never placed anything on top or near enough to impede my progress.

I've never had a problem with our septic system. Our issues were with the well. It had limited flow and when it did flow the water had tons of mag, calcium and such. So, I unhooked from it 25 years ago and installed holding tanks. Over the years the logistics of the holding tanks has changed a bit but today we have a 5000 gallon capacity. My wife and I use about 15,000 gallons per year and I've hauled nearly all of it 500 and then 1000 gallons per load, or you can have it delivered 2200 gallons per load. Having town water delivered 25 years ago was 7 cents per gallon today it's .11 per gallon. Good news is, I haven't had a well/pump guy out here for 25 years and we enjoy all the luxuries of clean fresh town water from Fish Creek reservoir at the same cost as if we lived in town.

offroadrolls said:

I've never had a problem with our septic system. Our issues were with the well. It had limited flow and when it did flow the water had tons of mag, calcium and such. So, I unhooked from it 25 years ago and installed holding tanks. Over the years the logistics of the holding tanks has changed a bit but today we have a 5000 gallon capacity. My wife and I use about 15,000 gallons per year and I've hauled nearly all of it 500 and then 1000 gallons per load, or you can have it delivered 2200 gallons per load. Having town water delivered 25 years ago was 7 cents per gallon today it's .11 per gallon. Good news is, I haven't had a well/pump guy out here for 25 years and we enjoy all the luxuries of clean fresh town water from Fish Creek reservoir at the same cost as if we lived in town.

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Really.... I never knew personal water holding tanks was a thing. Interesting

Couper said:

Really.... I never knew personal water holding tanks was a thing. Interesting

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Yes, and it's a good idea to have a holding tank, pump and pressure tank separate from the well pump when you're on a well too. That way if the well and or it's pump has an issue you'll have water for the house until the issue is resolved.

Couper said:

Really.... I never knew personal water holding tanks was a thing. Interesting

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Interesting....I have city water so never experienced any of this.

When we lived out in the country, we had a well and a septic tank. We did not have a holding tank, and the pressure tank was only about 3 gallons. The well was suppose to be 150' deep.
We lived there 16 years, and had 2 children. We never had an issue with either the well nor the septic tank or the well. We did have to replace the pressure tank one time.

All the rest of our lives we have lived in the same city.

Well and septic here also. We have iron but no sulphur in the water. So eventually something will rot out. Just changed 30+ year toilets out. Not because they didn't work, but because they have been permanently stained. Twice going into the septic system was fairly easy. Check at cleanout hole, go in direction of problem. Go to manifold of drain field and go towards problem. Both times led me quickly to drain field issues with roots. It doesn't take a brain sturgeon to know where roots will go when there is fertilizer around. Both times same fix. Pull the drain field lines apart if you can, clean the roots. I also added extra runs with new pipes and gravel, cover hole...
I was born in the city and have been moving further away all my life. When you get used to the way things go when convenience doesn't matter, it changes you. You know things will go wrong, you pretty much know where the weak spots are. You expect a positive result because you prepare yourself for the inevitable and have parts and supplies on hand. Not that far to town but if you're haulin ass you're still gonna use up an hour and a half in any direction from here even if only a parts run. Sorta keep my own little hardware store because of that and rarely get caught flat footed. Call me an old boy scout...ya know, be prepared!

Grew up with septic tank, house I moved into after we got married was is septic tank, probably put in about the same time as my Mom’s was, mid 60’s.
Best thing I ever did was dig up the old terra cotta lines and replace them with thick wall sch 40 pvc. Terra cotta is made from paper, rags, and whatever they threw in the pot and covered with asphalt. Cheaper than the concrete tiles they used at my mom’s, Terra cotta is good for maybe 20 years, then the problems start. It softens up in the ground, if you run over it it will start collapsing, and roots work themselves in there. I changed the lines from the house to the tank one year, then a few years later the field drains had to be changed. Crappy work, lol! Lines from the house I dug by hand with a shovel, rented a small backhoe to do the field lines, they were 4’ deep.
So far, no more clogs!

Little house stuff over the last couple days.... I have this neighbor who has a real dump, window frames falling out, paints the house and paints 6" short of the fascia, Attic vent with busted slats for 20 years... just can't look at it anymore. Due to the septic job I'm moving the deck stairs to the other side and turned this deck wall into a privacy wall so I don't have to see it when I come out my sliding doors to the deck. BTW my deck doesn't have normal raillings....the "walls" are all sheathed and sided to match the house. I'm getting too old for this!

You got me beat, I was too old to do that stuff 25 years ago, no wait, 30 years ago... No wait, actually I would have never done that.
There is a reason I was a mechanic and a welder. I can't do anything wood, or anything very far off the ground.

I`m great at making fire wood... nice privacy wall couper...

There seems to be very few guys who can work well with wood or iron, Coop. You are one, and I am not. Wood scares me, you can't weld it, heat it up and bend it, or put a compound curve in it.