r/septictanks

Under contract to buy this house built in 87 and has a septic system that is original to the home so a 39-year-old septic system the tank failed the county inspection because the inspector was able to pierce through the roof of the tank with a ground probe at a minimum we know that the tank has to be replaced.

However, the inspector was concerned about some what appeared to be surfacing in the yard, but after further inspection realized it wasn’t surfacing because there was no black biomass but she suspected there’s still some type of issue with the drain field. A septic company came out and recommended that we get as much water back into the tank as possible since it was pumped as part of the inspection. Over the last 48 hours we let a shower run almost nonstop.

This is a 1500 gallon tank and we were able to get the water level above the drain pipe as you can see in the photos and both compartments filled up.

The septic company said because water was able to go above the outlet pipe that there is definitely an issue with the drain field, but it is not surfacing and Given the age of the system , recommends total replacement between $32k and $38,000. We have had a lot of rain in the last two weeks. If that makes a difference.

Any help would be appreciated as to what issues could could exist since there is no surfacing in the drain field, I am still willing to buy this house, but as you can imagine, the sellers are an absolute shock at the price of system replacement

Had septic tank pumped a month ago. No major rainfall - some a couple days ago, but not torrential. Had been dry a long time.

Wondering if this is a tank issue or something to do with the bottom breaker that looks out of place. Welcome thoughts on what fist steps to take.

Hi Everybody...Ive been deliberating about this for about a month now, and would appreciate some input from people more knowledgeable.

First off, we bought this house in early March. Im in northern indiana, and we had some pretty torrential rains there for about 2 weeks. Storm after storm.

For further context, the picture with standing water was taken after one of the heavier storms stopped then lighter rain picked back up. It was pretty much completely drained/evaporated about an hour or two later.

However, that section to the far right is my septic access, and the septic lines running parallel to the treeline, with the edge of the trench closest to the house lining up with the yellow probe in the second picture, which is about 10 feet or so past the firepit.

That probe was set by the septic inspector/installer, who i called after (i know) seeing water pooling. Fortunately, he said the tank is all functioning fine, as he was actually pretty impressed with the function considering the back yard is more-or-less graded into a bowl, and we had as much rainfall as we did. It is also graded away from the house (and is a walk-out basement on slab)

Gutter drains terminate on the left and right side of the yard through pop-up emitters, which could very well be contributing (at least on the right side) but that is also about 20 feet away from the septic access.

Additionally, Im on a corner lot, and you can see the pink flag at the back corner of the lot is my property pin, so I dont have a spot to just drain the water to. Street is also not an option as it's several feet above this portion of the yard, and im outside the city and no street drains.

First off, should I even be concerned about this? The soil is draining well, and it typically isnt an issue.

Second, I want to re-do the firepit area. You can see some water pooling in there as well. I had some thoughts about doing a wider gravel pit and potentially installing a drywell under or around the firepit if it wouldnt be disastrous. Otherwise I dont know that I can really re-direct further with a French drain or similar.

Should I add soil to that area? Leave as-is? If I re-do the firepit can I take steps to help drainage while im digging?

Or should I even be worried about it?

Hi all,

Got this for a house I’m interested in but we have no clue how to interpret it. Can someone help make sense of where things are located?

Bought a replacement cover since the handle rotted off. It measured 19-3/4” to 20-1/8” diameter and set pretty flush in the riser. The new one I bought measures 20-1/4” and sits about 1/4” to 1/2” above the riser but otherwise seems fine.

Is it too big?

Should I squirt some foam around the edges to seal it?

Thank you

Been living on this property for almost six years now and have never seen this smaller PVC on my mound before.

Hey all — looking for some guidance from people who understand septic systems better than I do.

I recently had a septic company come out because I noticed some pooling (slightly grayish water) near my septic tank lid and a mild odor. No backups inside the house.

They came out and pumped the tank. I only have one visible heavy metal lid in my yard (older system as far as I know).

On the invoice, I was charged:

- Regular septic pumping

- + $450 extra for “pump lift station” service

Here’s where I’m confused:

- As far as I could tell, they only opened that one lid and pumped the tank

- They didn’t repair or replace any pump that day

- A different technician is actually coming tomorrow to evaluate the pump

- No clear explanation was given at the time for the extra charge

Earlier they mentioned something about:

- Possible outlet pipe buildup (“like barnacles”)

- And that the pump might not be working properly

So I’m trying to understand:

👉 Is it normal to charge an additional ~$450 just for “lift station pumping”?

👉 Would that only make sense if there was a separate pump chamber that was also opened/pumped?

👉 If only one lid/tank was accessed, does that sound like overcharging or just poor labeling on the invoice?

For context:

- No indoor plumbing issues

- Issue seemed early (caught before backup)

- Midwest (Illinois area)

Appreciate any insight — just trying to understand if this is standard or if I should question it further.

Thanks in advance.

Very unfamiliar with these systems and had a question! Can anyone help me identify what the plastic piece is for and if it’s normal to be raised to the top of the tank like this? It rained quite a bit this last week, not sure if that’s possibly relevant.

In a living situation where we had some family come help us fix the system last year when it ended up clogged but I can’t remember for the life of me if this was always there and sitting flush with the top of the tank.

No backup visible further up towards the house or anything but looking in, it does seem to be water / material up to near the top of this plastic piece. Heard some draining for a few minutes after I gently tapped it with my foot haha but then it stopped after a bit.

Really want to avoid any sort of disaster and want to keep it in good order so I’m just curious if this is normal? Money is tight otherwise I’d just call someone out but wanted to ask here first, thanks for any advice at all as I’m pretty much clueless when it cones to this!

These are the septic tanks on our house, we didn’t get much info other than they were pumped about 4 years ago. The house is a 3000sqft 3.5 bath built in 2005. I’m curious if anyone knows much about this three cap system in general?

We’re getting a slight smell leaking from the septic every now and then which I’m guessing is coming through the lids, I’m planning on having it pumped soon just to give myself a baseline, but I’m wondering if there is a good way to seal the lids with some sort of gasket material or something to keep the gasses from leaking out?

Also I’m curious if I could burry these either completely or partially? Mostly just because they are a bit of an eyesore, what would be a good way to camouflage them if I can’t burry them?

Any advice/info is appreciated