How is effluent moved between trenches by gravity?

Answer:

This question comes from an installer who said, “I am used to using a distribution box to deliver septic effluent by gravity to a series of trenches. I have been told this method is superior to others, what do you think?’’

In my travels to different parts of the country conducting workshops, I’ve realized gravity distribution is not just the simplest and least expensive way of distributing sewage effluent to the soil for treatment, but it remains the most common. This is the case despite the proliferation over the last decade of low-pressure pipe distribution and drip irrigation systems. This is a topic that has been discussed in the Answer Man column a number of times; but the question continues to be asked, so I’ll offer my take on the subject.

Gravity distribution is used where soils are generally viewed as good for treatment of septic tank effluent after development of the biomat at the trench infiltrative surface. These sites have deep, well-drained soils with adequate separation between the bottom of the trench and any limiting condition, such as bedrock, dense soil horizons or presence of saturated soil conditions.

The purpose of gravity distribution is to accept, store and distribute effluent to be dispersed and treated. The main method for this distribution today is a series of trenches as opposed to beds. State codes treat the definition of trenches and beds somewhat differently, but generally trenches are 1 to 3 feet wide and beds wider usually with a width limitation placed in code: often 10 to 20 feet and a required increase in bottom area to account for the lack of sidewall area. These requirements recognize that use of gravity distribution in trenches is hydraulically superior to that in beds.

For soil treatment areas with multiple trenches, there are three recognized configurations: serial, parallel and sequential.

Serial distribution

In serial distribution, effluent flows into the first trench in series and then follows a continuous flow path through the series of trenches. Serial systems often use drop boxes at the head and end of the trenches in series to move effluent down-slope and through the series. In some locations, piping configurations using elbows and tees move the effluent between trenches.

There are several disadvantages to this configuration, leading many permitting agencies to ban the use of serial distribution. Using the continuous serpentine pattern means every drop of effluent has to pass through the first trenches in series. This sets up the potential to overload those areas of the system, develop more resistant biomats and reduce the long-term acceptance rate of the soil in those trenches.

This configuration also does not allow for resting parts of the system. There is no practical way to isolate a single trench or two if they become plugged due to excess solids or excessive biomat development. In areas where relief devices other than drop boxes are used or if extreme care is not taken by the installer on sloping sites, the location of the relief devices become wet areas in the yard as effluent comes to the surface.

Parallel distribution

Design of parallel distribution systems assumes effluent is delivered simultaneously and equally to the series of trenches through a distribution box or a header pipe. This means all of the trenches must be able to accept equal volumes. The distribution box has the inlet pipe at the highest elevation and the outlet pipes at an identical lower elevation.

Since in practice it is impossible for equal amounts of effluent to flow evenly from the outlets – not to mention soil variability almost always means the trenches will not accept equal volumes of effluent – installers use devices that will deliver effluent to the trenches in sequence.

This means levelers or pipe caps with holes are used to direct the effluent into the first trench – where the biomat develops until ponding occurs – and the effluent backs up into the supply pipe to the distribution box and then out to the next lowest trench in sequence. This is why distribution boxes should only be used on level sites where effluent can back up into the box. In cold climates, freezing can occur so we discourage the use of distribution boxes.

Sequential distribution

Our preferred method for distribution is sequential, which uses a series of drop boxes at the head of trenches to move effluent between trenches. Effluent flows to the first trench until the biomat develops. Ponding occurs to the level in the drop box that allows the effluent to move to the next trench. Once the first trench is ponded, it will only accept the amount of effluent that the long-term acceptance rate through the biomat will allow.

The rest of the effluent is delivered to the lower trenches. This is one of the significant differences between sequential and serial distribution. The trench only sees the effluent it can properly treat. If there is a need to rest this part of the system, this is easily accomplished by capping the outlet pipe to the trench in the drop box. So this configuration lends itself to effective management.

Sequential distribution is designed ideally for sloping sites. The trenches can be of different lengths. Because they are designed to operate in sequence, they can be as long or as short as necessary to fit the limitations of the site. They will only accept the effluent they can treat. This configuration allows easy addition of trenches as long as soil conditions allow.

