The Observer Effect?

[BRT]

Not everyone, and as THeimer just pointed out some are still on septic tanks. It used to be that when your septic tank got pumped it was spread out on the land and decomposed. Some people made a lot of money letting septic pump trucks use their land. But then the developers came along and offered them more money for the land so they could build houses and shopping centers. Quite frankly I'm not sure what they do with it now but I wouldn't be too surprised if it doesn't end up in the sewers, at least some of the time. With the price of real estate in California I can't think of what else they might do with it besides the sewers.

Just about every time we get some significant rain the treatment plants overflow and raw sewage makes it's way into the ocean. We have signs at such places as the Santa Monica Pier saying that the water is not as bad as it used to be and it's almost safe to go in it. I like to know just where the treatment plants dump and stay North of them (our current runs North to South). In any case I did the composting toilet thing for about 10 years and I know that, at least in that case, it wasn't going into the ocean. I'm on the sewer right now and I am conscious of where things are ending up when I flush the toilet and I may not lose sleep over it but I can't help but think that there must be a better way.

Well designed septic tanks almost never need pumped. My house tank hasn't been pumped for maybe 30 years. At our shop I try to pump it once every 4 or 5 years but there are a dozen or more people using it all day and all the customers above that. When I do get it pumped they tell me there isn't much in it but I don't want to take a chance on contaminating the drainfield.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Well designed septic tanks almost never need pumped. My house tank hasn't been pumped for maybe 30 years. At our shop I try to pump it once every 4 or 5 years but there are a dozen or more people using it all day and all the customers above that. When I do get it pumped they tell me there isn't much in it but I don't want to take a chance on contaminating the drainfield.

I with you on that one. The only times I ever needed to get my personal tanks pumped was when I was selling the house. I worked at a mobile home park and was required to get the tanks pumped every four years, and we alternated two tanks every two years. According to what I read from the manufacturer of the tanks they probably needed to be pumped about every 24 years as long as everyone was conscientious about what they flushed. I passed out Septic Tank Reminders on a regular basis. It seemed to help, but there were some folks on the Board of Directors who had phobias plus we were in a situation where if the tanks or leech lines ever failed we would be forced by the County to get hooked up to the sewer.

 

[TMHeimer]

The Scoop on Poop: There are septic tanks and septic fields:

Septic Tank.....as they are called where we used to live. In Northern Manitoba at the shore of a huge lake. These are tanks with no outlet. Like an underground submarine with a lid on the surface you can unscrew to see how full it is. They get filled up and have to be pumped out (every 3-4 weeks, but varies greatly with number in household running water). All water goes in there. So for about $50 a crack the truck comes and sucks it all out and dumps it in a designated "pond" away from the lake, which is apparently treated with chemicals. Advice: Not good to overestimate how much room is left for stuff to go in the tank......

Septic Field.......Where we live now (right on the Atlantic). But also common inland, but NOT near any lakes. These I BELIEVE are also tanks, but they don't get pumped out. Well, they can be, but as posted, some may last decades before needing any attention. Liquids do ooze out from the tank (all underground, of course). Solids do accumulate, but you can use treatment (powder of sorts) that you flush down the toilet weekly/monthly, depending on household numbers. We are away a lot of the winter and I am 2 months each summer, so we may never have to get it "pumped out". We have a well as well, so the only cost really is the electricity to run the well pump.

 

[BRT]

The Scoop on Poop: There are septic tanks and septic fields:

Septic Tank.....as they are called where we used to live. In Northern Manitoba at the shore of a huge lake. These are tanks with no outlet. Like an underground submarine with a lid on the surface you can unscrew to see how full it is. They get filled up and have to be pumped out (every 3-4 weeks, but varies greatly with number in household running water). All water goes in there. So for about $50 a crack the truck comes and sucks it all out and dumps it in a designated "pond" away from the lake, which is apparently treated with chemicals.

