Tight Tank

[Plumberswife]

Ok my Friends, Im hoping some of you know about theese "tight tanks" we "believe" that the property we are looking at has this type of tank for septic. Anyone tell me if they have one, how many times per year ( if that often) or how often in genral you may need to have it pumped, and about how much does this cost??? any help will be greatly appreciated!!!

[LIforrelaxin]

So if the system is a tight tank system it means there is no leach field.... So how often us have to have the system pumped is going to be based on the tank size, and the use model for the home in question... How many people on average, using the toilet, taking a shower etc..... I think the first question to be answered is definitely tank size.....

The equation here is similar to a travel trailer or a boat with a holding take..

tight tank = holding tank....

[Plumberswife]

Yes, Im familiar with what a tight tank is...I was wondering in this area, how much to have it pumped???
Thank you though, I appreciate it!!!

[MarkinNH]

Originally Posted by Plumberswife

Yes, Im familiar with what a tight tank is...I was wondering in this area, how much to have it pumped???
Thank you though, I appreciate it!!!

Again, What size is the tank ? The cost will vary due to the size of the tank and how many gallons they pump out of it. Over the years, I have paid anywhere from $250 to $600 to have a septic tanks pumped.

[Plumberswife]

Correct, the size is the question, lol, were waiting ot have it inspected, theyre guessing 1000-1500 gallons???? We shall soon see I didntknow if up there they had like a $$$$ per gallon say, that could give me a rough idea, I tried to look it up but theyre really wasnt much information.
Where we live they have a price per gallon kinda thing, just didnt know if anyone knew.
Wondering, of course, depending on the size, and number of people using, how long we may be able to go between pumpings. Just curious, it all adss to the $$$$ and the big picture of things.
Thanks so much!!!!

[fpartri497]

I have a 1000 gal. Tank and have It pumped every other year But I have a leach field not a Tight tank. they charge me $260.00 total to pump and dispose of It.

[Plumberswife]

Oh thank you!! I apopreciate that!!! Gives me something roughly to go by. Thanks so much!

[LIforrelaxin]

In Moultonborough, we have a 1500 gallon tank, and pay somewhere between $250 and $260 to have it pumped. Now of course that is for a normal septic tank...

From what I know, which on this mater isn't much, You may find that having a tight tanked pump cost slightly more, as the do put treatment chemicals in them I believe, to help with break down etc. Additionally, the one person I know that has a tight tank, was able to find a pumping company, that put them on a regular schedule. That is not to say the regular schedule always work perfectly... but it ensure that the tank was pumped at regular intervals, and the number of situations where the alarm went off at inconvenient times was minimized.

[Plumberswife]

Thanks so much!! if it is a tight tank ( which we hope it isnt, however.) thats a great idea option that we hadnt thought of, I appreciate that , thank you, something to think about!!!

[NoBozo]

We have a "three bedroom" (1973) ranch in Rhode island. We had the tank pumped the First time..when the house was about 20 years old. Two adults, clothes washing machine, and NO dish washer.

We now have the tank pumped every 3-5 years whether it needs it or not. Cheap insurance. The last time we pumped it was when a neighbor had to replace his leach field for about $20K. His new leech field looked very high tech....not just a few PVC pipes and sand like the old days.

Our last pumping 3 years ago was $205. incl disposal (1200 gallons) and senior's discount. NB

[Lakepilot]

We have motorhome that has a 200 gallon tank (100 gallon of gray or sink/shower and 100 gallon of black). We have two people, dishwasher and full size clothes washer dryer. We end up dumping the tanks about every week. We can stretch that a lot if we don't use the washing machine and take shorter showers. If that were extrapolated to 1000 gallons I think you could comfortably go 5 - 7 weeks without a pump out. If you don't have a washer or dishwasher, maybe a lot longer.

[rkt10]

Originally Posted by Plumberswife

Ok my Friends, Im hoping some of you know about theese "tight tanks" we "believe" that the property we are looking at has this type of tank for septic. Anyone tell me if they have one, how many times per year ( if that often) or how often in genral you may need to have it pumped, and about how much does this cost??? any help will be greatly appreciated!!!

