On Dec 6, 9:56 am, Eddy Bentley
wrote:
Chris Hogg wrote:
The sludge in mytankis much too soft to offer resistance to a board
as you describe, especially as it will be trying to float if it's
wood. In the past I've gently lowered a long bamboo into thetank
until it touches bottom. Then _slowly_ withdraw it. The bottom end of
the bamboo comes out black along its length where the sludge sticks,
to the depth of the sludge. If you pull out the bamboo too quickly,
the sludge can wash off. Wash hands after use!

Thanks, Chris. And the rougher the bamboo the better, so the sludge
sticks to it? No need for the board business, then. (I often go into
overkill.)

Eddy.

PerryOne
I'm not to sure how this works, this is my first blog!
Hope it provides some useful information.

My experience of living with our septic tank is:
With two of us using it. It never seems to fill up
I measure it every month and it remains static.

Septic tanks work by anaerobic process of de -composition turning our
toilet into methane gas. Our toilet is 70% water so the solids are
very little and after process they more or less disappear.(see below)

The system works by separation, the oils and light things like grease
float to the top, under this is a layer of water based liquids with a
suspension of tiny solids that gradually fall to the bottom, to de-
compose, at the bottom the compact sludge.

The key thing here is the quantity of oil that you pour down the
kitchen sink, over time the build up of oil in the top of the tank
will result in neat oil flowing into the drain field and spoiling it.
All oils should be collected and placed in the dustbin.
Things like frying pans and other oily/greasy kitchen things should be
wiped dry with paper towels prior to washing and the towels dropped in
the waste bin.

Restaurants, hotels and similar who do a lot of cooking find it
helpful to fit a grease/oil trap between the sink and tank.

Interesting enough the septic tank was invented by a Frenchman John
Louis Maura's who in the 1860's build a brick pond. On opening it
after 12 years he was surprised to find it almost empty. John patented
his invention on the 2/9/1881.

If you look on the net you will find that there are many people in the
USA would have not emptied their septic tanks for over 30 years and
yes like mine fitted in 1985 they a still OK and going strong and
trouble free, free flowing clear liquid and a nice crust on the top.
In some States you are required to empty your tank every 3 to five
years.
In the UK the recommended period is every year, this is trotted out
regardless of the size of tank and drain field or the number of people
using it. Or indeed if it is used or not!

Experience suggests that the longer the time the suspended solids have
to settle and the larger the volume of free water/liquid the better
the tank works. One could say that the timing of the days events and
the order of process will have an effect. At the same time while the
licensed tank emptying people would like to make lots of money
emptying your tank every three months or so, in practice waiting until
you have a minimum of 30cms of clear water/liquid on the top of the
sludge seems to work. However, keep in mind the build up of oil/grease
if your housekeeping is not up to standard.

It is a good idea to manufacture a pole with a plastic bottle on the
end that can be passed down inside the tank to ascertain the remaining
space on top of the sludge.

The secret of longevity is : Control the things you put into the tank.

Keep in mind that the process requires and generates its own heat,
avoid letting cold rainwater get into the tank, expect the process to
slow in the cold of winter and to flourish in the warmth of summer.
It is good practice to limit the amount and volume of cold water
entering the tank, as large volumes of water will wash the suspended
solids through the system into the drain field and stop it from
working.

It will also come to a halt when it is not used for a time and then
start up again when brought back into use.

Do not put salt into the tank it is an antiseptic and salt will slow
the process and in time kill your drain field.
Do not put cooking oil, food or scraps off the table, or from food
preparation down the sink as part of washing up.
Do not put paper hankies, sanitary towels condoms, cat litter or
anything else down the toilet.
Do not put bleach or formaldehyde or any other chemicals or oils or
paint into the tank.
Think about the things you put into the tank and avoid anything that
could possibly block the drain field

Just use it to process your toilet waste and it will go on for years.

Kindly note: The above blog is the result of experience and includes
information gathered from the web over a number of years. I found it
very difficult to find information of a specific nature in the UK. The
manufacturers of septic tanks seem shy on quoting/providing
information. Other than the most simple illustrations. There seems to
be a move towards promoting tanks with high running costs, whereas you
can see that from the very first concept in 1860 the simple tank does
the job and once installed has little or no further cost.