Quote:
Originally Posted by Plumberswife
Ok my Friends, Im hoping some of you know about theese "tight tanks" we "believe" that the property we are looking at has this type of tank for septic. Anyone tell me if they have one, how many times per year ( if that often) or how often in genral you may need to have it pumped, and about how much does this cost??? any help will be greatly appreciated!!!
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I've read through the responses and although the question was originally asked a long time ago, people are still reading the information even today (I myself had a different question and searched on the words "tight tank"). The reason for my response now is that some of the answers are a bit misleading if a person has a tight tank.
A regular septic system typically consists of a septic tank from which a pipe flows to a "D-box" (distribution box) and then a number of pipes are laid out into a leach field. The "solids" remain in the septic tank and once there's enough water in the septic tank the overflow flows out to the D-box where it is distributed among the pipes that consist of the leaching field. The water that makes it to the leaching field is essentially filtered by the gravel in the leaching field, so that whatever water might get into the aquifer below is mostly clean.
A tight tank system is basically just a single tank (you might think of it as being just the septic tank). Usually the reason for a tight tank system is because leaching fields are not permitted for a house that is close to a body of water, since even the best septic system does not filter out all the impurities in the brownwater.
So if a home has a tight tank system, you can think of it as a collection bucket for every single drop of water that flows out of the house (the kitchen drain, toilets, showers, bathtubs, utility sinks, everything). That water collects in the tight tank and eventually fills it. At that point the tank must be pumped as there is nowhere for the water to go.
How often is a tight tank pumped? As others have said, "it depends." It depends on how much water a household uses. That being said, you can estimate how often by using some averages. A quick google search shows that an average household uses 400 gallons of water a day, and that an average of 70 percent of that water is used indoors. So an average of 280 gallons of water would go into a tight tank per day.
I bet that the water usage of a household with a tight tank would be significantly lower, because everyone in the household would be on alert not to let any water go down the drain unless absolutely necessary. I bet people would never take a bath. They might even install outdoor showers. And clearly low-flow toilets would be important. Dishwashers? Hmmm. But still, there would be water flowing into the tight tank every day, all day.
I also read somewhere that the average tight tank is pumped once per month. This sounds about right, based on the 400 gallon, 280 gallon numbers I mentioned above.
Clearly having a home with a tight tank would change the way that a household runs. Every single person in that household would need to be on alert about water all the time.
By the way, on a different topic, there is new septic technology that, over time, might help some of the homes that currently have tight tank. It's called "on site wastewater treatment" which removes up to 99% of wastewater contaminants. Some of those systems are cost effective for as few as about 8 homes. Others are designed for single homes. Of course the systems will have to be approved by the various states and towns for installation before they will be a real option for homeowners of waterfront properties.
I used to know a guy who was starting up a business for the larger type systems. It was fascinating to me, and I would love to have been able to invest in his business. Subsequently I spent 11 years as a Realtor in Massachusetts where a home's septic system must be inspected prior to each and every sale to make sure that it is operating properly. This was a protection for the buyer who clearly has no way of evaluating how healthy a septic system is.
Hope this is interesting to forum members.
Rita