Septic tank. $200 down the Hole?

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Hello everyone

I received a lot of useful advice about my well on here so thought I'd reach out for help with my septic.

I was able to remove the old septic and lay about 200 feet of pipe to where I want the new septic tank. Dug the hole and then went to the next job (BIG MISTAKE).

The problem is the hole NEVER drained and never will (I didn't think a 6ft deep hole is a big deal but here in Iowa anything past 2-3ft fills with groundwater within hours (and now I use the shower so it stays filled)

I would like to use the hole I dug, pump the ground water out and then pour in about 6k lbs of dry concrete ($200 bucks) to stabilize the bottom (in preparation of setting the tank).

The permit guy thinks I'm in over my head here and suggested hiring help I called a few pros in and I get the sinking feeling of being broken down on the side of the highway. The last septic guy said it would be $7k to install 2500 gal tank and drain field BUT they want to dig a new hole and then suggested one up next to the house (which is on a hill). But I dont want the poop tank next to the house - I want that sucker as far away as I can get it.

Has anyone here worked in these conditions and what is the best way to get this hole stabilized? Thanks!
 

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Craigpump

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7k is pretty cheap considering that around here an engineered system can cost 25k or more.
 

Texas Wellman

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Around here a lot of people intentionally leave water in the hole, float the tank in, and then slowly sink it.

If it were mine I would rent a trash pump, empty the hole, make sure the hole is set like you want and then set the tank. Once the tank is set fill the tank with water.

Good luck.
 
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7k is pretty cheap considering that around here an engineered system can cost 25k or more.

Yeah, basically the labor end comes out to about $4k so I'm not saving that much but if I can get the tank set the drain field shouldn't be that difficult b/c I'm only digging about 30" deep.

But apparently you have to place the tank the same day the hole is dug and I wasn't able to do that - so now I have to find a way to get the hole stabilized (the bottom of this hole will never dry b/c ground water is high).

Anyhow, I'm planning to pump the water, dig the hole out about 1 foot deeper than needed, pour in dry concrete and then add concrete as needed and hopefully have some sort of concrete pad for the tank to sit on (I will probably need to level off with gravel).

I just hate saying I can't do something, and as long as you follow some basic principles (#1 poop runs down hill and #2 dont over dig or your pipe will settle) you will succeed.
 

VAWellDriller

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I would suggest to pay the people that know what they are doing...that's a fair price for a conventional system. If you are worried about the price, get a couple more, then throw out the lowest price and pick the guy that you think is the most honest and knowledgeable. There is no good reason to want the system far away from the house....here, the septic tank can be as close as 15' from the house I think...and most are very close. If you are on a hill, the water table might not be so high and you might be able to dig a better hole for the tank.
 

Ballvalve

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Hello everyone

I received a lot of useful advice about my well on here so thought I'd reach out for help with my septic.

I was able to remove the old septic and lay about 200 feet of pipe to where I want the new septic tank. Dug the hole and then went to the next job (BIG MISTAKE).

The problem is the hole NEVER drained and never will (I didn't think a 6ft deep hole is a big deal but here in Iowa anything past 2-3ft fills with groundwater within hours (and now I use the shower so it stays filled)

I would like to use the hole I dug, pump the ground water out and then pour in about 6k lbs of dry concrete ($200 bucks) to stabilize the bottom (in preparation of setting the tank).

The permit guy thinks I'm in over my head here and suggested hiring help I called a few pros in and I get the sinking feeling of being broken down on the side of the highway. The last septic guy said it would be $7k to install 2500 gal tank and drain field BUT they want to dig a new hole and then suggested one up next to the house (which is on a hill). But I dont want the poop tank next to the house - I want that sucker as far away as I can get it.

Has anyone here worked in these conditions and what is the best way to get this hole stabilized? Thanks!

Yeah, you are definitely way in over your head. Putting a septic tank below the water level? running drain -septic leach line in the water table? Hello? Any of these are absolutely out of bounds and absurd... and illegal in any permitted area in the world. Got a hill? Do it there and who cares how close the tank is to the house? They don't explode. Better yet, get a permit and an engineer so you don't end up drinking yesterdays beer from your tap.
 
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Yeah, you are definitely way in over your head. Putting a septic tank below the water level? running drain -septic leach line in the water table? Hello? Any of these are absolutely out of bounds and absurd... and illegal in any permitted area in the world. Got a hill? Do it there and who cares how close the tank is to the house? They don't explode. Better yet, get a permit and an engineer so you don't end up drinking yesterdays beer from your tap.