So the short answer to the question is: For gravity distribution on sloping sites, sequential distribution is the superior system.

Writing in the Texas On-Site Wastewater Association newsletter, Perry Burney of Aerobic Septic Service Co. in Azle reports on the aftermath of legislation that eliminated maintenance contract requirements and allowed homeowners to make their own repairs.

He reports service technicians are finding more and more systems with lids not screwed down, lightweight lids substituted for heavier childproof ones, or coverings like wood, boards, plywood, five-gallon buckets, and water meter lids. This last item caused the death of a 3-year-old in Denton County in 2009 when the child fell through and drowned.

Burney also sees more large repairs. “Many people moving to Tarrant County don’t realize that their system needs maintenance because no one tells them,” he writes. “By the time we get the call, a minor repair has escalated to a major problem.”

Training & Education

Alabama

Licensing classes are the joint effort of the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Association and University of West Alabama. Courses are at UWA Livingston campus unless stated otherwise:

• June 21-22 – Continuing Education Class, Dothan

• July 12-13 – Pumpers Class

• July 18-20 – Advanced Installer I Class

The first day of Continuing Education classes is for installers and the second day for pumpers and portable restroom operators. Call the training center at 205/652-3803 or visit http://aowatc.uwa.edu.

California

The California Onsite Wastewater Association is offering these NAWT classes:

• June 26 – Installation of Onsite Systems (NAWT course), San Diego

• June 28 – Outreach (NEHA schedule), San Diego.

• July 26 – Low Pressure Pipe Drainfield and Drip Dispersal Design, Chico

Call Kit Rosefield at 530/513-6658 or visit www.cowa.org.

Florida

The Florida Onsite Wastewater Association Training Center is offering these courses:

• June 19 – Operations and Maintenance A, Fort Myers

• June 20 – Operations and Maintenance B, Fort Lauderdale

• June 21-22 – Alabama and Florida Combined Training Sessions, Dothan, Ala.

• July 10 – Operations and Maintenance A, Gainesville

Contact FOWA at 321/363-1590 or www.fowaonsite.com.

Georgia

The University of Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture is offering its Onsite Wastewater Management class on July 26 in Gainsville. Contact the Continuing Education Center at 770/229-3477, conteduc@uga.edu or www.ugaurbanag.com.

Iowa

The Iowa Onsite Wastewater Association has a Habitat for Humanity systems install course June 14-15 in Waverly. Contact Alice Vinsand at 515/225-1051, execdir@iowwa.com or visit www.iowwa.com.

Kentucky

The Kentucky Onsite Wastewater Association has a continuing education course for certified installers June 15 at the Bluegrass Community Technical College in Lawrenceburg. Call 270/401-2301 or visit www.kentuckyonsite.org.

Minnesota

The University of Minnesota Water Resources Center has these classes:

• June 5-6 – Inspecting Onsite Systems, St. Cloud

• June 7 – Soils Continuing Education, Rushford Village

• June 14 – Soils Continuing Education, Detroit Lakes

• June 19-21 – Soils, Rochester

• June 27 – Soils Continuing Education, St. Cloud

Call Nick Haig at 800/322-8642 (612/625-9797) or visit http://septic.umn.edu.

New England

The New England Onsite Wastewater Training Center at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston has these courses:

• June 6 – Soil Basics for the Onsite Wastewater Contractor

• June 13 – Advanced Soil Morphology

• June 14 – Hands-On Component Installation

• June 21 – Bottomless Sand Filter Design and Installation

• June 27 – Advanced Soil Morphology

• July 12 – Microbiology for Wastewater Professionals

• July 26 – Surveying Techniques for the Wastewater Professional

Call 401/874-5950 or visit www.uri.edu/ce/wq. For soil courses, call Mark Stolt at 401/874-2915 or email mstolt@uri.edu.

