Sand mounds (septic) questions...
Unknown user
curious of the following:
What is the average life expectancy of one? (family of 4, for exa.)
If they are a group of hole-filled pipes, some rocks, sand and a pump in your
old septic tank, why do they cost 8-10 Thousand dollars????
If anyone knows of a FAQ about their construction and operation, please let me
know.
Thanks,
Jeff
Jon Endres
you some information on the subject.
1. With a properly designed system, one that has been sized to fit the
family living in the dwelling, and one that accurately reflects the
percolation rate and soil characteristics upon which it is built, you can
expect at least thirty years out of that system. It should, when properly
maintained, last significantly longer. Proper maintenance should include
pumping the septic tank out every four years, and being careful what you put
in the septic tank. Oils, acids, chemicals and excessive paper products
will all degrade a septic system over time. Normal soaps, household
chemicals, t.p. and kleen-x are all safe.
2. The major costs of the mound-type septic system are the installation
cost and the sand. Installation must be done very carefully because the
system is under pressure. The pipes, or laterals, on the system each have
specific diameter holes that must be drilled, and a plumber and electrician
must each be called in to hook up their respective parts of the pump system.
In contrast, a skilled excavating contractor is all that is needed for a
conventional inground system. The mound sand in this area must adhere to a
specific size criteria to allow proper percolation and filtration, and
generally must be custom mixed by the gravel supplier. This can cost $12 to
$20 per cubic yard of sand, exclusive of labor needed to spread it out. My
company recently installed a mound system for a local restaurant that cost
in excess of $90,000. It was their cheapest option.
For more information on septic systems in general, try
http://www.inspect-ny.com/septbook.htm.
Hope this helps.
Jon Endres, Site Technician 'B', State of Vermont
MSK Engineering & Design
Unknown user wrote in message <6trmmq$e04$1...@ganglia.bms.com>...
Jon Endres
casc...@my-dejanews.com
construction, and homeowner abuse are probably the most common causes of
mound failure. In any event, it is common for a biomat to develop at the
gravel-sand interface that thickens to the point of plugging the downward
movement of the effluent. The effluent then breaks out the side of the mound
creating a smelly mess. Gofers, groundhogs, and other animals have also been
known to short circuit mounds in a lateral direction creating the same smelly
mess. When the sand plugs you must remove the sand and replace it, or try
adding an aerobic pretreatment unit to the system. Many failed mounds have
recovered using aerobics units. Expect the mound to last about 10-15 years
(if you are lucky).
What the mound indicates is that there is a limiting condition in the soil on
your property. In other words, there is probably very high water levels in
the soil and effluent doesn't get treated well in saturated flow conditions.
Consequently, an alternative to the conventional septic system is required.
After researching alternative systems I've personally concluded that aerobic
pretreatment is a better alternative than mounds. If the air pump fails it
is a lot easier and considerably cheaper to replace than sand. The effluent
from an aerobic unit is about 95% treated (BOD & TSS are less than 10 mg/L)
before discharge into the soil. In comparison, septic tank effluent is about
15% treated (BOD is 150 mg/L or greater). Using ultraviolet disinfection
downstream of the aerobic unit makes the effluent nearly fully treated (UV
kills viral and bacterial contamination). Hence, the soil functions
primarily as disposal, not treatment. I feel much more comfortable if the
effluent is highly treated before it gets to the tricky soils I'm constantly
challenged by. The glaciers sure made a mess for on-site wastewater
disposal!!!
$10-12,000 is reasonable for a mound. A good aerobic system will be about
$6-10,000.
Regards
In article <6trmmq$e04$1...@ganglia.bms.com>,
boyer...@bms.com (Unknown user) wrote:
> I am looking at buying a house that has a sand mound for the septic. I am
> curious of the following:
>
> What is the average life expectancy of one? (family of 4, for exa.)
>
> If they are a group of hole-filled pipes, some rocks, sand and a pump in your
> old septic tank, why do they cost 8-10 Thousand dollars????
>
> If anyone knows of a FAQ about their construction and operation, please let me
> know.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jeff
>
>
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LETH'R
Check out the above link. Go to "septic and Sewage disposal fact sheet. It
should answer all your questions.
--
Reply to <pcosenza*at*gpu.com> Put a "@" where it belongs.
Unknown user wrote in message <6trmmq$e04$1...@ganglia.bms.com>...
phild...@yahoo.com
room to repair their septic systems if they failed and the only
alternative now was to run public sewers at $43,100 per house. Needless
to say, that was not a very popular plan with the folks who live here
and an alternative was desperately needed. It turns out that the
aerobic on-site wastewater systems I found out about are NSF certified
and already approved for use by PA DEP. The local regulators acted as
if there were absolutely no other options available to us other than
public sewer until the residents brought the information to their
attention. The story is summarized on my website:
http://home.comcast.net/%7Ephil.detweiler/aerobic.html
Terry
<phild...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1105616156....@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
tank/field. However, a couple of years ago, through the < uk.d-i-y > a news
group not unlike this one, I learned that similar systems are and have been
in use in use in the United Kingdom, which is quite crowded, for quite some
time.
Terry