When The Septic Tank Backs Up...

[rednev]

By the time W. got back from emptying the trailer, he was just about cooked!

Cooked contractor with fava beans and a nice chianti  ?

[Sheilajeanne]

LOL, rednev!

[Frodo]

 

you said some idiot knocked a new hole in the old tank at a lower elevation?

 

That tank is now useless, unless you can water tite seal the hole the idiot knocked in the tank. it is going to leak.. Leaking means the  foundation under the tank will wash out and it will settle again..

 

[Sheilajeanne]

Frodo, there's a square spot on the end of a septic tank where the sewer line goes in. I assume the concrete is thinner in that spot. All he did was move the line from the middle of that spot to an inch or so lower. Everything was carefully sealed up with cement, and left for a couple of days to make sure there were NO LEAKS.

This had to be done because that end of the tank was slightly higher than the outflow end, due to some settling over the years. It did help, because there were no more sewage backups for a year and a half. I plan to check this area when the line is replaced to make sure the tank hasn't settled any further. (Crosses fingers!)

Or may be the tank didn't settle, maybe it was just the sewage line, which has now settled even further, causing the current problems. We'll figure it out - I know how to use a level and plumb bob!

 

Edited August 22, 2021 by Sheilajeanne

[Sheilajeanne]

My tenant has now uncovered the sewer line that was underneath the concrete slabs.

As Frodo will tell you, the main line for a house sewer should be 4 inches in diameter. The line coming from the upstairs apartment in the house is the standard 4 inches. 

It then drains into a 3 inch diameter pipe, which is what is going into the septic tank.

Jeez, how to guarantee flow problems... 

 

Installing the correct size of line is going to  mean bashing a larger hole in the foundation of the house, and doing the same to the septic tank...   Frodo, is that even possible? I'm assuming the original opening into the tank must have been 4 inches in diameter, because that's the standard size.

As a friend who's going through some renos on a house with a lot of D.I.Y. 'improvements' has said, 'this is not so much D.I.Y. as it is D.I. WHY???

Trying to keep my sense of humour intact... 

Edited August 22, 2021 by Sheilajeanne

[kgg]

9 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Installing the correct size of line is going to  mean bashing a larger hole in the foundation of the house

I would rent a 4 1/2 or 5 " concrete hole saw and drill a new hole in the concrete a few inches away from the existing main house sewer drain pipe. When the old pipe is cut free you can simply cut out or knock out the old one and properly fill the hole in. I had to do that a few years ago. The concrete hole saw worked really well.

just a thought,

kgg

[Sheilajeanne]

Thanks for the suggestion, kgg. Sounds like a good plan.

Before it got too hot yesterday, I helped my tenant, W., dig down to where the two sewage lines join just before they go into the tank. Aaaannnd....of course, the line from MY end of the house is also 3 inches in diameter. It isn't covered over by concrete, though...just my back deck.  So, the deck is going to have to be partially demolished, and I'll have to find a way of keeping my dog from exploring underneath it, and escaping through the holes in the lattice work at the front of the deck!

We don't have the whole of my tenant's sewer line dug out yet, but it's starting to look like it not only goes underneath the oil tank, but also underneath my air conditioner. 

This job just keeps on gettin' bigger...

When the sewer line that was underneath the concrete gets replaced, I'm going to have to bring in some clean fill to bring the surface up to the same level as the existing patio stones. The cement was 4 to 6" thick, while the patio stones are only about an inch and 3/4. Lucky for me, Home Hardware still stocks that pattern of stone, so I will be able to fill in the area with matching stones once it's levelled off.

7:30 am and it's up to 70 F already. Need to finish brekky and get out there and do some digging before it gets too damn hot... The humidex is already 84 degrees, and tomorrow is going to be even hotter with a high of  32 C/90 F!   My tenant is fortunate his current day job is working in a nice air-conditioned house! (Which is why I'm pitching in to do whatever I can to fix the plumbing problem.)

Edited August 23, 2021 by Sheilajeanne

[Northmount]

Have you considered a new routing for the replacement line?  Might be a lot easier in the long run.

 

[Sheilajeanne]

Well, the first step is still going to be to dig up the old line, and find just where it goes. That's still a work in progress. If it gives the oil tank and air conditioner a miss, replacing it will be easier.

If not, your suggestion is worth a shot!

[Sheilajeanne]

Today we unearthed the problem section of pipe. Not only does it slope down too much, the join with the previous pipe is at a slight angle. And yes, it does go under the oil tank (but not the air conditioner) so my tenant/contractor is going to reroute it, as Northmount suggested. 

Since the 3 inch drain from my side of the house has never had a problem, I suggested to W. that we could join it with a 4 inch pipe just after it comes out from under the deck, and run that the short distance to the tank,  where it would connect it up with the new 4 inch pipe coming from his part of the house just before the tank. 

That way, we avoid having to tear up the deck, and having a 4 inch pipe draining into a 3 inch!  It won't quite be up to code, which requires a 4 inch pipe outside the house, but sometimes you just have to say, hey this is going to be too damn difficult!  It's a straight run of pipe from the house to the tank, no bends, and it's only about 13 or 14 feet, so it should drain without any problems. 

Edited August 29, 2021 by Sheilajeanne