Septic system advice needed

[mpillis]

My septic system is smelling. It is a system which has an aerator in the tank. I have no leaking in the yard. me and my friends are sitting on the deck and when wind blows it sometimes smells. I smell it strongest under the deck. So my first thought is the pipe coming from house to tank, so I had a guy bring a camera system out and check out the pipe for $150. Inconclusive but he recommend I replace the cast iron pipe with PVC pipe. He said the pipe had a lot of rust inside. WOuld a cast iron pipe rust thru underground in 40 years? If the pipe was leaking and it is 2 feet underground would it smell above ground?
Sorry all I know this isn't in anyway bike related. Right now I have started digging down to the pipe to see what I find. It is a bitch to dig because the deck is above it and is only 4 feet high. So this old man is bent over digging. CRAP!!!
All help is appreciated. What else can I check?

[Lee510]

Marc,
I work in underground utility sales and there is a lot of old cast iron pipe in the ground in a lot of areas. When it gets cold and there is a water line leak, it's usually cast iron pipe that ruptures from the ground heaving. Your cast iron sewer pipe has held up pretty well for 40 years. Rust through shouldn't be a problem, but it is brittle and can break from the freeze/thaw cycle. I would recommend a PVC replacement. Sch 40 pipe with DWV (drain, waste, and vent) non-pressure fittings (cheaper than pressure fittings) will work. You'll need a rubber coupling to connect the cast iron to the PVC. Fernco is the manufacturer of the rubber coupling. Your item number will be a 1056-XX, with "X" being the size of the pipe. 66 would fit 6", 44 would fit 4" and so on. I'm pretty sure I've seen all the material at Lowe's and Home Depot. Other smaller stores may carry these items too.

Don't forget a sewer line cleanout. You'll need a DWV wye, spigot by hub 45 bend, female adapter and male plug. The female adapter and male plug are installed above ground. If there's ever a backup in the line, a plumber can run a snake through the line to break up the clog. HTH. If you have more ??, feel free to send me a PM.

[dshealey]

Yes, cast iron can rust through in 40 years. Good chance this could be the problem, and yes, if it leaks under your deck the undigested effluent can seep into the ground and cause you to smell it. The feed line to the septic tank is likely no more than 2-3 feet below ground level.

Been there, done that, many years ago.

By the way, when was your tank pumped last? Normally they should be pumped every 5 years, or the sludge in the tank can build up to the inlet pipe verticals and pretty much stop the effluent from staying in the tank long enough for proper digestion, then the drain fields start to clog.

[mpillis]

Thanks guys excellent info. I had it pumped last fall. Well I guess it is keep digging. Again, THANKS

[Lee510]

From Charlotte Pipe and Foundry's website:

"For hundred of years, cast iron has been the premier piping material throughout the world for drain, waste and vent applications. Unique corrosion resistance characteristics make cast iron pipe and fittings ideally suited for plumbing applications. When exposed to corrosive conditions, cast iron leaves behind an insoluble layer of corrosion that provides a barrier to additional corrosion."

But they've only been in business since '01.

1901 :D

[nplenzick]

I had a guy bring a camera system out and check out the pipe for $150. Inconclusive but he recommend I replace the cast iron pipe with PVC pipe.
I'm curious as to why this was inconclusive. If that pipe was cracked it should have showed up on his camera.
I too have a septic system about 40 years old. Even though I have always had it pumped out every two years I was starting to have some problems with it until I started using an enzyme that breaks down the sludge faster...........no problems in 8 years now. I still get it pumped out every two years so the drain field can get a backwash.

[gunny]

Some really bad things you can do to your septic system are to dispose of cigarette butts, coffee or use a garbage disposal connected to your septic tank.

You might consider pumping it and as previously mentioned, use an enzyme to break down your waste and watching it for a few months.

A few more things to consider with a septic tank, the use of drain cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, excessive use of bleach or disposing of other chemicals in your septic tank is not a good idea.

Be sure that you don't have trees growing near your tank or drain field, roots in the drain lines or the tank is not good either.

House we used to have had an odorous waste system. Added enzymes on a regular schedule, smells went away and never pumped that tank. At this house, it was pumped before we moved in, been adding the enzymes (you can get enzymes at Lowes or the Home Depot) and its been good for the past 9 years. No problem.

