Septic tank/Cesspit help required

[Avrock]

Hiya everyone, 

I am stuck in a dilemma and need some suggestion from experienced people out here. 
I live in a townhouse. The tiny backyard/ laundary space was converted into a closed tiled kitchen before our purchase of this house. Yesterday the tap for the washing machine broke the kitchen got flooded and and I opened the septic tank lid ( which is in the kitchen and is slightly bigger than the normal drains) for the water to drain out as there’s no other drain in that area. So there was a small milk plastic bottle that went inside the septic tank. I’m not sure what to call it because honestly speaking I don’t know what kind of system is installed below. Anyway it’s not clogged or anything but I’m just worried about the future. What should I do for now? 

[Crossy]

Is there a lid on the bottle? If so it will continue to float on the surface and probably not give you trouble.

 

If you shine a light down the hole (don't drop the torch) what can you see?

 

 

 

[timendres]

Septic tanks do need to be pumped out occasionally, and there are people who provide this service. The tank at my old townhouse started backing up, and when they drained it I was shocked to see what came out of that thing.

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, timendres said:

Septic tanks do need to be pumped out occasionally, and there are people who provide this service. The tank at my old townhouse started backing up, and when they drained it I was shocked to see what came out of that thing.

Actually if working properly and not misused as trash bin they should seldom require pump out unless something blocked/work being done.  Just feed it the brown stuff, and avoid any cleaning liquids.  

[stouricks]

32 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Actually if working properly and not misused as trash bin they should seldom require pump out unless something blocked/work being done.  Just feed it the brown stuff, and avoid any cleaning liquids.  

So how do you clean your bog?

[Avrock]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

Is there a lid on the bottle? If so it will continue to float on the surface and probably not give you trouble.

 

If you shine a light down the hole (don't drop the torch) what can you see?

 

 

 

The lid was on it.. it’s like those 250ml plastic bottles.. I did the Check it out with a light and the only thing I could see was water.. I just worry that it would float into the pipes and clog them 

[Avrock]

51 minutes ago, timendres said:

Septic tanks do need to be pumped out occasionally, and there are people who provide this service. The tank at my old townhouse started backing up, and when they drained it I was shocked to see what came out of that thing.

How did they drain it ? The problem is that mine is at the back and it’s been converted into a kitchen.. I just don’t want it to overflow there 

[Crossy]

If your septic is properly installed anything floating "shouldn't" get in the pipework.

 

[Avrock]

Another question 

if somehow I get it pumped out would they be able to get that plastic bottle out ?

[timendres]

8 minutes ago, Avrock said:

How did they drain it ? The problem is that mine is at the back and it’s been converted into a kitchen.. I just don’t want it to overflow there 

They will have a large tank on the back of a truck into which they will pump the septic contents. They typically have a very long hose, allowing them to reach places the truck cannot. Of course, there are limits, and some have better equipment then others.

[Mama Noodle]

I definitely wouldn’t worry about it. Just go on like normal and if anything gets clogged then have the pump truck come around. 

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, timendres said:

Septic tanks do need to be pumped out occasionally, and there are people who provide this service. The tank at my old townhouse started backing up, and when they drained it I was shocked to see what came out of that thing.

My brothers septic tank went 20 years without being pumped ours has done 14 years and shows no signs of needing pumping.

[Mama Noodle]

6 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

My brothers septic tank went 20 years without being pumped ours has done 14 years and shows no signs of needing pumping.

Same here. I’ve been here for 15 years and had both plastic “proper” septics and concrete ring septics and never pumped them out. 
 

I did have a concrete ring septic that was installed at a rental that would flood in heavy rains but that was installation error. Otherwise I’ve never had a problem. 

[timendres]

18 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

My brothers septic tank went 20 years without being pumped ours has done 14 years and shows no signs of needing pumping.

My septic in the states requires pumping roughly every 10 years. The system does not fail, but it was recommended for better performance. It was clear, from what I saw, that the system was not performing ideally.

 

Since I was in the townhouse here for 4 years before the pumping was required, I do not know how long it went. As people have said, under ideal circumstances, pumping is almost never required. But when they pumped the townhouse here, they found plastic bags, plastic (cosmetics) bottles, tampons, and even a bag that had held garden dirt. No one could explain how all of that got into the system.

[thequietman]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

If you shine a light down the hole (don't drop the torch) what can you see?

I would venture a guess and say - turds, as far as the eye can see!  ????

[OneeyedJohn]

We have two houses close to each other, each with a concrete ring style septic tank.

