Septic Tank issue

eamon11

hello to all of you.

my toilet backed up but the tank was very low. The prob was the pipe is broken. I know this cos when I rodded it broken bits of pipe came back. A loaded heavy dumper did the damage last winter.So I was going to dig down an repair/replace it. The house is 32 years old.
My brother tells me that I am better off to upgrade or in 10 years time I may regret it. He is basing this assumption on the fact that he had a lot of trouble with his. But every system is different, isnt it?so he brought a man to see the system. So they want to lay all new pipes ( there are 2 toilets) put in gullies, Y AJ's, T's etc and send the bathroom sink an bath also to the tank. And dig a new soak pit as they dont know where the old one is.At the moment the sink an bath go to a soak pit. I will shortly be getting tarmac an I suppose if anything is to be done it should be done now. But the price will be 1300 which is a lot for me.
Also if I send the sink and bath to the tank am I not upsetting the balance of something which presently works? The saying "if its not broke ,dont fix it?

Advice appreciated.

Avns1s

If the pipe was broken back from the septic tank, I would get it fixed.

I cant see any value in changing the setup if its working ok. If you want to join both the wastewater to the sewer in the future, I would think you can do so by diverting the pipe from your soakpit, presumably in your garden. Therefore, it should have no impact on your tarmac.

I would just ensure that you leave ducting under your tarmac for a power cable to a new system in case you do upgrade in the future.

brian_t

I would just repair/replace the broken pipe which should be a fairly simple job.

Doing a major upgrade to a system which is working properly just because somebody else is having problems with theirs would be wrong.

Hopefully in ten years time we'll all be in a better financial position.

bbam

I think the advice above is best...
Repair what is broken not what might break in the future :rolleyes:

Also good advice to lay a 2" duct with a pullwire through for a cable..

Funny how he has no problems spending your money..

eamon11

thanks a lot fellas...it was the way I was leaning..

kidono

Hi All,

I would be most grateful if somebodycould help with issue. I am looking into buying a bungalow in county wicklow. There is an adjacent derelict bungalow beside it. The owner who is selling the owns bought bungalows - his intention I think is to sell one bungalow and rennovate the other. I recently found out that the septic tank belonging to the bungalow we would like to buy is actually a shared septic tank between the two bungalows. I know that a few sale agreeds havefell through because it was shared and perhaps some planning issues. I would appreciateif anyone could provide info on what I should do? natuarrly I would like for there input into the tank to be cut off but I dont think they would have an adequate area to install a spetic tank on their grounds. So bit of a chicken and egg situation. I think the septic tank will have to be replaced also.

Any advicewould be great folks,

Cheers

flutered

eamon11 wrote: »

hello to all of you.

my toilet backed up but the tank was very low. The prob was the pipe is broken. I know this cos when I rodded it broken bits of pipe came back. A loaded heavy dumper did the damage last winter.So I was going to dig down an repair/replace it. The house is 32 years old.
My brother tells me that I am better off to upgrade or in 10 years time I may regret it. He is basing this assumption on the fact that he had a lot of trouble with his. But every system is different, isnt it?so he brought a man to see the system. So they want to lay all new pipes ( there are 2 toilets) put in gullies, Y AJ's, T's etc and send the bathroom sink an bath also to the tank. And dig a new soak pit as they dont know where the old one is.At the moment the sink an bath go to a soak pit. I will shortly be getting tarmac an I suppose if anything is to be done it should be done now. But the price will be 1300 which is a lot for me.
Also if I send the sink and bath to the tank am I not upsetting the balance of something which presently works? The saying "if its not broke ,dont fix it?

Advice appreciated.

whatever else you do, make sure that the waste from the bathroom sink and bath is not disturbed, never ever put that waste into a septic thank.

aah yes

A stitch in time ...

Worth looking at before you tarmac

brian_t

kidono wrote: »

Hi All,

I would be most grateful if somebodycould help with issue. I am looking into buying a bungalow in county wicklow. There is an adjacent derelict bungalow beside it. The owner who is selling the owns bought bungalows - his intention I think is to sell one bungalow and rennovate the other. I recently found out that the septic tank belonging to the bungalow we would like to buy is actually a shared septic tank between the two bungalows. I know that a few sale agreeds havefell through because it was shared and perhaps some planning issues. I would appreciateif anyone could provide info on what I should do? natuarrly I would like for there input into the tank to be cut off but I dont think they would have an adequate area to install a spetic tank on their grounds. So bit of a chicken and egg situation. I think the septic tank will have to be replaced also.

Any advicewould be great folks,

Cheers

I wouldn't buy a house with a shared septic tank. You have no idea how you will get on with your new neighbours.
The owner should have been upfront about this at the start.
On whose plot is the tank located?
WHO is going to pay the new septic tank charges.
Who is going to pay for the upgrade if one is required.
You would need legal advice on this.

BrenCooney

With regard to flutered's comments, putting sink and bath discharges to a soakpit will result in pollution and will result in a Section 12 Notice or worse if the Local Authority environmental personel get wind of it. God knows what would happen if the site is inspected under the proposed new "septic tank" regs.

with regard to the shared septic tank system, they are a disaster waiting to happen. who pays for the desludging?, who pays when they fail?, what happens if you fall out with your neighbour and they block your sewer pipe going into the septic tank on "their" property.

Insist on each house having its own sewers and wastwater treatment system.