Question:

I have a 1,000-gallon tank on my truck, but with the front primary inlet (with stainless steel ball) it doesn’t hold any more than roughly 840 gallons. Another local pumper told me that if I raise the ball a little more, I will be able to handle closer to 900 gallons and get the most space possible. The primary (Chandler Equipment) has a long metal tail (about 18 inches long) that the ball travels in. A 4-inch stainless bolt holds the ball in the bottom part of this tail. If I raise the bolt up about 3 inches, will I be able to pump a little more into the tank?

 

Answers:

We took the ball out. You just have to be careful not to run waste through the pump, but that’s just one way to do it.

 

***

You have to make sure you trust your guys and that they are experienced enough to know when to stop. We used to run without balls, but after a couple of rebuilt pumps in a span of 2-3 years, we decided it wasn’t worth it.

 

***

Thanks for the replies. I moved the ball up about 4 inches, but it didn’t really make a difference in my overall capacity. One of the biggest problems I have at the moment is about 3 inches of sand/silt in the bottom of my tank and I’m having a tough time trying to get it out. I have a 12-inch manway roughly in the center of the tank, and have tried pushing it with a shovel out the back valve. With this setup, it will take me days to get it out.

I’ve tried sloshing around a half-load of water to loosen things up and flush the tank, but that stuff is almost like cement and just stays in the bottom.

 

***

Weld a bigger manway on the back to get in and out easier whenever you have to clean the tank. They are not too expensive. You can get more gallons in the tank when it’s clean.

 

***

Our trucks have a big manway in the back of the tank that we open up and scrape debris out. It’s amazing how many rocks, sticks and other things will hang up in the tank. Or the hair that wraps around the baffles. The other thing you can do to increase volume is add a riser to the top of your tank and move up the whole primary shutoff. It looks goofy but it would work.

 

Should I Go Into Business?

Question:

A friend of mine approached me about going into the septic system pumping business. I’ve done some research and talked to a few local guys in Oklahoma. Aside from having absolutely no experience in this field, it seems like a good idea on the surface. Can you share some of the less obvious downsides to the business? Are there costs that are not obvious such as insurance, fuel, truck maintenance, dumping fees? Are there other downsides to the business, such as sporadic business or long waits at the dumping sites?

 

Answer:

If there’s a business with less overhead and a greater return I would like to know about it! Just like any other business, there are times of the year that are slower. But most any business will have slower times during the year. This is a business that one self-motivated person with one truck can produce a six-figure income. A highly motivated people person will fit into this industry like a duck in water!