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.
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!
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