SEPTIC TANK RESCUE

Trial, error and success

Back in 2012, I wrote about my backed-up septic system and the non-traditional methods I was using to try to solve the problem. Five years later, people are still asking me how things are going and if the approach I wrote about has proven worthwhile. The good news is that my system has been working perfectly for more than three years, though the original fix I was pursuing in 2012 has nothing to do with the success.

There are two main reasons septic systems are a big deal for people who rely on them. Besides being essential for dealing with household waste water, replacing a septic system gone bad is a huge deal. The cost of digging up the old system and replacing it can easily exceed $10,000.

All this is why there’s good reason to keep your old system working or to revive your existing one on your own when it gets tired. The thing is, in my experience it’s not easy to find economical methods that actually work.

Every septic system has two main parts. There’s the tank that holds the sewage and some kind of leaching bed that allows the partially digested sewage to flow out into the soil for further purification. Sewage backup is almost always caused by a leaching bed that no longer allows sewage to flow through it into the soil. .

There’s an entire industry devoted to fixing bad septic systems without replacement, and you’ll find three main approaches offered. At the expensive end of the spectrum there are contractors who use compressed air and other high-tech methods to revive the leaching bed without digging. The services of companies like these generally cost 30 to 50 per cent of the price for complete leaching bed replacement. I didn’t try this approach when trouble struck back in 2011 because there’s no one in my area who does the work.

A second side of the septic rescue industry involves additives. Many companies sell powders or liquids you add to the septic tank. These are supposed to open up the leaching bed by dissolving the sludge and biomat that caused the problem in the first place. I used three different additives in my quest to get my septic system flowing, including a $500 program that was supposed to come with a money-back guarantee. Not only did this product not work, but the “money-back” part of the deal didn’t involve getting my money back at all. Every time I complained, the company simply sent me more product. After three complete courses of treatment, there was no permanent improvement.

A third revival approach uses an air pump to add oxygen to the septic tank. The theory is that by changing the microbial makeup of the tank, the new bugs will digest the sludge causing the back up. There was some small improvement after eight months of bubbling air through my system 24-7, but not enough to declare success.

As it turned out, the permanent solution to my clogged septic system involved power washing the insides of the leaching pipes, then using a liquid treatment to improve the percolation rate of the soil around the pipes.

Visit baileylineroad.com/14154 for all the technical details of what I learned, and how I enhanced my leaching bed so it can be easily maintained so clogging should never happen again.