[jaykay]

And no money, post 'ex moving out to be 'free and easy'' but leaving me with all the obligations 

Fooking love life sometimes 

[chrismahon]

Guess the first thing to do Jaykay is establish whether it is a septic tank or a cess pit. If it's a cess pit it just needs emptying out before its full. Septic tank may be 500 gallons, cess pit may be 3000 gallons. How much was pumped out last time? If it is a septic tank it needs new soakaways and it may not be big enough or acting properly. We started ours with a few buckets of the surface crust from a neighbours. But it didn't work well because we had a dishwasher, which kills them. So we stopped using the dishwasher and I dumped 50Kg of rotting sheep guts into it. That worked. Traditionally you start the action with a dead cat or fox. You can probably buy an enzyme pack now to start them off. If they are working properly you don't empty them more than once a year, in fact a customer of mine had one that had gone 20 years without emptying, because once digested the waste solids occupy very little volume. I converted a cess pit into a septic tank because of the cost of emptying it all the time -and the stench and mess!

[jaykay]

Mmmm, I have a dishwasher. And a washing machine. Can't see me stopping using the dishwasher unless absolutely essential.......What is it about them that's so bad?

It's a septic tank, definitely has a soakaway. My neighbour pumped it out about 5 months ago - partly cos he was sick of the smell of the soakaway overflow

I'll get an enzyme pack - nothing dead at the moment (shouldn't say that too loud).

But the fact that the drain from the yard won't drain in heavy rain suggests a problem with the soakaway I think. So maybe I'll have to get a new one dug?

[FiB]

Hiya JayKay - big hugs, I know the feeling of something going wrong and not knowing how you'll get it sorted /afford it   .  There isint anything wrong with dishwashers/washing machines per se (Assume you are using ecover or equivelant (septic tank friendly products) - but if you use them a lot  the volume of water can overload your septic tank (flushing out all the good bacteria, ecpecially if you havnt got a good stable crust) - we have our washing machine and bath going to a soakaway (yes I know we shouldnt).  OR it may be that you are having your septic tank emptied too often - ideally it will only need desludging every 2-5 years (or longer) if you are kind to it and it is stable.  It sounds to me like your soakaway has silted up and needs sorting - but this doesnt have to be a dear job - my neighbour next door has just had his done - it was a day of local man and digger.  Ask around who is the local person for this - I'm sure there will be one that the farmers use as its the same kind of task as getting drainage in a field (dig big hole, lay suitable pipe in it (conected to your ST outfall , usually in a herringbone pattern for ST soakaways), backfill with gravel and put soil back and grade. 
I am sure you will be able to find a local man - if you go to the nationals I suspect it will escalate the price A LOT.  Really good luck .  There is always something isnt there - our weekend disaster was water coming in through kitchen ceiling and discovering split in loft water tank  Gotta laugh.

[jaykay]

Hi FIB, hope it didn't cause too much damage! And thanks 

There's only me (though I put the poo from the three dogs down the manhole too) so in terms of water, washing machine a couple of times a week and dishwasher about the same, plus a shower each day.

Will get some enzymes. And talk to my neighbour about getting a new soakaway dug 

Thank you very much to everyone who's come and talked it though - it helps so much to be able to do that and get advice from people who understand 

[MAK]

Hang on - What man hole are you chucking the dog poo down ?
Not the man hole inspection beyond your ST ( the out flow).
Chuck into the ST but not in the outflow - that should ne pretty clean water that then it taken away to soak down into the ground as explained by others.

I do hope all is sorted out at minimum cost and stress to you. BW.
Oh = I found my ST and water outlets with diviners and an exploratory trench. I dug down to try and expose the ST lid - as I neared the lid a few bubbles appeared then the lid lifted itself - it was so full. The young lady who emptied it told me that her company ( her dad) last emptied it 20 years ago.

Good luck.

[jaykay]

Thanks MAK 

It's ok, manhole in back garden, washes into septic tank.