North Carolina

North Carolina State University has these Web-based courses:

• June 6 – Cycling of Water Through Soil

• June 13 – Chemistry of Soil

• June 20 – Role of Soil in Plant Nutrition

• June 27 – Soil Ecosystem

Call Joni Tanner at 919/513-1678 or visit www.soil.ncsu.edu/training.

North Carolina

The North Carolina Pumper Group and Portable Toilet Group have an educational seminar on new laws, motor vehicle rules, and instructions on how to pump a grease trap on June 16 in Bern. Call Joe McClees at 252/249-1097 or visit www.ncpumpergroup.org or www.ncportabletoiletgroup.org.

Calendar of Events

June 5-6

Trenchless Technology Road Show, Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. 330/467-7588; www.trenchlessonline.com.

June 28-30

State Onsite Regulators Alliance, Captains of Industry and National Environmental Health Association Conference, Marriott Marquis and Marina, San Diego. 800/624-8301; www.nesc.wvu.edu/sora.

An educated homeowner is more apt to recognize and repair a failing system. And that results in a cleaner environment and sustainable quality water supply. Trouble-free septic systems encourage greater acceptance of the private onsite model as a permanent alternative to municipal sewer systems. They also help build on the professional reputation of pumping contractors as qualified septic system maintainers.

SHOWING WE CARE

Pumping contractor David Litchfield of The Christopher Bryant Co., Simsbury, Conn., builds his family company in good and bad economic times through a people-pleasing model he calls “customer focus, concierge service.’’ In this month’s cover story (“Shuffle the Deck”), Litchfield tells writer Seiche Sanders that it’s important to allow customers to connect with a knowledgeable, caring person when they call the office or meet a technician in the field.

“I think seeing people is an important thing,” says Litchfield, whose website shows photos of the technicians who will meet customers in the field. “It’s comforting to see the face of someone – and you won’t be afraid of them being in your back yard.”

And after the job is completed, Christopher Bryant asks its customers to grade the service and ask questions through comment cards that receive an impressive 75 percent response rate.

“It subtly sends a message to customers that we care enough to ask how we’re doing. We’ve used those comments to make improvements,” Litchfield says.

DIFFERENT KIND OF SOCIAL NETWORKING

Surrounding Washington State’s beautiful Puget Sound, the environmental stakes are high if a septic system fails. Polluted water seeping into a fragile ecosystem already challenged by large population centers threatens a large shellfish farming industry. That’s where Teri King steps in and offers to conduct Septic Socials and other educational programs meant to protect the region.

In our Pumper Interview feature this month (“Make Customer Education a Party”), King, a Sea Grant water quality specialist, shares her unique recipe for educating homeowners about how their septic systems work. As she tells writer Doug Day, the neighborhood gatherings generate a lot of interest when a participating pumping contractor flips the tank lid.

“They have no idea that a healthy system doesn’t smell bad. When we pop the lid off of the tank, most are amazed that the odor is no worse than teenage sweat socks. It’s a real eye opener for them,’’ King explains. “We talk about scum and sludge, things that float and things that sink in a tank, and how to do your own observations. We ask them to … walk around the drainfield and the yard, smell and look so they know what’s normal, and look for ponding and other evidence of trouble.’’

HOW DO YOU EDUCATE CUSTOMERS?

Would the concept of septic socials work in your service area? Do you have another customer education initiative to share with fellow pumping professionals? Drop me a line and tell me about it at editor@pumper.com.

It’s over. Billy’s cooked without a chance to negotiate or be heard. Why? He didn’t reach the ultimate decision maker. But wait … who’s walking in the house in good spirits and a bounce in his step? It’s Dad! Billy rushes to the big guy with a hug and says, “Hey Dad, can I have an ice cream bar?” Dad’s golden response: “Sure sport and I’ll tell you what, get me one too.”

Yee-haw, sale closed!

Think of all the time you’ve spent and the energy you’ve exhausted on attempts to cajole customer contacts, for instance companies that need industrial or commercial-pumping services, who love to say “no” but don’t really have the authority to say “yes.” It can be a frustrating, morale-beating process. It also happens to be bad for your business’s bottom line.

