# Septic Tank questions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346 "2016-04-06T14:56:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/21 "2016-04-06T20:08:25Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > […]And **dougie** , I don’t even like the _sound_ of “cesspool”. We would have been happy campers if the _sound_ was the worst part of it, I assure you! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/22 "2016-04-06T20:11:50Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > How did you get your money back a year after the sale? Or was this done with seller financing? I don’t know how my parents did this. I do know that in the lawyer’s letter it said “a ‘striking of the balance’ would show that [the former owners] were in debt to the Neelands [my parents] rather than the other way around.” The lawyer warned that we could file a cross-complaint for damages and fraud. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/23 "2016-04-07T05:30:33Z")
I love not being within city limits. Grey water lines are wondrous things. Pumping septic tanks is good home maintenance. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/24 "2016-04-07T15:05:27Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > I love not being within city limits. > Grey water lines are wondrous things. > Pumping septic tanks is good home maintenance. I sure hope that’s a whoosh, because I was thinking how thankful I am to have city sewage service and not have to deal with any of that shit (heh) except for the occasional snaking out of a sewer line because of tree roots. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/25 "2016-04-07T16:47:56Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Holy crap (literally!) at the differing costs in various places! We put a modular home on completely undeveloped land about 3 years ago, and the new septic installation - 1500 gallon tank, 150 feet of drain field - was under $2000! (I think the quote was $2000, but the contractor gave us a discount for paying cash, and I don’t care how he handles his accounting.) > > But that reminds me: probably time to get it pumped! It’s not as much different locations as different types of systems. It looks like there are 3 basic types of systems. I don’t know which one is best but the replacement costs differ tremendously. > [@bump](#): > > I sure hope that’s a whoosh, because I was thinking how thankful I am to have city sewage service and not have to deal with any of that shit (heh) except for the occasional snaking out of a sewer line because of tree roots. I’ve had both and I much prefer city water. So happy I have that now. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/26 "2016-04-07T18:08:48Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Holy crap (literally!) at the differing costs in various places! We put a modular home on completely undeveloped land about 3 years ago, and the new septic installation - 1500 gallon tank, 150 feet of drain field - was under $2000! (I think the quote was $2000, but the contractor gave us a discount for paying cash, and I don’t care how he handles his accounting.) > > But that reminds me: probably time to get it pumped! In my area it will cost you more just to get an approved plan. When someone says they need a new septic system I expect they have a 20k expense coming. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/27 "2016-04-07T18:10:17Z")
Including replacing fairly generic landscaping I was quoted $10K to dig up and replace a failed 1000 gallon septic tank. This was about 2012 in suburban MO. That was just the tank, not the leach field. The only complicator was our tank was 10 feet down, not the usual 2 feet down. Stand by for severe incoming wallet rot!! Check your homeowner’s insurance but don’t get your hopes up. And yes, pump the damn thing every couple years. More often if you have a larger family. IIRC the rule of thumb is figure 250 gallons / person / year versus the size of the tank. So with two people the tank should be pumped every 2 years but with 4 people it should be pumped annually. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/28 "2016-04-07T23:28:34Z")
I am in the county, have rural water which is the same system for the city. Lack of a sewer hook up is no where close to the joys of being out of the city rules & regulations, politics and general asshattery. Different strokes and all that… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/29 "2016-04-08T02:27:07Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > I am in the county, have rural water which is the same system for the city. > > Lack of a sewer hook up is no where close to the joys of being out of the city rules & regulations, politics and general asshattery. > Different strokes and all that… Yes! There has been a difficulty lately with an older woman who calls 911 when anyone burns trash. Since I married Mrs. Plant (v.3.0) I have been living in a city. Damn, I miss my five acres in the woods! ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/30 "2016-04-09T20:02:36Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > When we lived in FL, the guy we called found our septic tank using a long metal rod with a handle. He knew approximately where it was, and he literally poked around till he figured out where it sat. I expect in sandy soil, that’s enoug. Another vote for the simple metal rod. Googling indicates the official term is “soil probe”. I watched the guy who cleaned out ours. The general location of the tank was easy. He used the metal rod to find the actual opening. The “thump” it made when hitting the tank vs. the cover was quite noticeable. The cover was quite small and near the surface so only a little bit of digging to get to it. After cleanout, a mirror/light thing was used to check things out. There was a bit of buildup near the exit pipe which he cleaned out with a tool. I know the county has a record of our septic system layout because we got a copy when we bought the place. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346/31 "2016-05-02T13:26:02Z")
Well, they are excavating right now. It took a while for the excavator to have two free days (the septic guy has one excavator he uses). The original estimate for the job was $5,400 which included everything; removal of the old plastic tank, disposal, the new 1,000 gallon plastic tank, some pipes and gravel, and labor. I thought the price sounded good compared to what others locally had paid and I told him to get started ASAP. Then I got a call that he needed to discuss price. Uhoh. I stopped by and he told me Susan Smith was his mother-in-law. At first I was confused, but then the name rang a bell. I knew her from work, and I’d helped her out a few times over the years. She was insistent that her son-in-law “take care of me”. So, the price came down to $4,000. He explained how he was not going to make a profit, use up extra gravel and pipe from a previous job, etc. Great!! Then he confided how much he loved our property. It is a nice, secluded, beautiful place surrounded in every direction by woods that are unlikely to be developed any time soon. He asked if we would consider an agreement where he would be notified if we ever wanted to sell and he would have first shot at purchase. We met a few nights later and formalized a verbal agreement with him. He is twenty something and patient. Pretty cool. So, he is putting in a concrete tank instead of plastic and is eating the difference price wise because he hopes to live here one day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-tank-questions/751346.md?page=1)