Question:
Does anyone know of a flow meter that can measure the flow at the inlet of a septic tank? I have a customer with a failing drainfield who told me that she was the only person living in her house. She didn’t have the money to tap onto sewer or replace the drainfield. I told her that I believed if I jetted the lines and put a heavy dose of bacteria into them it would probably work for her. After I finished everything, her son came home and (surprise!) it turned out he lived there full time as well. It has been working for a while but she called a few days ago and said it’s failing again. I went out there and (surprise!) it turns out there were three people living there and I suspect that she is babysitting the grandkids all day too. Now she is complaining and wants her money back. I would like to have some way to document her water usage if she complains to the health department.
Answers:
Can’t this be measured at the water meter? I have never seen what you are talking about, but it seems that the amount read by the water meter would be the amount that goes into the tank … unless they are pulling a lot of water that does not go down the drain. If that is the case, an inline water meter can be put on a hose so that amount can be tracked and deducted from the water meter amount.
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We have installed an open channel (pipe) flow meter, mostly on municipal sewer lines. They can be costly, and if you only need to measure short term, I think they can be rented or a company may offer this service.
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I’m just an old guy with old-fashioned ways, but if I wanted to know the flow, I would pump the tank completely and then measure the inches of water every day or two.
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Has anyone checked the toilet and other fixtures to make sure there are no leaks? Perhaps they can switch to a 2.5-gpm showerhead and an ultra low-flow toilet to reduce some of the demand on the system. Document what you’ve done; send them a letter recommending they check their fixtures for leaks, etc. If they keep pestering you, let them know that you need to send copies of everything to the county to protect your reputation. Remind them that they may be creating a health hazard.
Is the tank leaking? Is the tank buried within the water table? How old is the drainfield?
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The tank is not leaking yet. I suspect it might eventually because the grass at the outlet is lush and green with other tall weeds growing while the rest of the yard is pretty brown. For now though it is just flushing slow and gurgling. I would just empty the tank and time how long it takes to fill up, but they aren’t going to pay me for that.
The drainfield’s age isn’t really known. There are permits on record for repairs in 1991, 1995, 1998, 2001 and maybe a replacement in 2005. The health department doesn’t know if it was replaced; the permit doesn’t say. But there is multi-pipe in the ground and that wasn’t around when the house was built 25-30 years ago.
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Why don’t you offer to replace her drainfield and take the previous bill or a portion of it off that total? Perhaps you could get a big job from a small one. If her system is (shot), it will need replacing, and it might as well be you who does it. So eat a little crow to keep your customer, and keep your eye on the bigger picture.
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With all those permits/repairs, it sounds like she plays the “system.” She doesn’t want to do the job right (or at least at her expense), is looking for the “just squeak by” patches in life, and, unfortunately you happen to be the latest nice guy to come along. Document everything, and wait it out. She’ll probably just move on to someone else with the same sob story.
