My mom has a "mound system" septic,,,she lives alone,,,I guess there is a pump that pumps the "stuff" to the tank??
don't really understand,,,how will she know when its time to pump it out??

opinions will vary..
my son has that type system and he goes about 3 years..
he has 2 kids at home both in their 20's..

I there a way to know ??

General rule of thumb: 1-3 people in household, every 3 yrs., 4 max. ; 4+ In household, every 2 yrs., 3 max.

If it isn't too difficult to uncover there is usually an access door just a little below the surface of the ground. That's where the septic company truck will drop a hose into the tank and suck the stuff out. You can open that access door and use a long pole to see how things are in there. It will likely be full of water, that is ok, it is the level of the solids that determines when it needs to be emptied. True - it's a crappy job, but inspection is the best way to know. You could find out when the last time it was pumped out, see what they say about how often it should be serviced. And when you have it done ask the driver just how full of solids it was. That way you will know if it was too soon or just about right.



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I dont think its ever been pumped and its almost 10 yrs old....so what will be the sign its full ?? Wet yard ?? Or toilet wont flush ??

Well that would be the extreme condition, when stuff backs up from the septic tank into the house drain line. If there's only one or two people been living there for years then it might have taken a long time for the tank to fill with solids. The waste water flows into the tank and back out the other side (once the tank is full of water, which doesn't take long) to the lateral lines buried on the property. The water goes into the laterals and then soaks into the ground. The solids that flow into the tank are supposed to stay there, sink to the bottom, and never enter the lateral lines. But if you wait too long to pump out the tank and the it fills with solids then they can start moving into the lateral lines and that can ruin them, they won't allow the water to percolate into the soil as well. Plus the solids will form blockages in the lateral lines and stuff will back up into the house drain.

If it has never been pumped you (or she) has saved plenty of money on the task, have it done and you'll still be ahead moneywise, plus will eliminate the worry about it. If you have it done ask how full the tank was, that way you will know more about it.

uggg she just said its been 13yrs its in and never pumped...when I mowed there yesterday there is a wet area in the back yard...think we have trouble ?

If it has not been pumped out in 10 years + then Do it, it will probably last another 10 years with just one older person in the house.

PlumbCat TM 2003


Plumbermandan



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what IF the lines are plugged ??

Then the money saved all these years by not pumping out the tank may need to be spent on installing new lateral lines. But it may not be that bad, won't know until you either dig down to take a look or wait and see how well the system does or does not work after it is pumped out.

Even with people that are diligent about having the tank pumped out they never know for sure how often to do it. So they usually err on the side of caution and have it done sooner than later. That's why I say to ask the man pumping it out how full it is, that way you learn over time how often to have it done. The more people in the home the more often it needs to get done. You can think of it as a similar situation to people living in town that pay a sewer charge on their water bill, there is a cost involved with the disposal of human waste.



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ok...again it seems to be working fine, if the lines were plugged would it ?? And what does the pump do ??? Does it pump the liquid to the lines ?? There is some kind of alarm on it too ??

That wet spot in the yard when you mowed - did it smell like sewage? Was it above the septic tank location, or further out and maybe over a lateral line?

no no smell at it was away from the tank...maybe off to the side of the laterals ?? Im going up today and look at the map and I also called to get it pumped

The water is probably from a lateral line, unless you've had a lot of rain and it is just rain water. There is often more than one lateral line, depends on the soil in your area and how easily water seeps into it. The requirement is to have a certain length of lateral line and according to soil conditions this can be longer or shorter length. Naturally all of the lateral line must be on your property and sometimes there isn't room for one long line so they install 2 or 3 to get the needed length. Plus that may be better, it gives you more than one path in case one of the lines caves-in or gets blocked. So don't be surprised if there is more than one line connected back to the outlet of the septic tank.

Water seeping up from the lateral line indicates it isn't performing, the water should be seeping into the ground below. If the tank is full of solids and they have flowed out of the tank into the lateral line that will cover the bottom of the lateral line and inhibit its ability to let the water seep downward. So the lateral line fills with water and comes upward. Has there been any backup in the house drains, like the tub? I'm not very familiar with a "mound" septic system, my opinions are based on the traditional septic system, so you may want to consult someone knowledgeable about your situation.



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nothing has backed up in the house, the pump in the tank must be working because the alarm hasn't gone off ???

Here's a good write-up about "mound septic systems" and how they operate. Hopefully it will be helpful to you. It looks like they don't use lateral lines like a traditional septic system does. On page 2 it mentions under "Disadvantages" that sometimes the mound will leak, water can seep out, and the mound may have to be rebuilt. This may happen as the mound gets older. It also says the tanks (septic tank and dosing chamber tank) should be pumped out every 3 to 5 years.

[www.nesc.wvu.edu]



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