What do high ammonia levels mean?

Question:

I have a customer with some major issues with his septic system. Lab tests of his septic tank show a pH of 4.9, traces of red phosphorus, and ammonia at 350 ppm. He swears there is nothing unusual entering his system, but clearly something is up.

No one in the home is on any medication, and the homeowners claim to not be putting anything unusual in the system. That would appear to be incorrect, as the ammonia is 10 times what would be typical. The issues with the system are a persistent stench in the yard at all times, which a variety of filters and venting systems failed to deal with, and a complete lack of any biology in the tank. Presumably the ammonia is killing all the bacteria. The system eventually plugged up with solids and had to be cleaned out. Also, the tests are being repeated next week.

Anyone have any ideas what might cause these readings?

Answers:

The data seem strange. Generally, a high ammonia concentration would indicate a pH above 7. Since the pH is fairly acidic, I would first repeat the tests and ensure that the sample is representative of the entire tank or the exit stream. I do not believe that the traces of phosphorus have any particular significance since phosphorus is present in many things such as detergents and greases.

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I seem to recall from a class with the Charlotte, N.C., drug force that red phosphorus and ammonia are two of the chemicals commonly found in a (methamphetamine) lab situation. Be careful if these are present with some other warning signs. As a firefighter this sounds dicey.

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You didn’t mention how long this tenant has lived there or how long since the customer was pumped; this problem could be something from a while back, too. It could have contaminated the whole system, including the entire drainage area. You might get in touch with your local hazardous materials team (via fire or police) for their take on this.

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I did a video inspection job for a very small town. When I lifted the manhole cover, the horrendous smell that bellowed out was a signal for me to keep away. The town came by and took some samples and told me of three known meth labs on the block. I would not enter the house.

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That was my first idea also. This used to be very common in Iowa until they cracked down on pseudoephedrine sales. Now when you need cold medicine, you have to sign for it at the pharmacy so it can be tracked for possible use in meth labs. Also in Iowa, anhydrous ammonia, which is used as fertilizer, is one of the main ingredients in meth.

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I think you got it — a meth lab. Other things to look for are blister packs in the trash, propane tanks, general messy conditions, strong odors, sheets of plastic where you don’t normally see them, lots of five-gallon plastic buckets. Check in with local law enforcement and be careful.

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The guy has a meth lab somewhere in the house/or in the past and flushed/poured waste into the septic system. Call the police department and don’t pump it. You will get fined if you dump it anywhere.