HughF Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 I've got the pump-out man coming on Monday next week to do a pump-out of my septic. As this will be my first rodeo with the system at this particular property (my late father dealt with it all before he passed away this year), can anyone advise on what is a good brand of 'starter bacteria'? And do I even need this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 They never empty the tank completely, there is always a bit of "the good stuff" left to seed it's continued use without doing anything. All we ever do is refill the tank with plain water, but that is for fear of floatation if the ground water level comes up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HughF Posted October 4, 2022 Author Share Posted October 4, 2022 10 minutes ago, ProDave said: They never empty the tank completely, there is always a bit of "the good stuff" left to seed it's continued use without doing anything. All we ever do is refill the tank with plain water, but that is for fear of floatation if the ground water level comes up. Understood thanks.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnMo Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 Used muck munchers. https://www.muck-munchers.co.uk/ Although the treatment tank had been working for a year, when the outside air was still, the air vent would allow a stench to drop down. Within a couple of days of using muck muncher starter kit, no smell. One month later no smells and have just used a monthly top up. £40 for starter and a year's supply of top ups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HughF Posted October 4, 2022 Author Share Posted October 4, 2022 28 minutes ago, JohnMo said: Used muck munchers. https://www.muck-munchers.co.uk/ Although the treatment tank had been working for a year, when the outside air was still, the air vent would allow a stench to drop down. Within a couple of days of using muck muncher starter kit, no smell. One month later no smells and have just used a monthly top up. £40 for starter and a year's supply of top ups. I've ordered some.... My scum layer is particularly thick at around 4-5" so I'm anticipating a full pump out and possibly a jetting of the insides too - it would be beneficial for me to inspect the interior brickwork (yes, it's a brick chamber) as this hasn't been done for a good while and I'd like to know the condition of it. for £39 it's worth having something to hand if I do need to do a full suck out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 I asked this question when we fitted our first tank The tank lady told me that buying in bacteria is ridiculous She said leave a poo in there for a week and there will be millions of the little buggers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted October 5, 2022 Share Posted October 5, 2022 20 hours ago, HughF said: inspect the interior brickwork Is it very old? The brick condition might be a concern so jet wash should be on a gentle setting. Also have a look at the in and out pipes. They are likely to be clay t pieces going up and down so that there is no splashing, and to avoid sewage going straight through. If like mine then may be damaged. I also found a great lump of old roof, dumped by an idiot roofer in the distant past..... The pump obv could not remove it so was a messy climb in....have rubber gloves as minimum. And there will be other detritus in there too...toilet stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HughF Posted October 5, 2022 Author Share Posted October 5, 2022 56 minutes ago, saveasteading said: Is it very old? The brick condition might be a concern so jet wash should be on a gentle setting. Also have a look at the in and out pipes. They are likely to be clay t pieces going up and down so that there is no splashing, and to avoid sewage going straight through. If like mine then may be damaged. I also found a great lump of old roof, dumped by an idiot roofer in the distant past..... The pump obv could not remove it so was a messy climb in....have rubber gloves as minimum. And there will be other detritus in there too...toilet stuff. Dad built it all in ‘74 and it has been in daily use since. I think it might actually be built from blockwork (I will need to check the photos from when he built it). I know there won’t be anything else apart from ‘matter’ in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 That's good. Pictures would be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HughF Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 Had the first tank (what dad always called the anaerobic tank) pumped the other day, 1500 gallons out, 500 gallons left in there (the lorry was full). We added about 500 gallons of rainwater to agitate the crust and the sludge and we're left with a nicely liquid (mostly water) tank that's about half full, and that has started bubbling nicely. As it's filling up, nothing is yet passing through to the second tank. This second tank is a trickling filter, and is a similar size to the first tank, it's again block construction and is filled with coke. That discharges via land drain into our back field. I didn't get a chance to get a camera in the first tank, unfortunately. I have photos from the construction phase, but nothing from recent events. Slightly concerning is the fact that the outlet doesn't have a T piece of baffle to prevent excessive scum passing through the top of the tank from one end to the other. The design for the system came from a book and from plans that the council provided dad with in '74 so I guess it's 'OK'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 18/10/2022 at 09:09, HughF said: I guess it's 'OK'? Doesn't sound like it. Can you contrive a bend or baffle at either end to stop turdles running straight through? Just a downward bend into the liquid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 Dead animal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HughF Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 28 minutes ago, saveasteading said: Doesn't sound like it. Can you contrive a bend or baffle at either end to stop turdles running straight through? Just a downward bend into the liquid. The input is on a T, with an above ground access to the top of the T. It’s just the outlet that’s a bit odd. It has an above ground inspection, but it isn’t a T, it’s just an opening into the top of the tank, directly above the outlet pipe. I believe the way it’s supposed to work is this tank is a primary settlement and digestion tank, with the liquid then making it’s way to the secondary filter tank where the biofilm on the coke bed does it’s thing. I could add a downward pointing elbow into the outlet pipe but that would have to wait for a total pump out and a ladder access. Not sure I’m ready for that at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 As a bit of an aside someone on another forum kindly found these for me. Mine I think is the first type: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HughF Posted October 20, 2022 Author Share Posted October 20, 2022 11 hours ago, Onoff said: As a bit of an aside someone on another forum kindly found these for me. Mine I think is the first type: Nice... I've got a book somewhere that Dad used as the basis of our design - I expect it's got similar pictures in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted October 20, 2022 Share Posted October 20, 2022 On 04/10/2022 at 14:56, JohnMo said: Used muck munchers. https://www.muck-munchers.co.uk/ Although the treatment tank had been working for a year, when the outside air was still, the air vent would allow a stench to drop down. Within a couple of days of using muck muncher starter kit, no smell. One month later no smells and have just used a monthly top up. £40 for starter and a year's supply of top ups. Same experience here, happy to pay if it keeps things smelling good and my worry at bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Potter Posted October 20, 2022 Share Posted October 20, 2022 23 hours ago, Onoff said: Dead animal. Yes, a road kill rabbit apparently does the trick. Has loads of good bacterial in the gut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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