The friendly septic guy reminded us that we have a automatic service set up through our water co-op that has us on a set schedule for pumping of our tank every few years.
So, ok. The guy started pumping out the tank while we chatted about all sorts of local mountain stuff. He was very interesting and we even learned a few things, too. We talked about horses quite a bit because he breeds and raises paint horses. We also learned about exactly how our septic system works, along with close-ups of the bones and guts (!) of the tank. haha I was pretty fascinated, and thought it was a wonderful homeschooling educational experience for my kids. But my kids were more interested in pointing out all of the unmentionables floating about in the tank. (Hey, Mom! Look at THAT!) Ewww!
Well halfway into the pump, the guy got a phone call from his boss saying that the people in the house that he was supposed to do service for, were calling saying that the truck was at the wrong house. haha
This happens all the time!
You see, our house shares the same house number as another house on our street. Apparently after our house and most of the other houses were built on our street, one of the other home owners split their lot and built a Mother-In-Law house on that lot. And they decided it would be a great idea to give it the same house number as our house. Some folks have way too many screws loose.
So, every week we end up with someone knocking at our door to service our house, or drop off packages, etc. In fact yesterday, we also had pest control show up and prepare to start spraying their vile chemicals on our property and around our animals. Yuk! I'm so glad we were home to tell him to drive down to the other house with the same address.
We are making plans to install a gate at the end of our driveway, just so in case we aren't home, service people, and such won't be doing stuff to our house that they weren't asked to do here.
But in the case of the septic story, it was an amusing and educational experience where we also met a new friend.
Brandon our friendly septic guy.
The left side is where the solids are, and preparing to sink down to the middle section. The right side is where the liquids are preparing to travel into the infiltertration pipes to the drain field.
Halfway through the pump process, he gets THE phone call.
3 comments :
Oh, I just LOVE your blog. This was so informative...and, actually, I just have so many more questions, too! :-)
You see, our house has septic, too, like, I'm sure, most rural properties do. It's apparently on its last leg (depending on who you talk to) and when the lid fails (apparently it's rusted), it will be time to put in a new one. (Picture huge, ugly mess)..but that's not our issue...our issue right now is that the vents on our roof appear to be 'outgassing' or something, causing a very yucky smell to envelope the outside of our house at times...it's no where near the tank itself. What a horrible way to welcome guests, wouldn't you say? (Ahhhh, country life!!) That smell is disGUSTing!!! Any thoughts here?
Thank you farmgirl!
I spoke with some knowledgeable folks about this and also found some helpful links. I'm sure you've done tons of research as well. But maybe this info will be helpful in finding out the 'source' of your septic woes:
Septic odors occur in the house, above the tank and drainfield, or escape from the vent pipe. If the system is operating properly, there should be no odors. If there are odors, it can be an early warning sign that the system is failing.
http://extension.umd.edu/environment/Water/files/septic.html
Many people have asked me about a problem with an occasional sewage odor outside their house. Usually this odor eminates from the vent stack on the roof. Each drain in your house has a vent stack associated with it. The vent stack is the small pipe(s) you see sticking out of your roof. These pipes are designed to vent the gases from the septic system out through the roof. They also help with the drainage of wastewater through the plumbing system, keeping air-locks from forming.
Depending on where the vent pipe comes out of the roof, the height of the pipe, the height and shape of the roof, and the direction and speed of wind, the gases could wind up back down on your patio due to a downdraft. See diagram below.
This problem can be alleviated by extending the height of the vent stack, or placing a charcoal filter over the top of the stack.
If you notice foul odors coming from your septic vent, don't assume that you have serious problems with your septic system. As we mentioned earlier, Hydrogen Sulfide is a normal by-product of the breakdown of wastes occurring within your septic system.
In certain situations the Hydrogen Sulfide that would normally exit your roof vent and be carried up and away, will actually be pulled down into your yard creating not only an annoying problem, but also an unhealthy living environment. (For health information concerning Hydrogen Sulfide see The Toxicology of Hydrogen Sulfide.)
Different climate conditions, such as temperature variances and change in wind direction, can direct the gases back toward your living area. This problem can be magnified by the location of your home as well. If your home is located against a hill or near objects taller than your roof vent, negative pressures can naturally develop pulling the septic gas or sewer gas down from your roof vent and into your yard or place of business. In the case of sewer lines, since they don’t utilize plumbing traps, your home or building’s roof vent can be an exit source for not only the sewer gases created within your structure but for all the homes and structures on your main sewer line.
While you can’t stop the creation of septic and sewer gases, you can eliminate the odor that is caused as they exit the roof or septic vent by installing a Wolverine Brand Ò Activated Carbon Vent Filter on top of your sewer or septic vent pipe.
Rural areas have all kinds of quirks when it comes to duplicate addresses, missing street signs, or in my case, no rhyme nor reason to the order of the addresses. Though we live on the same street as four other houses, we have a completely different address and street name from them. When newcomers moved in, they took down our street sign because they thought it was a mistake. I had to pay $150 to put a new one up and explain to them that they may not live on that street, but I do. I'm also always getting people stopping at my house to ask for directions.
Post a Comment