[mpillis]

The camera was inconclusive because he thinks he may have seen a crack on the bottom of the piple by the way the water was running but was unable to tell for sure. That sucked. last night I was thinking that he onl scoped the pipe from the trap just inside the wall out to the tank. what about under the floor back. Last year I had a small backup and had sand like material come up out of the floor drain. Hmmmm??? If it is leaking under the floor it seems like that could eventually cause foundation problems. I have been using enzymes on a regular basis. We do not use bleach in wash. The smell is strongest right up next to the house. Also had it pumped out last fall. I would rather grease the splines on a bike than deal with this CRAP!
Thanks guys

[Palerider]

Your septic system is actually a living ecosystem, like Gunny said. One thing you need to keep things 'digesting' is enzymatic action. Enzymes can be bought at grocery or hardware stores but usually you will have to look for them. Also the ones you will by at these places are not of a high quality. They will contain barley husks and other fluff. However; if you get on a program of about once every two or three weeks, dumping a little down the drains, it will recharge the enzyme population in the system and should keep it percolating. i.e. keep the smell down................call it a maintenance program for when some of the stuff that is not so good for the septic system gets put in.................. :cool:

[gbob]

When I built my house I asked the septic system install contractor what is the most frequent cause of septic problems his response was "Animal Fat".

Bob G

[deanwoolsey]

You may not have a problem at all. Inspect the vents on your roof. You may have rodent nests or leaves clogging them. They are connected directly to the sewer lines and it is normal for gas to escape from the vents. The odor level can vary significantly with changes in air temperature, wind direction, humidity, ground moisture content, ground temperature, etc. 40 year old cast iron will normally show signs of failure if it is a horizontal run which is exposed to air. I do not know the reason for this but if you have any exposed horizontal runs in the home such as a basement or crawl-space the exposed cast has very likely cracked and is beginning to fall in on itself but only on the top of the pipe. I went to the school of hard knocks on this lesson. It's also possible the filtering tee in the tank has failed.

Anyway, look down the vent pipes with a good flashlight in the evening hours when direct sunlight will not cause interference. They all need to be free from blockage. If not, we can move on to the school of hard knocks #2 how to clean your sewer vents with a garden hose and shop vac...........

[mpillis]

I had read about the vents also and went up there and stuck my nose in the pipe and didn't smell anything.
I called the guy back that did the camera scope yesterday and asked him to come back and scope the rest of the pipe that runs under the house. He is coming back this afternoon and is not going to charge me again. Whew!
Again thanks to everyone.
Will keep you posted

[pickerbiker]

While we're on the subject of septic systems, one other question for one of the experts. The discharge hose for my water softener runs into the basement sump. When the softener recharges at night, the brine is pumped into the sump, which then pumps it into the septic system. I've wondered of the brine is hurting my septic process. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[SmokinJoe]

While we're on the subject of septic systems, one other question for one of the experts. The discharge hose for my water softener runs into the basement sump. When the softener recharges at night, the brine is pumped into the sump, which then pumps it into the septic system. I've wondered of the brine is hurting my septic process. Any thoughts? Thanks.
real bad, salt effects the bacteria, pump it to earth.
BTW, a VERY important component of the septic is the DRAIN FIELD and often overlooked, grease bar soaps etc. will cause solids entering the dip tube and clogging - failure and is why it is important to pump your tank regularly to remove the solids (not the liquid).

A smelly job!

[pickerbiker]

real bad, salt effects the bacteria, pump it to earth.
BTW, a VERY important component of the septic is the DRAIN FIELD and often overlooked, grease bar soaps etc. will cause solids entering the dip tube and clogging - failure and is why it is important to pump your tank regularly to remove the solids (not the liquid).

A smelly job!

That's what I thought. Thanks, I'll get it changed.

[simoncharles]

I am thinking about asking these people http://www.nowra.org/ if they have any suggestions about how to fix the front end shimmy on my bike.

[dshealey]

While we're on the subject of septic systems, one other question for one of the experts. The discharge hose for my water softener runs into the basement sump. When the softener recharges at night, the brine is pumped into the sump, which then pumps it into the septic system. I've wondered of the brine is hurting my septic process. Any thoughts? Thanks.
I moved to Tennessee a couple years ago, and have a water softener for the first time. It is also discharged to the septic system. I was worried about that, and researched it on the Web a lot, and found that it is not a problem. There are many studies on the web, some by prominent universities, and all I found say that water softener discharge does not hurt septic systems.

I am using Potassium Chloride in my softener instead of Sodium Chloride, and that is even better for septic systems, and people. Costs 5 times as much though.

[PhoenixRising01]

I for one am hoping that your well is located some distance away.

[pickerbiker]

I moved to Tennessee a couple years ago, and have a water softener for the first time. It is also discharged to the septic system. I was worried about that, and researched it on the Web a lot, and found that it is not a problem. There are many studies on the web, some by prominent universities, and all I found say that water softener discharge does not hurt septic systems.

I am using Potassium Chloride in my softener instead of Sodium Chloride, and that is even better for septic systems, and people. Costs 5 times as much though.

David,
Thank you for the research. I did go ahead and route it outside. It's a long way from my well and I really didn't like the wear and tear on my sump pump anyway. At 2 AM when the softener would start recharging the sump was turning on and off for a couple of hours until the softener finished. It also tended to create a salty build-up in the sump that I had to clean out every six months. PITA.