Making a connection with the commercial customer, the individual who can say “yes,” isn’t always easy, but the first question I challenge you with is, “Who are you asking for an ice cream bar?” Aim low or aim high and, well, you know what you get.

THE DECISION MAKER

The following tips are both necessary and instrumental for landing bigger pumping accounts in less time, from the people who have the authority to say “yes!”

See yourself as a peer.

Before we get into approach, answer this: Are you confident enough to have a discussion on equal ground with the big wheels who run the show? You would be shocked at the number of grown adults who will answer this with a “yes” to others, but say “no” to themselves in subtle, counterproductive ways.

Trigger Tip: To view yourself as a peer, use positive self-talk and manage that internal cynic. Remember, how you present yourself is stronger than any service or product you offer. A strong handshake, a confident personality and voice, and the right mental attitude can make a huge difference.

Do your homework.

A lack of preparation may be the biggest deal killer there is. When it comes to connecting with buyers, you must know three aspects of the deal and know them well. They are, 1. Their company. 2. Their competition. 3. Your product or service. Do these seem like no-brainers? You’d be surprised how many service providers don’t know when a client company was founded, what their mission statement says or how they fare against the competition. As far as knowing your own product and service, read on.

Trigger Tip: If you haven’t made Google your best buddy, start today. The Internet search engine will swiftly allow you to collect information about the companies you target, and often the professional resumes and personal interests of your buyers.

Speak in sound bites.

When you have the chance to speak to the buyer, get to the point and remember that less is more. Too many service providers ramble aimlessly about what they’re selling and can kill their credibility because of the confusion they create about their product or service. Decision makers want you to be brief. Granted, when you get those few moments to audition, it can feel like a pressure cooker. So, prepare only information that demonstrates how buyers will benefit and what their return on investment will be. If you don’t have this ready to be delivered in 15 seconds or less, keep practicing your pitch.

Trigger Tip: For every piece of information about your service or company you prepare, ask the questions that your buyer would ask, such as: “So what?” or “What’s in it for me?” These force you to always speak in benefits-focused, buyer-friendly language.

Ask great questions.

Conventional sales jargon used to be ABC, which stood for always be closing. People are more perceptive than ever and most folks know when they’re being manipulated. Today’s world of collaborative, relationship selling, especially with high-level customers, should be more about ABO, or always be opening. The more accurate diagnostic you make on a client’s needs is always a reflection of the quality of data you can learn from them. Questions are the golden nuggets that lead you down the path to landing a new customer.

Trigger Tip: Be sure your questions are open-ended, (which allows customers to elaborate), and make certain they tie directly into the objectives the customer has and how they will know when successful results are realized.

Saying “No” can get the “Yes!”

When trying to impress a customer, it’s easy to try too hard. We’ve all done it, but it’s crucial to be yourself. If you disagree with something he or she says, tactfully push back and challenge them. Authentic candor has elevated many sales pitches and transforms you into a service provider the customer can trust and respect.

Trigger Tip: Don’t try to be too enthused or eager right away. Think about how turned off you get when a telemarketer tries to impress you with an over-the-top sales pitch. You want to run the other way. Be genuine and be honest at all times.

PREPARATION IS KEY

Obviously, high-level buyers are usually a tougher sale than Billy Johnson asking his Dad for an ice cream bar. They require an eclectic approach of preparation, self-talk and smart behaviors. But just like Billy, if you choose the right approach with the decision maker, you’ll get the “yes’’ answer you’re looking for.

Effective January 2012, all non-explosion-proof Sioux equipment operating at 600 volts AC or lower is third party approved to UL508A and CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 14-10, ensuring the entire control panel assembly meets safety requirements.

Vacuum Truck Rentals acquires UVAC

Vacuum Truck Rentals LLC of Richland, Miss., acquired UVAC Inc. of Pasadena, Texas. Vacuum Truck Rentals operates seven facilities in the U.S., offering vacuum trucks, liquid vacuum trucks, combination sewer cleaners, hydroexcavation units, 130/150 barrel trailers, roll-off trucks, container trailers and liquid ring vacuum trucks.

