PSA: Public Septic Announcement

PSA:  Public Septic Announcement



Today's post is a PSA for everyone with a septic tank and an education for those that do not.

I wrote last that I was thrilled to finally have a scheduled meeting with Mountain High Septic to get my septic tank cleaned out. It only took a year of waiting.  (They assured me that if it was an emergency, they could be out sooner. Fortunately, there was no emergency.)
First, let me say that my excitement about having the septic tank emptied was an emotion that 18 years old me could never have imagined.

And why was I so excited? Well, a septic tank holds all the household human waste that comes out of your house. If there's a problem with your septic then that waste ends up in the house or yard. Not good. The only way to keep that little disaster at bay is to have the tank emptied every few years.

Cabin was purchased 11 years ago. At the time the owner was in hospice, his wife did not know where the tank was located and we bought the cabin anyway. Standard policy is to have the tank emptied when a house sells. Ours wasn't.  Soooo..... I had no clue where the tank was although I did have an idea. As Erma Bombeck said "the grass is always greener over the septic tank".  She was right.  And I had never had any issues with the set up. But. Still. It was about 7 or 8 years overdue. So there was excitement mixed with dread. Because what if there was no tank? No system? Something major?

Also, I've heard enough disaster stories. Behind me the sweet neighbor had her septic tank collapse. She realized the problem once her basement filled up with waste. Another sweet friend, who shall remain nameless, confessed that she didn't know she had a septic tank on a house they had built themselves and lived in for twenty years. She figured it out once she started having problems.
Those are issues I just did not want to have.

In comes Ace, from Mountain High!

You have no idea how happy I was to see this truck.

He brought his shovel and poker and got to work. First he poked around the ground listening for a reverberating hollow sound. That was the tank. Once he located the tank he continued poking into the ground towards the house until he got to the edge. Apparently that's where the clean out is usually located. (Instructions just in case you need to find your tank some day.)

Ace at work.

I do wonder what makes you think "I want to be septic tank cleaner when I grow up."

Thirty minutes of digging later and Voila! the lid to the clean out pipe. The tank and lid were both cement and in good shape. Hallelujah. He says he has seen septic systems consisting of barrels connected by pipes; railroad ties set in a square with pipes leading out; and even just pipes with no actual tank. None of those would pass code anymore but they worked in their day.

Success. A tank and a lid.

Once Ace popped the lid on the tank, I went inside. And closed the windows. It was fragrant.

Time to go inside. And shut the windows.

And spray some air freshener.

When the pumping stopped he declared my system in perfect shape, well built and good to go. 

The magic is happening. 

Whew! Such a relief.

Last order of the day...mark the spot.

I think I'll order a sign marker. 

What should it say? 

Moral of the story? If you have a septic tank, get it emptied every few years. Recommendations run from three to five years or maybe a little longer if you don't use it constantly. Treat it kindly. I am rabid about nothing but waste and toilet paper going into ours. No grease, no food scraps, no hair, very very little bleach, nothing else. Septic systems require good bugs to keep everything being broken down. Keep those babies happy. A new septic system can run anywhere from $10,000 up to ...eek!...$50,000.   See why I was so relieved?

And...this week I am going to fulfill No. 4: A Performance at Red Rocks. Soooo excited. Red Rocks is sooo close and it has been closed all summer.  The Colorado Symphony is doing abbreviated, socially distanced performances there for smaller groups. We will be hearing the percussion and brass sections. The next night will be Drive In movie night at Red Rocks. Going to that also. So much excitement after months of NOTHING.

Everyone on public sewer systems, go thank your cities.
Everyone on a septic system, check the last clean out date.
And please, everyone wear your masks and wash your hands.
And vote.

A lovely septic system diagram:

More information than you ever wanted!

Cabin Fluffing...

Cabin Fluffing....

Last week I spent some time at the cabin getting it fluffed up. Still unsure if the final plan is rent or sell or live in, but no matter what, there are always things to be done in a house.  

First up was glue the closet door back together upstairs. Now, not one door in this house matches another. This closet is under the eaves so the door has been cut down to fit the opening. Over the years it had been sticking, the parts came loose and then it really stuck which meant basically you had to hold the door together as you opened it. 

The upper right side of the door always hung behind while the rest opened up.

This should have been an easy-peasy fix. Pop the pin out of the hinges and pull the door off to glue it.
But no.  Look:

Yep. Some genius chiseled out a spot in the wood for the hinges, making it impossible to remove the door without completely removing the hinges.

So, off with the hinges. And the door.  Liquid Nails to the rescue and Voila! door repaired. 

Next up was the side mud room door.  

Pretty rough shape...

The wood had not been painted on that door for easily 15 years, possibly longer. Talk about weather beaten. I started to sand it but realized there would be no door left if I got rid of all the grain. Instead I patched, sanded a bit, and primed it.

Primed and ready for paint. 

Yes, I was lazy and didn't even bother to remove the door from the hinges. 

Two coats of paint later, look!!  Gives the whole side of the cabin a finished look. Bunny says it looks very outdoorsy and reminds her of REI. I guess that's good.

Slowly getting away from the completely neglected look.

Notice my deer planter is wearing his mask.

They are mandatory in Colorado.

Since the mud room door was spiffed up I decided to move on to the shelving unit in there. This shelf came with the cabin and was painted/stained a dark brown with lots of paint marks and scratches. Ugly but very serviceable. 

An oldie but goody of Bunny and the mud room shelf.

I used this opportunity to get rid of all the half used/almost empty cans of Chalk paint by mixing everything together. The end result was a very pretty green/teal and Whoa! what an improvement. 

So much brighter and happier looking.

On a roll, I hung a sign that had been at my parent's house(s) for a million years. I believe the San Antonio neighbors gave it to them back in the 1960s.  Made in memory of a San Miguel trip, I'm sure. When Mom's house was sold, I couldn't bear to leave it behind. Instead of hanging over the garage door, it now graces a spot over my basement door.

I'll have to get the accurate history behind this sign.

For a good 40 years I thought the words were burned into the driftwood. 

Maybe five years ago I realized they were just written on with a black Sharpie.

And, to highlight the week of fluffing, I got a call from the septic company. SO EXCITING! After being on the waitlist for almost a YEAR, they are finally coming out. When we bought the cabin it had been empty for a few years, the owner was in hospice, the wife didn't even know where the septic clean out was, so we (foolishly) said...no worries, it all works now. Eleven years later I have tried on my own with the metal detector to find the clean out with zero success. Nightmare septic system stories got me motivated to have it found. Best to be proactive with these kinds of things. 

Sooooo....sometime tomorrow Mountain High Septic will come do their magic. I hope. Crossing my fingers. Hate dealing with the unknown. Everyone say their prayers for me. A good septic system is awesome. a failing one is an expensive mess. 

Here's to a fluffed cabin and an empty septic tank. Everyone have a great week and wear your masks.