septic tanks.

[p414]

How often should I need to empty my septic tank?

 

Any recommendations would also be appreciated/

[MJCM]

We are living here now for over 2 years and we haven’t had to empty or septic tanks.
 

AFAIK if the “bacteria” that eat the solids are still doing their job then it will be a long time between emptying it.

 

please note: do not use chemicals to clean your toilets as that will kill those bacteria 

[p414]

1 minute ago, MJCM said:

We are living here now for over 2 years and we haven’t had to empty or septic tanks.
 

AFAIK if the “bacteria” that eat the solids are still doing their job then it will be a long time between emptying it.

 

please note: do not use chemicals to clean your toilets as that will kill those bacteria 

Thanks for your response...I last had it emptied about 6-7 years ago .No problems ...but do not want any.

[MJCM]

9 minutes ago, p414 said:

Thanks for your response...I last had it emptied about 6-7 years ago .No problems ...but do not want any.

Just do not use chemicals to clean and occasionally buy a bag of those bacteria (home pro / big c have them) and flush them down your toilets. 
 

edit: the package is around 30-40 Thb and has a picture of (what else can it be) a happy toilet ????????????

[Dante99]

If there is no bad smell and the toilets are working properly, do nothing except be thankful.

[Crossy]

We've been in our place since 2011, been flooded a couple of times and never had the tanks pumped.

 

Note that we don't have a drain field, the "treated" effluent flows into a convenient khlong.

 

As always YMMV.

[Muhendis]

3 minutes ago, Crossy said:

We've been in our place since 2011, been flooded a couple of times and never had the tanks pumped.

 

Note that we don't have a drain field, the "treated" effluent flows into a convenient khlong.

 

As always YMMV.

I'll remember that next time I look at a klong.

[Crossy]

Just now, Muhendis said:

I'll remember that next time I look at a klong.

 

The locals catch some pretty big fish in there

 

[Muhendis]

Just now, Crossy said:

 

The locals catch some pretty big fish in there

 

And eat them?

Euck!

 

Been in my house for ten or more years and never pumped the sceptic tanks. All still works fine as far as I know.

[userabcd]

Some basic guidelines

 

How often should you pump your tank? The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends getting your septic tank pumped every 3 to 5 years to remove sludge buildup. 

That number of years depends on several factors: 

• The size of the septic tank. 
• The number of people in your home.
• The volume of wastewater and solid waste that your family generates

 

How often should a septic tank be pumped?

Septic tanks should be pumped at three- to five-year intervals, and inspected by a professional once every three years.

 

How do I know if my septic tank needs cleaning?

If your drains are blocked and there is an unpleasant odor, chances are your septic tank is in need of cleaning. If these signs aren't present, you should still consider going for it if three to five years have gone by since the last pumping.

 

 

[MJCM]

10 minutes ago, Crossy said:

We've been in our place since 2011, been flooded a couple of times and never had the tanks pumped.

 

Note that we don't have a drain field, the "treated" effluent flows into a convenient khlong.

 

As always YMMV.

A foreigner near us has done the same but the problem is that his drain field is in the front of his property and with view from the street.

 

so the angry locals (who have no idea IMHO what a real septic tank does) have closed off his access to the klong and thus sometimes he has “flooding” of the nasty kind ????

 

those same locals wash themselves with water from the lake in which they take their Buffalo’s to clean them and also their overflow from their tanks flow right in that lake. ????????‍♂️

 

 

[Crossy]

1 minute ago, MJCM said:

A foreigner near us has done the same but the problem is that his drain field is in the front of his property and with view from the street.

 

so the angry locals (who have no idea IMHO what a real septic tank does) have closed off his access to the klong and thus sometimes he has “flooding” of the nasty kind ????

 

those same locals wash themselves with water from the lake in which they take their Buffalo’s to clean them and also their overflow from their tanks flow right in that lake. ????????‍♂️

 

 

Yeah, ours is a proper khlong not a drain, it always has water which does actually flow (sometimes). It's also tidal with the river (not always a good thing).

 

I doubt the locals even know we have two septics discharging into it, I know where the pipes are and I can never actually see them.

 

[MJCM]

Just now, Crossy said:

 

Yeah, ours is a proper khlong not a drain, it always has water which does actually flow (sometimes). It's also tidal with the river (not always a good thing).

 

I doubt the locals even know we have two septics discharging into it, I know where the pipes are and I can never actually see them.

 

In his situation, the pipes are high because he raised his house quiet a bit so the pipes are visible (I already told him to cover them up with plants or paint it dark green ????

