Septic Tank Problems?
13 April 2020
If your Klargester type or brick septic tank appears to be full and backing up, what do you do?
It is likely that the soakaway has come to the end of it’s life and is blocked with organic matter from the tank. Once the water gets above the outlet pipe then the floating solids can escape! Then the soakaway quickly deteriorates. Floating solids are fats, oils, and grease (FOG) from the kitchen and block the pores of the soil. Bacteria just can’t digest them and so you are doomed!
Septic Tank Emptying?
Immediate action is to get a company to come empty it at £100 a throw. This works for a period but then it happens again, especially in winter, especially after excessive rain like this winter. So you let the tank fill up and again the floating grease gets into the soakaway further limiting the grounds ability to accept the effluent. The manholes may or may not get so full that they leak foul water for the children to step in and with all the attendant E. coli bugs!
The lavatory flush horrifies you as it struggles to drain away. You have friends round for a meal. Can you tell them not to flush?
Next week your parents are coming to stay. And it’s still raining!
Call for the company to empty it before they come. But a family of four, according to the EA, will fill the standard GRP septic tank in less than four days. So don’t have baths, don’t flush if it’s not necessary and take the washing round to your mother-in-law who is on the mains!
When You Have Septic Tank Problems, It's Time To Invest!
Seriously , it is time to spend money. Not £100 at ever decreasing intervals but consider more an investment to bring your property up to modern standards! People these days are being advised by their solicitors to be careful buying a house. Advised to have it surveyed of course but particularly if it relies on a septic tank. That it is why you should view it as an investment not a repair.
Talk to someone who knows all there is to know about how to improve the situation. Your situation!
Each one is different. Allerton will advise on the best course of action whether it be extending the soakaway, converting the septic tank to a fully fledged Sewage Treatment Plant or simply installing a Diamond unit. We will provide costs as we discuss the options so you are able to make a careful decision about your investment!