One of them has begun to smell, so my wife ordered a bag of something called SuperBoom microorganism, cost me 390 baht.

5 tablespoons flush down the toilet, repeat every week until smell gone I suppose.

 

The crooks around here that supposedly suck all the c r a  p out charge ridiculous amounts per metre.

Last time they were here they wanted to charge 4000 baht for a couple of metres, my wife said f u c  k off and gave them 1000 baht.

[InfinityandBeyond]

1 hour ago, stouricks said:

So how do you clean your bog?

We use a poop & grease eating bacteria powder called microbiotech (available at most hardware stores and Big C (I think)) about once a month. Half a pouch for each (2) porcelain throne. Sprinkle it in and let it sit over night so the bacteria bloom/become activated. In the a.m. use the brush and give a flush and off they go to the turd buffet in the tank. Haven't had a prob in 7yrs. Though, you will have to brush the toilet from time-to-time as the bacteria do form an easily removable yet unattractive film below the waterline. Of course this only works if you don't put cleaning chemicals in your toilet. 

[sirineou]

I think you should open the lid, roll up your sleeve and try to reach in there and fish the bottle out. And make sure you have someone videotape the process and post it here for further analysis. 

 

as everyone said, dont worry about it.It will either float on the top hamleys, or sink to the bottom never to be seen again, until thousands of years from now when it is dug up by archaeologists who would consider it a secret object  and display it in a museum.  

[007 RED]

OP…. To be honest, I think the plastic bottle in the septic tank is the least of your problem.

You mentioned in you post that you opened the lid of the tank which is in the kitchen.  A septic tank under your kitchen.  That's not good!!!

 

I am mindful that someone constructed the kitchen conversion prior to you purchasing the property, so please don’t feel that I’m having a go at you.  I just want you to be aware that you may have a real problem.

 

Normally septic tanks need to be able to freely vent to atmosphere as they produce several nasty gasses.  In particular, methane and hydrogen sulphide, both of which will cause serious problems if allowed to build up in a confined space such as a kitchen.

 

Methane is a colourless and odourless gas which is relatively non-toxic.  However, it is highly flammable and when mixed with the right proportion of oxygen (there is 21% in normal air) will readily cause an explosion if triggered by a spark/flame (gas burner or light switch in the kitchen).

 

Hydrogen sulphide is a colourless gas which smells like rotten eggs.  It is highly poisonous.  The trouble with this gas is that you may smell it initially, but it quickly deactivates the smell receptors in your nasal passage, so you lose your sense of smell and be unaware of the potential danger.  High concentrations of the gas within a confined space can result in a person rapidly losing consciousness, asphyxiation and death.

 

Sorry, but I don’t have any easy answers to your potentially serious problem.  You need the advice of an waste management expert.  Unfortunately I doubt you will find one in LOS.

 

Best of luck.

[Lacessit]

3 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Actually if working properly and not misused as trash bin they should seldom require pump out unless something blocked/work being done.  Just feed it the brown stuff, and avoid any cleaning liquids.  

Detergents are OK, anything with bleach or biocides should be avoided as that kills off the friendly bacteria that are digesting the poo.

Depending on size, septics usually need a pump out every 15 - 20 years.

Condoms in septics do not break down.

[lopburi3]

11 minutes ago, 007 RED said:

Sorry, but I don’t have any easy answers to your potentially serious problem.  You need the advice of an waste management expert.  Unfortunately I doubt you will find one in LOS.

Being under floor does not mean there is no pipe vent - in my experience toilets do not flush well without a working vent so do not believe there is any issue as long as the access cover is properly sealed.

[Simon85]

Hello everyone, I have a question related to this thread, and would really love some good advice.

 

About a month ago I relocated in Hat Yai and I currently live in a condo that has a small grease trap (in Thai language would be ถังดักไขมัน) built under the kitchen sink inside a big undersink drawer; the brand of this grease trap is Premier Products and the model number is GT20AG.

 

My issue is that every time I open the tap, the area beneath where this grease trap reside reeks a lot and despite I recentrly drained it and removed all the grease above, the bad smeel persists.

 

I haven't done any DIY maintenance about these things before and would like to know if you could suggest any good product (liquid,powder or tablets) that can remove the smell; I have found some products online such Bactocel (แบคโตเซล) available at HomePro, but not sure if this would do the job... I also read that some products release oxygen and "eat out" the grease above, any recommendations?

 

Many thanks in advance and sorry for the long message!