Septic Tank. Improving efficiancy of old tank

BeeDI

Hope this question is ok, on this forum.
I'm plan on reseeding the field next to the house, which has the septic tank. It's the old concrete, figure of eight kind, put in, nearly thirty years ago.
While I'm at it and there is the new legislation coming in plus inspections and so on, I thought I might have a go at redoing the perculation system, in order to improve the efficiancy of the tank.
Does anybody know, of a specification or recommendation, in terms of what I can do, to get maximum benefit.
I'm thinking of digging up to three seperate soak pits, filled with 4 inch clean stone, topped off with small clean stone, covered with weed fabric stuff and finally few inches of soil, to plant with grass.
All three soak pits to be connected with pipe.

What do ye think?

reilig

BeeDI wrote: »

Hope this question is ok, on this forum.
I'm plan on reseeding the field next to the house, which has the septic tank. It's the old concrete, figure of eight kind, put in, nearly thirty years ago.
While I'm at it and there is the new legislation coming in plus inspections and so on, I thought I might have a go at redoing the perculation system, in order to improve the efficiancy of the tank.
Does anybody know, of a specification or recommendation, in terms of what I can do, to get maximum benefit.
I'm thinking of digging up to three seperate soak pits, filled with 4 inch clean stone, topped off with small clean stone, covered with weed fabric stuff and finally few inches of soil, to plant with grass.
All three soak pits to be connected with pipe.

What do ye think?

I'd be more inclined to go with the recommendations for a new tank. That is:

A shallow connection box on the pipe which exits your existing septic tank.

3 exits from this connection box - 1 straight on, 1 left and 1 right. Run a 6 meter pipe to the left, and 1 to the right and put a 90 degree bend on both. Then run 20 meters of pipe out of each. This should give you over 70 meters of percolation in the design of a 3 pronged fork.

Pipes ahould be laid in a trench dug with a 1ft bucket. There should be 3-4 inches of suitable drainage stone on the bottom of the trench and it should be filled to cover the pipe with at least 2 inches of stone. Top off each trench with good quality topsoil.

I think new soak pits are a no no (even though a proper soak pit is probably better than percolation). Liquid exiting the tank needs to go through an approved percolation system.

JohnBoy

my folks dis this a few years ago and are very happy with it. due to the distance to the percolation area a buffer tank was installed with a submersible sewer pump. it only pumps out a few times a week, but that septic tank only serves toilets, and one shower, other sinks etc are going to a soakpit.

bozd

thinking of installing reeds in tanks - shallow ones - immediately after the septic. dont know spec on suspended solids or whatever but our tank runs off directly into the ditch - 40 years old technology!

did a one day course on reed-beds decade ago - seems like a better idea then full system replacement. area required per person is 4 sqm meters (I think) - that is just from the toilet end and you do a different percolation system for grey water. all very vague but could work out cheaper then a new system. They have done trials in Johnstown castle and there is one in Ferns in Wexford - so it is part of an accepted treatment system.

Wendell Gee

Be careful.Trials in Johnstown do not mean it is accepted officially by any co co yet. Wexford are not exactly early adopters on this kind of stuff. Don't know the one in Ferns, but am aware of acouple of pilot projects in Wexford,. The systems involved are expensive and designed to treat waste where no outflow is available.
If your soil has adequate percolation, then it's perfectly acceptable to use conventional percolation as outlined by previous posters. If properly constucted and maintained, it is by far the cheapest option

sh1tstirrer

I am going to the percolation route this spring. Why do they keep hinting at the most expensive option of installing 2 tanks with an electric pump ?

Belongamick

We live in a house 7 yrs old with the twin tanks out the back, second tank pumps out to a percolation bed. This bed is about same size as the footprint of the house. Ground is not great for soakage and the area around the percolation bed is a swamp most times of the year. Really fed up of it at the moment and seriously thinking of joining up with a neighbour to pump to the main road and mains sewage. I know the stuff has to go somewhere but it appears to me that the area for a proper soakaway would need to be huge.

MadsL

Does anyone know of anyone reclaiming the nutrients by using an aerobic system and spraying the treated water runoff.

Just about to move into a house, where there are 100 units in the community using a gravity fed aerobic system with the treated water pumped out to bermuda grass planted absorption area.

It strikes me that there is the opportunity for smallish communities to do likewise in Ireland and reclaim nutrients effectively.

I know nothing about restrictions on nutrient use commercially...anyone enlighten me?

MadsL

[

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

I am going to the percolation route this spring. Why do they keep hinting at the most expensive option of installing 2 tanks with an electric pump ?

^ sh1tstirrer


I lolled!

sh1tstirrer

MadsL wrote: »

[


^ sh1tstirrer


I lolled!

only spotted that now

finbarrk

Just wondering if you think your tank is working away ok do you 'have' to register for this inspection thing?

sh1tstirrer

finbarrk wrote: »

Just wondering if you think your tank is working away ok do you 'have' to register for this inspection thing?

Do fish swim? You can be sure that they will get everybody to pay the €50.

finbarrk

Ok, thanks. When will you be calling?