Ditch Witch supports I Make America, adds maintenance program

The Charles Machine Works Inc., manufacturer of Ditch Witch construction equipment, has joined with other American manufacturers to support I Make America, a grassroots campaign to promote the growth of American manufacturing jobs. Ditch Witch construction equipment also introduced Orange Armor, a flexible planned maintenance program to help customers protect their equipment investment, available through participating dealerships.

Anua Puraflo peat fiber biofilter approved in Manitoba

The Environmental Services Branch of Canada’s Manitoba Conservation approved the use of in-ground and mounted pads for the dispersal of Anua’s Puraflo peat fiber biofilter effluent throughout the province. Manitoba Conservation also approved Puraflo modules in a polishing filter configuration.

Bear Onsite receives patent for filter cartridge

The U.S. Patent Office awarded Bear Onsite owner and ML3 inventor Theo Perry a patent for his filter cartridge. Patent 8,075,774 allows for a filter cartridge with progressive filtration like its predecessor ML3 series, but with a more economical design.

Alteris SeptiCover program receives NOWRA endorsement

The National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA) has endorsed Alteris Inc. and its SeptiCover program as the preferred errors and omissions insurance provider for its nationwide membership. Designed for septic designers and inspectors, the program is underwritten by Darwin Select Insurance Co., a member company of Allied World Assurance Company Holdings AG.

J & J Truck Bodies hires sales representative

Ryan Johnson joined J & J Truck Bodies and trailers, division of Somerset Welding & Steel, as inside parts sales representative.

SSPMA welcomes Superior Pump, holds spring meeting

The Sump and Sewage Pump Manufacturers Association welcomed Superior Pump of Minneapolis, Minn., to its membership. Superior manufactures sump, sewage, effluent, utility and backup pumps. The association also held its spring meeting in February in Indianapolis. The program featured four plumbing contractor representatives from the Indiana Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association. Topics included industry trends, pump distribution, training and education needs for employees and time demands for handling service calls.

Lanco Group acquires Black Tie Manufacturing

The Lanco Group of Companies, Hazel Crest, Ill., manufacturer of Mi-Jack crane systems, acquired Chicago-based Black Tie Manufacturing, manufacturer of luxury restrooms and shower trailers, from United Site Services. USS acquired Black Tie as part of its purchase of Black Tie Event Services in October 2011.

Gotugo supports charities through restroom rentals

Gotugo, provider of portable restrooms in Baltimore, northern Virginia and the D.C. metro area, donated time and services to area nonprofits, including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake and Special Olympics Maryland. It also was a leading contributor to the MSP Polar Plunge.

Hino, Amthor form tank program

Hino Trucks and Amthor International formed a tank body program for vacuum/septic and related tank industries. Hino Trucks will be a one-stop location for truck chassis, truck tank and other equipment as well as service and parts. Dealers are being trained on the sales, installation, service and maintenance of Amthor Tanks mounted on a Hino chassis.

PASEO honors Longwell for service

Gil Longwell, Onsite Institute director, received the annual Dean Shultz Outstanding Service Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Sewage Enforcement Officers for his 25 years of service to the organization. A former PASEO administrator, Longwell established the Onsite Institute.

Atchia, SJE-Rhombus recognized

for technical leadership

Julian Atchia, director of engineered products for SJE-Rhombus, was recognized by the Hydraulic Institute for technical leadership and contributions to the creation of ANSI/HI standards. Atchia worked to update the standard for Rotodynamic Submersible Pumps for Hydraulic Performance, Hydrostatic Pressure, Mechanical and Electrical Acceptance tests, ANSI/HI 11.6-2011. In the revised standard, the submersible pump is guaranteed and tested as a complete close-coupled unit.

Schier releases 2012 catalog

The 2012 Schier catalog offers products for the interception of grease, oil, solids and chemicals. It also provides detailed code digests and sizing guidelines. Copies are available at www.schierproducts.com/literature.html.