Septic Field.......Where we live now (right on the Atlantic). But also common inland, but NOT near any lakes. These I BELIEVE are also tanks, but they don't get pumped out. Well, they can be, but as posted, some may last decades before needing any attention. Liquids do ooze out from the tank (all underground, of course). Solids do accumulate, but you can use treatment (powder of sorts) that you flush down the toilet weekly/monthly, depending on household numbers. We are away a lot of the winter and I am 2 months each summer, so we may never have to get it "pumped out". We have a well as well, so the only cost really is the electricity to run the well pump.

Septic tanks are common here even near lakes. They simply pump the liquids up to a drainfield that is not near the lake. If correctly designed the liquid mostly ends up evaporated to atmosphere. I have my shop in town but where it is at the town has no sewer lines so I am on a septic system there too.. I'd rather pay to be hooked up to the city because it inhibits the use of part of the property. The building inspector couldn't understand why I built one addition to my shop on a treated wood foundation instead of pouring cement. He still doesn't know that the tank is under that addition and I had to have access.

I should mention that when a septic tank is working right the solids are almost all digested and little remains. They in fact are a composting toilet.

 

[Storker]

(btw when you noted that you have no issue with leaving a "few sheets of toilet paper as long as it's left out of sight, say like under a stone", I first pictured you doing this underwater while half out of your wet suit & scared my cat with my guffaw of laughter.)

Happy to be of service But that stunt would be pretty hard to pull off, since there's no way you'd see me in a wetsuit around here

 

[TMHeimer]

Septic tanks are common here even near lakes. They simply pump the liquids up to a drainfield that is not near the lake. If correctly designed the liquid mostly ends up evaporated to atmosphere. I have my shop in town but where it is at the town has no sewer lines so I am on a septic system there too.. I'd rather pay to be hooked up to the city because it inhibits the use of part of the property. The building inspector couldn't understand why I built one addition to my shop on a treated wood foundation instead of pouring cement. He still doesn't know that the tank is under that addition and I had to have access.

I should mention that when a septic tank is working right the solids are almost all digested and little remains. They in fact are a composting toilet.

Yes, but are you talking about tanks that have an outlet or ones that are like big plastic jars in the ground that have no outlet and everything must be pumped out regularly so the tank is now completely empty for the next 2-4 weeks to be filled up again?

When you say "when a septic tank is working right the solids are almost always digested and little remains" you must be talking about a tank in a septic field---one that doesn't get pumped out. With what we called a septic tank, it had no opening other than at the top, where you unscrewed the (foot in diameter) lid to check the level and for the septic truck to come to pump it out. With this type of tank, nothing ever gets "digested"--it just sits there on the bottom of the tank waiting to be pumped out along with all the liquid in there. Then the tank is completely empty.

In both places we lived, no one had access to any sewer system.

 

[dberry]

Any concerns about having a septic field and a well? I suppose the field is much shallower, and the effluent is cleaned up naturally before it gets anywhere near the water table. Still, it would give one pause if your ground is especially porous.

 

[Lorenzoid]

But since we are two of those lucky bastards who live right on the ocean, I guess ours affects the ocean before those across the road. But I tell ya, the ocean here is about as clean as it gets, in my view.

Don't eat the mussels.

 

[Bob DBF]

You are aware, I hope, that California wastewater is treated before it gets returned to the ocean.

The town I recently moved from used the treated wastewater for the sprinkler systems in the new subdivisions so the water doesn't get returned to the ocean directly. It will be a while before it is recycled like it is in space.

Bob

 

[TMHeimer]

Any concerns about having a septic field and a well? I suppose the field is much shallower, and the effluent is cleaned up naturally before it gets anywhere near the water table. Still, it would give one pause if your ground is especially porous.

Interesting point, never thought about it and several owners had the house (1976 or prior). Water tastes good anyway & no fluoride. I believe our setup is very common around here. Am not sure how it could be done any other way since there are no city sewer systems out here in the boonies and no trucks to empty a completely sealed septic tank (if anyone had one).
As far as mussels, I don't like them anyway, but very close by there is a mussel farm/operation, etc. and they are eaten by lots of folks around here. They have lines attached to buoys (hundreds maybe)--the mussels apparently grow on the lines in some way.