[Mammyshaz]

Hope this is sorted as quickly and cheaply asossible for you 
If you need a hand give me a bell, will be free from Wednesday noon 

[jaykay]

You are a darling, thank you very much  Probably not going to get near it this week or next truthfully cos of work, but will see if I can find out who my neighbours would use for drainage (they're renaissance men so probably do it themselves) and pluck up courage to find the soakaway cover.

Have emailed the ex regarding it (just for info, where is it etc. but no reply)

[FiB]

Ah Dog Poo is also worth considering... found this -
 A septic tank is designed to deal with a certain population only, with regard to organic matter. This is usually 5 persons for a 3 bed house, 6 for a 4 bed house, etc.
A medium sized dog produces approx. 1.5 persons worth of BOD (roughly, organic matter) in its faeces daily, so if you have a septic tank that is sized for 6 persons with only 4 persons using it, the tank can accept the dog waste from 1 medium sized dog, but not from 2.Source(s):http://www.wte-ltd.co.uk Soooo....If at anytime you feel that your septic tank is not performing well (perhaps if the effluent going into the soakaway is unusually smelly or has lots of solid matter in it) it might be worth considering composting your dog poo separately.  Not sure what load your septic tank is designed for but you are putting the equivelant of nearly 6 persons waste inaccording to the figs above (washing machine aside).   I have a rather unnatural interest in sewage treatment, having worked for Severn Trent for nearly 20 years (before this life) - many of them as a process scientist whos job was to go around problematic sewage works and work out what was wrong!  You've got to nurture your Septic Tank! 

[jaykay]

Ah, that's interesting FIB.

No idea what the original septic tank was built for but possibly not for 6 people. I had factored in my dogs at only 1 person equivalent each, though I can see what they mean about them bring more than that 

[SallyintNorth]

{{{{{hugs}}}}} and 

(Only just seen this thread.)

I can never get the terminology right but the type you probably have that needs bacteria ecosystem will be harmed by dishwasher and washing (clothes and you) chemicals, so make sure all your soaps, shampoos, washing up liquids, bath cleaners, dishwasher tablets etc, floor cleaners - any and every chemical that will go down the loo or sink waste pipe - is an eco one.

:distasteful material warning; you may wish to skip this if you are eating your dinner:

Secondly, whichever 'country sewerage' option you have, any of the pipework gets blocked solid (nearly like cement) by any sanitary product at all (yes even the little wee tampons that don't grow humungous when wet) and even by loo paper if a lot of it is used.  (Apols for granny-sucking-eggs lesson if you already know all this.)  So learn to use dog-poo bags for any sanitary things and put them in the dustbin, and make sure your loo roll is as eco as poss (composts well, not too bleachy or strong-when-wet) and nothing, nothing except eco loo paper and bodily effluent goes down the loo.   (Voice of experience speaking, have rodded out enough of my own effluent over the years to have well and truly learned this lesson.  )

I also wonder whether the "100-year-rainstorm overflow under the byre and into the soakaway" tactic has become rather more frequently required as rainfall has increased in recent years, which, coupled with blockages for the above reasons, would account for current flooding?

[jaykay]

Thank you 

No, don't put anything untoward down the drains or loos. Reasonably careful about detergents, never use bleach. Don't put grease, coffee grounds or anything like that down the drain. Mum and Dad have had septic tank for years so got all this advice when we moved here.

But the dog poo issue might be one. Plus I think I will add some 'bacteria and enzymes' though probably not in the form of a dead fox 

[FiB]

Plus I think I will add some 'bacteria and enzymes' though probably not in the form of a dead fox 

  That was a new one on me on me too.  Just think if Id known about that I could have saved my former work place a fortune with a bit of road kill    I can see some sort of logic - the kind of bacteria that flourish on carrion might possibly survive or adapt to an aquatic environment and help make a starter culture - bit of a 'solids' problem tho!!    Good luck you
 

[MAK]

Just to lighten things up.
If you climb on the roof and drop a live chicken down the chimney it will clean it but may have a heart attack. If so then chuck it into the septic tank.
OR - a pint of old milk will help activate things.
We keep our septic tank busy but never use chemicals. Water with shampoo, washing up liquid etc etc goes a different way into a couple of soakaways I dug under the lawn.