Published September 2007
Tank Fills as Fast as I Empty It
(page 62)
A Pumper Discussion poster asks for advice on how to handle a customer who is happy with a septic system that has obvious water infiltration problems.
There’s a leak somewhere
Question:
I have an unusual situation with one of my customers. This particular customer gets yearly service and has for many years. He lives in a small, old town where all the residents — even though they live pretty close together — have septic tanks. After I start and while I am pumping, liquid runs back into this tank so fast that I can barely keep up. From the sound, its not just coming through the baffle, but from several locations. There is no pump chamber in this system but there is a very large and possibly homemade distribution box made of galvanized culvert at least 48 inches in diameter.
Every time I am there I pump almost three times the volume of the tank, and it is full again before I can even load the hose on the truck. The curious thing is that the customer has no complaints about the system. I am surprised he can even flush the toilet since it appears that either the groundwater is higher than the top of the tank or the drain field is perpetually over-saturated. Any ideas what is actually going on here?
Answers:
Is this a new problem, or has it been there for a while? I live in a high groundwater area and have customers with old wooden tanks that fill with groundwater as I pump. When the tank is full it is not an issue, because the internal and external pressures are the same. But when I empty the tank when the water table is high, the groundwater comes in right away until the levels equalize again. Could this also be a multi-compartment tank, and you are only pumping part of it?
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I have owned a system that works like this for 30 years. I pump it once a year without any problems. I could take 6,000 gallons out of it. The tanks are only 1,200 gallons.
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It sounds like the drainfields. I had a job one time where the water line was leaking underground and was leaking into the system, even though it was several feet away. How about underground springs?
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It is probably a high groundwater situation, since the drainfield probably can’t hold that kind of volume. But one thing is certain: They have a “disposal system,” not a “treatment system.” This arrangement is almost certainly contaminating groundwater.
This is the same as dumping your waste directly into a stream. The waste “goes away” just fine, but it is not treated and is harmful to the freshwater supply. I’m no tree hugger, but freshwater is worth protecting. I know you have little control over the matter, and the owners probably don’t care as long as the toilet flushes. But it would be great to educate them and give them the chance to do the right thing.
Vacuum tank placement is an issue
Question:
I recently purchased a used pump truck. I have since found out that the tank is too far back on the frame, and I am too heavy on the drives. I can’t see a way to move the weight forward, so I’d like to just take some capacity off the back of the tank. I’m looking for some ideas on how to do this, without getting into a lot of heavy-duty fabricating. I know that I can just not fill the tank up, but then I’m way under my gross, which is no good either. I should mention that I don’t need to lose very much weight, about 600 to 700 pounds. Then I can fill the tank up and not worry about it. But it’s not enough to go to a bunch of expense or work. Any good ideas out there?
Answers:
How about a rear tag axle? I know you don’t want to do a lot of fabricating, this is just food for thought. That is why I tell people do your homework before you buy. It may have been a great deal (but was it?)
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Could you rough some foam blocks to the tank radius and put a layer of fiberglass on the show side to stop any abrasion? Glue the blocks to the tank with construction adhesive. Just a quick-fix idea.
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If you remove 100 pounds from the rear of the truck, you would be removing more than 100 pounds from the drive axle. If you add 100 pounds to the front bumper (winch or another accessory), you’re adding more than 100 pounds to the front axle, but reducing weight on the rear axle. What’s the most-rear thing that doesn’t have to be there?
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If you can get a couple of plastic tanks to put on your hose trays towards the front, you can drain from the tank into those. There are a million different shapes and sizes of tanks.
