A-Frame Septic Update

JULY 2017 - SEPTIC

Though certainly not a glamorous update, servicing the septic is technically the first update made.  Gotta have a reliable place to "go". 

The septic system was installed in 1996 and amazingly is properly sized to 2017 codes for a 2 bedroom house with garbage disposal and laundry, with the capability of supporting a 3 bedroom house.  What did the house use prior to 1996, you ask?  An outhouse.  Yep, you read correctly.  There's an actual outhouse next to the cabin, currently boarded off and used for storage.  The outhouse's future is still being decided, but I digress....back to the septic.  

We knew it needed to be pumped.  Nobody in the family could remember the last time, if ever?!?, that it was pumped.  We didn't even know where the tanks were exactly.  Good thing the county provided us copies of the original installation permit that had the general location and distances sketched out.

JD found the name of a local septic service company that had some great reviews.  Response was fast, scheduling was a breeze, he arrived on time!  This is off to a great start.  After about 2 hours, though, he was unable to locate the septic tank lids even using the original septic plans/permit and a Sonde beacon device.  So our septic guy decided to come back in a couple of days using his excavator to scrape the dirt to locate the lids and service the tank.

Good news: lids were found, septic pumped, tanks and leach field in good shape. 

Bad news:  

1. Have a bellied pipe between the clean-out pipe and the tank.  This is likely the cause of a small septic backup into the cabin back in Fall of 2015 or so.
2. Discovered that the bellied pipe comes into the tank at an odd and non-code-compliant 45 degree bend where it meets the tank (how in the world did that pass inspection when it was installed??).
3. Should add tank lid risers & an effluent filter in order to bring the whole system up to code.  

BEFORE - the bellied pipe & strange 45 degree elbow

AFTER - the new pipe

So what was originally going to cost around $500 is now about $2000, and that’s after some haggling for extra discounts.  Made my father proud with that negotiation.  After a few deep breaths and giving thanks for a stellar wheat crop this year, we pay up for everything to be fixed. 

This may seem a bit of an ominous start to the remodel, but we’re hoping this is not a foreshadowing of what’s to come with the rest of the remodel.