I do have a permit and I still don't want the tank near the house - regardless.

Again the drain field can only be a max of 36" (I will probably go 24-30" so I shouldn't have problems with ground water) BUT the hole for the septic is having ground water problems b/c it's much deeper.

The Septic guy wants to move everything up by the house b/c it's easy.........and say if the house wasn't on a hill, then you would still be dealing with the conditions I'm dealing with anyway (or if you can dig the hole and place the tank in the same day it would be fine - not such an easy job for one person
 
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Why do you want an extra 200' of pipe that could potentially clog up

The pipe is already in (the house is on a hill and has no problem with slope - why would it jam?).

Anyhow I spoke with one of the "professionals" today, guy quoted me $3,500 to set a 2 k gallon tank. NOW he claims that is for a USED tank! It's b.s. like this which is why I do my own work (I'm much better at replacing engines and transmissions).

I will probably set the tank myself (as planned after pouring a concrete pad) and then have someone else install the drain field
 

ACWxRADR

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BorderCollie,

You are definitely asking for a lot of headaches and troubles and future expenses. You should really heed the warnings from Reach in post #4, Craigpump in post #7, Ballvalve in post #9 and Greenmonster in post #11.

I personally think that you are being totally unreasonable and unrealistic regarding setting the tank nearer the home, which would be higher in elevation. This would be to your advantage, in several ways. The shorter the run of the drain pipe from the home to the inlet of the tank, the less the chance of it becoming clogged due to poor or improper draining, broken due to a vehicle driving over it, or freezing in winter or tree roots from damaging it. All that besides the additional expense involved to run it further.

The second problem you are going to run into is the LAW or a required additional expense. A BIG one. If the septic tank is that low and inundated with surface water or ground water, the EPA may wish to have a long talk with you as the leach field will be too close to water tables. If the EPA doesn't get you on this issue, the county inspector will... If he or she doesn't, the laws of nature will get you because your septic system will fail miserably and you will have to dig it up and start over.

To avoid these undesirable situations, you would have to install a lift pump to pump your poo water from the septic tank to a higher elevation to enter a proper leach field. A much higher cost to you for initial installation and continual costs for electricity and future costs for maintenance and repairs and replacements.

I sincerely think that you should reconsider and hire a professional engineer for this project - and listen to them.
You may be creating much more grief for yourself than you hope to save at the onset.

Gordy
 
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BorderCollie,

You are definitely asking for a lot of headaches and troubles and future expenses. You should really heed the warnings from Reach in post #4, Craigpump in post #7, Ballvalve in post #9 and Greenmonster in post #11.

I personally think that you are being totally unreasonable and unrealistic regarding setting the tank nearer the home, which would be higher in elevation. This would be to your advantage, in several ways. The shorter the run of the drain pipe from the home to the inlet of the tank, the less the chance of it becoming clogged due to poor or improper draining, broken due to a vehicle driving over it, or freezing in winter or tree roots from damaging it. All that besides the additional expense involved to run it further.

The second problem you are going to run into is the LAW or a required additional expense. A BIG one. If the septic tank is that low and inundated with surface water or ground water, the EPA may wish to have a long talk with you as the leach field will be too close to water tables. If the EPA doesn't get you on this issue, the county inspector will... If he or she doesn't, the laws of nature will get you because your septic system will fail miserably and you will have to dig it up and start over.

To avoid these undesirable situations, you would have to install a lift pump to pump your poo water from the septic tank to a higher elevation to enter a proper leach field. A much higher cost to you for initial installation and continual costs for electricity and future costs for maintenance and repairs and replacements.

I sincerely think that you should reconsider and hire a professional engineer for this project - and listen to them.
You may be creating much more grief for yourself than you hope to save at the onset.

Gordy


The tank is in - it doesn't matter how much mud/muck is in a hole gravel will eventually bind it. Dropped about 6" of gravel in and then set tank. We had a huge rainstorm last night and tank hasn't moved an inch.

I did say the house is on a hill and the tank is at about 1/2 down the hill - which brings me to my next project, the drainfield (in another thread). But overall I'm glad I stuck this one out (dont want it near the house) - the next tank install will be much easier
 

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The one pictured is 1750 2 compartment tank. I wanted the bigger one but I'm just glad I got something in "the hole"
 

Reach4

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If you will bury the covers, usually you want to record the positions of the ports with measurements to fixed things like the corner of the house. In this case, maybe GPS coordinates would be better.
 
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