Take care of tank, and save some grief

Enzyme boosters can do more damage, one septic system inspector said.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CORTLAND -- Loretta Ecklund, a septic system inspector with the Trumbull County Health Department, says she sees a lot of cases of rural homeowners failing to maintain their septic systems.
"A lot of people move out into the country and don't have a clue how to maintain their system," she told a large audience at the Agricultural Service Center at a recent seminar.
She and fellow inspector Richard Curl spend much of their workday looking at such systems, often resulting in orders to repair or replace the systems at a cost of around $7,000 to $12,000.
Nationally about 25 percent of homes use septic systems for waste removal instead of sewers, according to the National Small Flows Clearinghouse at West Virginia University.
Curl says one of the biggest reasons for premature failure of the systems is water overload from devices such as hot tubs, bath tubs and water softeners.
When homes are built, inspectors determine the type of system needed based on the number of bedrooms and the type of yard where the system will discharge water. They assume the home will get normal use.
Avoiding problems
But hot tubs and waterfall tubs use much more water than normal, so they can overwhelm a septic system, he said. Leaky faucets and toilets add to the problem.
Doing all of the laundry on one day also can hurt a system. An average top-load washer puts around 60 gallons of water into the system. Try spreading out the laundry to different parts of the week and buying a front-loading washer, which uses less water, Curl said.
The backwash cycle of a water softener can also put a lot of salt water into the system, and the salt from this process corrodes concrete septic tanks, he said. Curl recommended that homeowners not have that water enter the septic system but leave the home where stormwater leaves.
Water usage should be kept down because a standard septic tank holds about 1,000 gallons of water and solids. The tank works best when it holds the water and solids for 24 hours before the water flows to a leach field in the yard for absorption into the soil.
That 24-hour period separates the solids to the bottom of the tank from the water and begins the biological digestion process. If the process is rushed with too much water, undesirable parts of the effluent can get into the leach field, damaging it, Curl said.
Placing too much solid waste in the system can also damage the leach field or make it necessary to pump out the septic tank more often, he said. Garbage disposals add a lot of solids to the system, as do cat litter, feminine hygiene products, facial tissues and excessive amounts of toilet paper.
Curl recommends a tank be emptied every three to five years. Brochures from the health department indicate a septic professional should also provide an evaluation of the overall health of the system during the visit.
Items to avoid putting into the system are motor oil, pesticides, paint thinner and harsh cleaning chemicals and clog removers.
Early signs of trouble
One of the indications that a system is not working properly is ponding of water above the leach field. This would normally produce an odor. Backup of toilets and sinks can be an indication of trouble.
Leach fields are designed to have two sections that can be used alternately. A box in the ground called a flow diverter containing a piece of curved PVC pipe -- called an "elbow" -- controls whether the water goes to one side or the other. Homeowners should use this device to allow one side of the leach field to be unused for a time.
Curl recommended that each side be allowed to go unused through at least one dry season.
One of the greatest myths perpetuated on septic system owners, Curl said, is the use of commercial enzyme boosters. Curl said everything the system needs to work properly goes into the septic tank everytime someone flushes the toilet. The boosters sometimes actually do more damage than good, he said.
Other hazards to avoid are:
U Planting trees such as elm, willow or scrap maple near the leach field.
U Driving over the leach field with heavy equipment or to the degree that it makes ruts in the soil.
U Building, paving or installing swimming pools over the leach field.
Although Curl says septic systems can be cheaper to build than the average cost of a sewer line, the septic system might last only 20 years.
runyan@vindy.com