D & W Diesel adds locations

D & W Diesel Inc., Auburn, N.Y., acquired the assets of former Fleetsource locations in Binghamton, N.Y., and Sewell, N.J. With the acquisition, the distributor and remanufacturer of engine components, performance products, tank truck equipment, hose, assemblies and fittings, has branch locations in Cleveland, Ohio, Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y., Philadelphia, Pa., and Worcester, Mass.

There’s a hot dog and hamburger spot around the corner from my home office that gives out free meals for every 10 that I buy. And, with some tweaks in how they’re designed, loyalty programs can benefit service contractors like septic pumpers as well.

Simply put, a loyalty program rewards the customer for coming back. It creates an incentive that translates into a certain base of customers – and their dollars.

That’s nothing to dismiss. Unless you’re in the rare situation of having no competitors, any time a customer rings your phone, you’ve effectively won a lottery. The caller could just as easily have dialed the number of your rival across town or across the county.

DISCOUNTED SERVICE

Some loyalty programs are free to the customer and give discounts or specials based on number of purchases. That makes sense in fields like retailing, where traffic is frequent. And it could work in some service businesses. A very simple approach would be to give repeat customers a small discount, perhaps 10 percent. In a similar vein – although it’s not strictly a loyalty reward – many contractors discount the bill by 5 percent or so if the customer pays at the time of service.

Typically, though, such contractors aren’t going to see the same customers all that frequently. That makes it difficult for customers to rack up “points” toward some kind of free or discounted service.

That doesn’t mean you have to scrap the idea entirely. You could consider a loyalty program that your customer buys into – in the form of a fixed annual fee.

For example, my car mechanic sells a yearly program that costs about the same as four oil changes. The customer gets a punch card that offers four free oil changes, plus discounts on other specific service items.

AN INDUSTRY MODEL

One approach is that used by Ashton Service Group in Vancouver, British Columbia, a service contractor covering plumbing, heating, air conditioning and gas in the residential and commercial market.

For $89 a year, homeowners can join the company’s Ashton Value Plan program. With membership, they get an annual plumbing and drain safety inspection. Shutoff valves for incoming water service and water heaters are tagged to make it easier for homeowners to find them in an emergency. In addition, members get priority scheduling and a 15 percent discount on service work. Diagnostic fees and overtime charges are waived as well, and members get access to special discounts advertised on the Ashton Service website. They also get two $25 gift certificates for the company’s services to share with friends or relatives.

Customers can sign up through the company’s website, and the sales department offers it as a service during calls to customers. A customer can even sign up when Ashton comes to their home for a major piece of service work, such as replacing a hot water heater – so they can get the discount right away.

The program has been in place for a couple of years. Ashton’s controller, David Fung, said the price was set up to help make it affordable in light of the benefits and discounts involved.

The program “gets our foot in the door and other work will spin off from it,” Fung says. Once a person has signed up, “They’ll call us instead of flipping through the Yellow Pages or their iPhone looking for a contractor.”

MAKING IT WORK

That might be a good template for others, but remember: Every business is a little different. Still, if you want to set up a program for your business, you can take the same general steps.

1) Review all the services you offer, and determine which ones are frequent enough to anchor your loyalty program.

2) Calculate what sort of discount you can afford to offer and still make a profit on the other services you provide.

3) Consider some alternative designs, and run some projections to see which ones will work best for your bottom line.

4) Once you decide to offer the program, market it aggressively. If your customers don’t know about it, it won’t be worth the time to set it up in the first place.

There’s a not-so-hidden message in those four steps. If it’s going to benefit your business, a loyalty program has to be sustainable. It has to help you make money in the long run – not cost you money.

A loyalty program that collapses not only defeats the purpose – it’s worse than no loyalty program at all. But well-designed and monitored, a customer loyalty program can help you build a stable of repeat business that flows directly to your bottom line.

Or, to put a twist on an old saying, it can make loyalty its own reward – for your customers and for you.

