Septic tanks

[tercel89]

Hey guys , sorry to bother , but what is an average price of a new septic tank installemnt ? This would be with new field lines and the normal stuff .

My house was made in 1954 and the tank is just as old and has never been pumped nor malfunctioned until now. I am getting it pumped this wednesday but in case there is more trouble on the horizon , I want a good round price estimate.

 WE never put dirty paper in it ( my mom said to never do that so we put dirty paper in the trash, yeah it's yucky but has worked since 1954) , but I am wondering if it is a crushed field line or just greasy filled pipes.

 This was my Granmother's house and now we live in it .

 Any help is appreciated !

Edited April 8, 2013 by tercel89

[Jesse]

Over time the pipes build up with crap. Most field lines have blowout tips, they can just dig up the tips on the end and blow them open using water pressure which can clear the lines. My tank has a pump that pumps the water out to the field lines cause its to rocky for it to drain naturally.

Most modern toilet paper is made to disolve in septic tanks and pipe lines. I would be flushing that if i were you. Just pump the tank and check the lines and i think youll be fine.

[bvarnell]

It should have had its first pump out about 50+ yrs ago. Toilet paper will dissolve fine in a septic tank, but do not flush facial tissue.

[Raoul]

I've been estimating about $4500 for the whole shebang.

[Jesse]

Taking the old one out is gonna cost you too.

[peejman]

If it's just full and needs to be pumped, that shouldn't be a big deal.  I assume the whole thing is buried and they'll install the access tunnel for it when they dig it up to pump it.  We had ours pumped when I was about 10.  The tank was unusually deep, at about 8 ft down.  I recall the septic guys scratching their heads and re-re-checking the plans as to it's location.  Then when they finally found it, I recall one of the guys falling in....  Thigh deep on one leg.... eeeeewww.

 

In the future, use this stuff... it works.   Modern antibacterial soaps work quite well for disinfecting your hands and such.  Problem is, they also kill the good bacteria in your septic system.

 

[VERO1]

Normally, they never remove the tank unless it is cracked or broken. They will pump and at the most replace/reroute your drain field lines.

[Guest nra37922]

Some reason I thought that this was going to be a thread about D.C.

[10-Ring]

Some reason I thought that this was going to be a thread about D.C.

Now that's a vessel that sorely needs to be pumped and cleaned!

 

On a serious note, a former house I had, which was built in 1957 had a 55 gallon drum buried in the ground as a septic tank, guess that was acceptable in the backwoods of Blount County back then, and truth be told likely still is today.

[Raoul]

Now that's a vessel that sorely needs to be pumped and cleaned!
 
On a serious note, a former house I had, which was built in 1957 had a 55 gallon drum buried in the ground as a septic tank, guess that was acceptable in the backwoods of Blount County back then, and truth be told likely still is today.

I was inspecting a property once and at the rear of the site was a creek. I walked back there and saw a pipe sticking out of the bank.

Then something came out and plopped into the creek.

[dlm37015]

I was inspecting a property once and at the rear of the site was a creek. I walked back there and saw a pipe sticking out of the bank.

Then something came out and plopped into the creek.

what was it..  when i was a kid we just filled in one place and dug another. i remember when we got running water just turning it on and off

[Raoul]

what was it..  when i was a kid we just filled in one place and dug another. i remember when we got running water just turning it on and off

well it was brown, whatever it was...

[Jesse]

Lol my grandparents had an outhouse in the 80's.

When they finally got an indoor toilet they ran the pipe to a sinkhole. The shower water just drained right under the house. I remember spending some nights there and had to use the outhouse in the cold winter nights. That wasnt normal in the 80's.

[dlm37015]

i hope all these preppers are thinking about outhouses

[jb980]

6 years ago I priced field lines at $12 a foot + cost of the tank for places with easy digging. If the health department required a gravel type system the price went up to $14 a foot, which is what we charged for rocky places. Septic tanks costed about $600. This was our price back then, and we were one of the cheaper companies in our area, but we were able to do a job in about 2 days so we made good on them.

[RED333]

If it's just full and needs to be pumped, that shouldn't be a big deal.  I assume the whole thing is buried and they'll install the access tunnel for it when they dig it up to pump it.  We had ours pumped when I was about 10.  The tank was unusually deep, at about 8 ft down.  I recall the septic guys scratching their heads and re-re-checking the plans as to it's location.  Then when they finally found it, I recall one of the guys falling in....  Thigh deep on one leg.... eeeeewww.

 

In the future, use this stuff... it works.   Modern antibacterial soaps work quite well for disinfecting your hands and such.  Problem is, they also kill the good bacteria in your septic system.

 

Good advice here, ours has been the ground for over 50 years, had to have it pumped one time, my wife uses RID-X about every month.

[tercel89]

Looks like my lines are collapsed/water-logged and wont accept anymore water.  Have any of you ever had this covered under insurance ?

Home-owners insurance ?

[dralarms]

Doubt it. Unless they collapsed due to you driving on them. Homeowners does cover stupid crap. Saw a guy get a brand new TV cause he shot it while cleaning his gun.

[10-Ring]

Easy enough, just go drive over them and call your agent.

[tercel89]

Good LAWD I hope you are right !