[Magdalen] Septic Tanks

[Sibyl Smirl]

So many fourth thoughts have been occurring to me that I was thinking 
about writing a longer, more detailed post on the care and feeding (and 
advantages to the ecology!) of septic tanks.  Then I began thinking that 
I should write a book for people who are moving into a house with a 
septic tank, or are installing one, who have been born and raised with 
city-style waste disposal (sewage) systems (ecologically terrible, but 
whatcha gonna do with so MANY human digestive systems crowded into a 
small space?).  But of course I'm not trained in the engineering, soil 
systems, bacteriology, etc, behind them.  Then I thought, "Well, duh, 
there probably IS such a book already available."  So I went shopping on 
Amazon.com.  Sadly did not find one for Kindle that I could get quickly, 
but did find:

http://smile.amazon.com/Septic-System-Owners-Manual/dp/0936070404/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454613917&sr=1-1&keywords=septic+systems+for+dummies

The Septic System Owner's Manual
by Lloyd Kahn (Author), Blair Allen (Author), Julie Jones (Author), & 1 
more
paperback $14.25
"More than 28 million households have septic systems, but few homeowners 
know how they operate or how to maintain them. This clearly written, 
illustrated guide addresses that need, emphasizing conventional septic 
systems powered by gravity flow, filtering through soil, and the natural 
soil organisms that purify sewage. The book discusses maintenance, what 
to do if things go wrong, and alternative systems such as mounds and 
sand filters. Additional chapters cover graywater systems, composting 
toilets, and a unique history of water-borne waste disposal. This 
expanded edition contains three new chapters."

and
http://smile.amazon.com/Country-Plumbing-Living-Septic-System/dp/0911469346/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454613917&sr=1-2&keywords=septic+systems+for+dummies

Country Plumbing: Living with a Septic System
Paperback – July 26, 2009
by Gerry Hartigan (Author)
  $12.50

"You can keep your septic system running day-after-day, year after-year. 
First published in 1984, Country Plumbing, in its initial edition, went 
through eight printings and has educated and entertained thousands of 
country dwellers who live beyond the reach of public sewer systems. Now, 
with the contribution of Mike Haupt, this revised edition contains 
information about some of the more recent developments in the world of 
private sewage treatment facilities. Even in restricted areas such as 
lakeside properties or small lots, you can live without a public sewer 
hook-up and still be a good steward of the environment."



On 2/3/16 11:23 PM, Sibyl Smirl wrote:
> Third thoughts:  I don't have a basement, and wouldn't want one, the
> ground water is so high where I am.  My septic tank works fine: a
> basement would _not_ work.
>
>
> On 2/3/16 11:21 PM, Sibyl Smirl wrote:
>> I guess I should have said you need to know how to live with one.  I
>> have lived with one ever since I was born (except for a few years when I
>> was in college, married, and moving around), and learned how early. I've
>> always known what not to flush, which includes anything plastic as well
>> as synthetic fibers: some plastics are biodegradable, most are not.  And
>> you've got to think of those critters down there as your _friends_ (with
>> somewhat different tastes than you have), and be careful not to poison
>> them.  They aren't the disease bacteria that you buy the cleansing
>> products to kill.  And know where your leach lines are, and keep woody
>> plants away from them.  All that said, there _are_ some soil types and
>> drainage patterns, the "lay of the land", that are just not suitable for
>> septic tanks.
>>
>> On 2/3/16 11:06 PM, Sibyl Smirl wrote:
>>> On 2/3/16 3:09 PM, Susan Hagen wrote:
>>>> Oh God Jay, enough already.  Septic problems are beyond nasty.  I had
>>>> the system in our NH house back up into the basement TWICE!  It was
>>>> undersized and no one had ever told this city dweller the damn things
>>>> have to be pumped out periodically.
>>>
>>> They mostly don't need pumping, if they're working properly.
>>> Micro-organisms that are doing their job liquefy everything, and it all
>>> goes into the soil out of the leach lines.  Sometimes too much
>>> inappropriate stuff (like synthetic fibers that don't biodegrade) gets
>>> flushed down and clogs things, sometimes too much stuff like chlorine
>>> and other micro-organism killers massacres the proper population (you
>>> can be _too_ sanitary in your bathroom: I mostly use white vinegar)(you
>>> can rebuild the proper critter population with cultures that are
>>> marketed for septic tanks), sometimes tree or shrub roots invade and
>>> fill the leach lines (the reason for roto-rooter).
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>


-- 
Sibyl Smirl
I will take no bull from your house!  Psalms 50:9a
mailto:polycarpa3 at ckt.net