As NAWT members, we need to keep pushing ourselves to help improve the local environment and the communities where we raise our families and do business. I encourage members of NAWT to join the board of directors and volunteer time in their state associations, as we need to stand together as one voice for the industry, not just a bunch of little voices not being heard by the government. 

NAWT is a great association, and I wish the new president and vice president the best of luck. I have made many friends while serving on the board of NAWT, and learned a great deal about state associations and the inner workings of NAWT.

Roger Winter

Past NAWT President

New Perspective on Education Programs

Spring is here and NAWT is exploring new options for education programming. We would like to offer additional ways to obtain your continuing education units to maintain industry certification. NAWT has always strived to provide professional instruction, along with practical up-to-date knowledge that we need as industry professionals.

We’ve sent a survey to a number of organizations and state associations to craft an educational platform that meets your requirements. For example, NAWT has worked with Colorado and Arizona to present basic soils and site evaluation workshops as requested by the states. The workshops involve both classroom lectures and onsite field activities, including practicing writing soil descriptions in the field.

If you are interested in taking the survey or if you would like to discuss ideas that might be pertinent to your state, we encourage you to share input on education programs. Continuing education is an important way to maintain the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve and maintain high standards in the industry. These opportunities broaden our knowledge and give us necessary skills through participation in onsite activities.

NAWT would like to hear how we can explore other opportunities for you.

In the finals, Webb recorded a time of 1:09 combined for the bowling and golf events, edging out second-place finisher Mike Smallwood of Smallwood Excavating in Hamilton, Ohio.

The competition was shortened to a single day of qualifying, and the basketball event from previous years was not included. IHI Compact Excavator Sales provided the electric mini-excavator used for the competition. Other event sponsors were Bio-Microbics, Norweco and Jet.

Information and advice in Overheard Online is offered in good faith by industry professionals. However, readers should consult in depth with appropriate industry sources before applying such advice to a specific business situation.

Question:

I’m looking for a better way to remove concrete lids to gain access for septic tank pumping. Taking a tractor along is not feasible. Currently we use pry bars and stack boards under the lids. Any ideas?

Answers:

We usually pry them up and lay them against the dirt on top of the tank (imagine that the lid is on a hinge to the middle part of the top of the tank). Take a long breaker bar (we call them rock bars) and pry up the lid, then use a hook from the other side to pull the lid up and set it basically straight up.

***

With regard to a concrete cover set into a concrete tank, which I am assuming you are usually talking about; if you hit the center of the cover a few times with a heavy bar, it will often break loose and can be picked up. If you put a backhoe on it without breaking it loose first you will probably only damage the cover. I have been told if you put a plastic trash bag down over the opening before replacing the cover it will be easier to remove the next time.

I think you are talking about a pop lid. That’s what we call them anyway. I was referring to a full-size concrete lid that spans the width of the tank. Pop lids usually have a hook on them to pull them out, if not they can be pretty tricky.

***

How about the plastic lids that screw on? Those can be a pain sometimes. I usually spin them off with a shovel. If the tank collapses they are a nightmare to get on after being a nightmare coming off.

***

Yes, I was referring to lids that span the whole tank. They are usually in three sections. However, even at that, a 3-foot by 5-foot piece of concrete is very heavy. I do lift these lids without help from the homeowner or business. I was looking more for some kind of device like a tripod or something portable. Some of these lids are 3 feet or more below grade and very difficult to get a pry bar under to lift.

***

I used to tip them up by using a couple of shovels, get my hands on it and use brute strength to tip it up. Now I usually dig up one end, but I dig enough extra at the end of the tank to slide it off the end. Hopefully it’s a single compartment tank or you wind up digging up most of the top of the tank.

***

I carry a tripod and a come-along with me on each truck for stubborn lids. I usually have an old piece of strap (like a trucker’s strap or 2-inch ratchet strap) that I can tie around the lid if the handle is broken. Most of the time, I leave the strap with the lid and find a new piece. I had the tripods made at a local fabrication shop.