I've read through the responses and although the question was originally asked a long time ago, people are still reading the information even today (I myself had a different question and searched on the words "tight tank"). The reason for my response now is that some of the answers are a bit misleading if a person has a tight tank.

A regular septic system typically consists of a septic tank from which a pipe flows to a "D-box" (distribution box) and then a number of pipes are laid out into a leach field. The "solids" remain in the septic tank and once there's enough water in the septic tank the overflow flows out to the D-box where it is distributed among the pipes that consist of the leaching field. The water that makes it to the leaching field is essentially filtered by the gravel in the leaching field, so that whatever water might get into the aquifer below is mostly clean.

A tight tank system is basically just a single tank (you might think of it as being just the septic tank). Usually the reason for a tight tank system is because leaching fields are not permitted for a house that is close to a body of water, since even the best septic system does not filter out all the impurities in the brownwater.

So if a home has a tight tank system, you can think of it as a collection bucket for every single drop of water that flows out of the house (the kitchen drain, toilets, showers, bathtubs, utility sinks, everything). That water collects in the tight tank and eventually fills it. At that point the tank must be pumped as there is nowhere for the water to go.

How often is a tight tank pumped? As others have said, "it depends." It depends on how much water a household uses. That being said, you can estimate how often by using some averages. A quick google search shows that an average household uses 400 gallons of water a day, and that an average of 70 percent of that water is used indoors. So an average of 280 gallons of water would go into a tight tank per day.

I bet that the water usage of a household with a tight tank would be significantly lower, because everyone in the household would be on alert not to let any water go down the drain unless absolutely necessary. I bet people would never take a bath. They might even install outdoor showers. And clearly low-flow toilets would be important. Dishwashers? Hmmm. But still, there would be water flowing into the tight tank every day, all day.

I also read somewhere that the average tight tank is pumped once per month. This sounds about right, based on the 400 gallon, 280 gallon numbers I mentioned above.

Clearly having a home with a tight tank would change the way that a household runs. Every single person in that household would need to be on alert about water all the time.

By the way, on a different topic, there is new septic technology that, over time, might help some of the homes that currently have tight tank. It's called "on site wastewater treatment" which removes up to 99% of wastewater contaminants. Some of those systems are cost effective for as few as about 8 homes. Others are designed for single homes. Of course the systems will have to be approved by the various states and towns for installation before they will be a real option for homeowners of waterfront properties.

I used to know a guy who was starting up a business for the larger type systems. It was fascinating to me, and I would love to have been able to invest in his business. Subsequently I spent 11 years as a Realtor in Massachusetts where a home's septic system must be inspected prior to each and every sale to make sure that it is operating properly. This was a protection for the buyer who clearly has no way of evaluating how healthy a septic system is.

Hope this is interesting to forum members.
Rita

[radioman]

FYI; 15 yrs ago we moved into current home. Prior to moving in , we had the system inspected and the tank pumped We have a 1000 gal tank and a leaching field. Since that time, each month I add "Activator 1000" into the system (4 oz) . This is a commercial product that has served us well. I wish that I could give you a E mail address but now looking at the container there is none . If you look up Activator 1000 on Google the company is ECOLOGICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY.

[SIKSUKR]

Although a no-no today, our old camp had a very small tank(no leachfield). My dad installed a very crude drywell simply made by a large hole in the ground filled with rocks. All the grey water (sinks, and shower) went to it while the toilets went to the tank. Worked great for 30+ years.

[Pineedles]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

Although a no-no today, our old camp had a very small tank(no leachfield). My dad installed a very crude drywell simply made by a large hole in the ground filled with rocks. All the grey water (sinks, and shower) went to it while the toilets went to the tank. Worked great for 30+ years.

Is there a reason why this is not allowed today?

[radioman]

Siksukr. 60 years ago, if you were lucky enough to have an inside toilet in your camp, most likely, all water went first to the tank and to a 55 gal drum which was considered the "leaching field " If that drum was buried in a sandy soil, then yes. I suspect few problems during summer months. My grandfathers system actually lasted 40 years! In those days, prior to closing, my grandmother would always flush down a cake of yeast

[SIKSUKR]

Sorry for the slow response. PN, I'm not sure that it is illegal, I assumed it would be today. I would think you need a perk test and permit at least.