 

it then flows into a klong (government property) and then into a lake.  We have the same arrangement BBBBBUUUUTTT our drain field is in the BACK of the property (and inside) and indirectly flows also into the lake as well so they (angry locals) don’t see ours

[Muhendis]

52 minutes ago, MJCM said:

In his situation, the pipes are high because he raised his house quiet a bit so the pipes are visible (I already told him to cover them up with plants or paint it dark green ????

 

it then flows into a klong (government property) and then into a lake.  We have the same arrangement BBBBBUUUUTTT our drain field is in the BACK of the property (and inside) and indirectly flows also into the lake as well so they (angry locals) don’t see ours

Sounds good for free compost.

We have a drain for ours also but nothing has ever come out of it as far as I know. It empties into a ditch which only has water in it for a couple of months of the year.

[Resident Alien]

1 hour ago, userabcd said:

and inspected by a professional once every three years

Good luck with that here in Thailand.

[PETERTHEEATER]

Golden rule with septic tanks.

Only human waste into the WC. NO toilet tiissue, NO tampons etc.

Use the bidet spray, Dry with tissue and dispose it separate bin.

 

[ignore it]

As an American, I object to this thread.

[bradiston]

The bacteria also comes in liquid form. It's called EM.

 

I had a septic tank fill up for no apparent reason after over 10 years use. My theory was, the house had been empty for over a year and the lack of water flowing into the tank - it is just the concrete ring type - had caused the soil soakaway to set like concrete. We had to dig another pit and join it up to the existing tank. A major hassle! So if your place is going to be empty for an extended period of time, asking someone to run the taps and flush the toilets once a week might avoid the same thing happening.

[bradiston]

9 minutes ago, ignore it said:

As an American, I object to this thread.

Hey, it's American Standard!

[ignore it]

2 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Hey, it's American Standard!

Ermm.  No Cockney types about I guess. 

[digger70]

39 minutes ago, ignore it said:

As an American, I object to this thread.

No Sh!t Sherlock.

[brianthainess]

4 hours ago, MJCM said:

Just do not use chemicals to clean and occasionally buy a bag of those bacteria (home pro / big c have them) and flush them down your toilets. 

I have been told just flush some fish down the loo, to get that bacteria back. 

[dirtybirty]

if you look after the bacteria in the tank . you shouldn't have to empty a septic tank. font use chemicals to clean toilets , good idea to clean then ( toilets) is to put coke down then leave over night, helps the bacteria grow. also add more bacteria every few months. good tip to give the new packets a good start before you flush em down the loo is to put em in a bucket of water with a few bits of chicken, leave in a dark place for 24hrs then flush

[p414]

As an aside ...as Songkran will soon be here....App 6 years ago driving along Sukhumwit during Songkran towards Sattahip there was a large tanker parked and filling the barrels of a queue of Pick ups.......Written underneath in large letters were the words....' EMTY YOU TILET '.......and a phone number....

 

[p414]

Thanks, everyone,

for your contributions to this post.......Still unsure as my wife uses vast amounts of toilet tissue which all goes into the tank...I have no idea where the tank empties as there is only one lake with fishing nets on it app300 meters away..We did have two small lakes in our village which used to supply our tap water [now government water]...These 2 lakes have just been filled in[ ??? ]...I also have a well which I used to use for emergencies...P.S. what is the name of the 'bacteria I can buy from Home Pro?

 

 

Thanks again.

[JBChiangRai]

1 minute ago, p414 said:

my wife uses vast amounts of toilet tissue which all goes into the tank....

It's not a good idea to put toilet tissue into the septic tank

[bradiston]

36 minutes ago, p414 said:

Thanks, everyone,

for your contributions to this post.......Still unsure as my wife uses vast amounts of toilet tissue which all goes into the tank...I have no idea where the tank empties as there is only one lake with fishing nets on it app300 meters away..We did have two small lakes in our village which used to supply our tap water [now government water]...These 2 lakes have just been filled in[ ??? ]...I also have a well which I used to use for emergencies...P.S. what is the name of the 'bacteria I can buy from Home Pro?

 

 

Thanks again.

Try EM. It's a liquid.

[unheard]

1 hour ago, p414 said:

P.S. what is the name of the 'bacteria I can buy from Home Pro?

DOS Bio Clean

or

WAVE Bio Seed

[sometime]

I have 3 one for bathroom 1  sink & shower, same for bathroom 2, and one for two toilets only, no soap and very little loo cleaner not been emptied for 14 years.

I do stick a rod down now & again to to check for depth of sediment never very much & no smell.

[quake]

On 3/14/2023 at 10:51 AM, Crossy said:

 

The locals catch some pretty big fish in there

 

Watch out for the Jobby fish. 

 

Op,  if it ain't broke don't fix it.