looking at buying a home that has one of these. I have absolutely 0 experience and knowledge of these septic systems. What should I know?

What county?

You need a maintenance contract from a certified aerobic dude.

Some counties allow you to be the certified aerobic dude if you blow enough time and money in the right class and the right place.

Don't dump nasty **** in your drain or disposal unless it is in fact, *****

If the controller is electronic, it will get fried by a nearby lightning strike (twice). Electro-mechanical is less susceptible to this.

The aerator air pump will fail. If you smell something like raw sewage when the sprinklers come on, there is most likely a problem with the aerator. The chlorine tablets you add monthly are for sanitizing the grey water to be discharged via sprinklers.

The inspection company will charge too much and likely not do their job.

At some point, you will have to hire a company to pump out the sludge that builds up in the trash tank.


Don't pour anything caustic down the drain, it kills the bacteria that break down the poop and food waste. Try not to let any oils or grease go down the disposal, they don't break down.

Don't dispose of condoms in the toilet, they don't break down. My first septic guy told me a somewhat funny story about this. He had gone to a home on a trouble call. The man of the house was with him when he was inspecting the system. When he pulled the inspection cover on the trash tank and shined a light in there, the homeowner said (agitatedly) "I need you to leave. Right now!". Septic guy (SG) says, "I don't understand, did I do something wrong?". Homeowner (HO) says "I know you saw those condoms in there". SG - "Yeah, I did". HO - "Well, I don't use them. So I need you to leave while I go inside and have a serious discussion with my wife". SG - "OK, do you want me to come back later?". HO - "No, I will call to make another appointment". SG told me he was a little uneasy about leaving, concerned for the wife. Said the guy never called back so he never found out what happened after he left.

Hope it's alright to tag on this thread. I have an aerobic system with three sprinklers and one of them is in the perfect spot to build a shop/garage. Does anyone have rules for spray patterns, how many heads are need, etc?

I live in Brazos county.

http://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac%24ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=30&pt=1&ch=285&rl=Y

If you want an experienced opinion about modification, try James Heath

979 777 3759

I've had a contract for my aerobic for over 10 years. It has never required pumping. I have had 3 separate companies over that time do inspections. I am not sure what affects sludge levels but we are a family of 4.

BrazosDog02 said:

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I've had a contract for my aerobic for over 10 years. It has never required pumping. I have had 3 separate companies over that time do inspections. I am not sure what affects sludge levels but we are a family of 4.

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Below is a really good description of what causes sludge build-up. Depending on your knowledge in that area and cooperation from others in the household in avoiding or minimizing the introduction of those causes into the septic system will determine the amount of build-up and frequency of pumping. My wife was somewhat uncooperative previously, we've had our tank pumped twice in 13 years but those were both in the first 5-6 years. Lately, we've had little to no sludge accumulation in our inspection reports.

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The bottom of the septic tank is where the sludge layer forms. As the sludge layer rises, there is less liquid volume in the septic tank and some particles may move through the tank and enter the soil absorption system. The septic tank should be cleaned before this happens. You must educate your customers about this situation.
If a garbage disposer is used and raw vegetables are introduced into the septic tank, these will not be easily broken down, and the sludge layer will accumulate faster. Materials like bones and coffee grounds, when put into the garbage disposer, add to the sludge layer because they do not break down by bacterial action. This is why I recommend homeowners with onsite sewage systems do not install a garbage disposer.
The sewage from a home will also likely contain soap or detergent scum. Scum is lighter than water and floats on the surface of the septic tank. Cooking oils and fats also float and become part of the scum layer. The homeowner should try to minimize the amount of cooking fat or oil entering the system. The scum layer also occupies part of the liquid volume of the septic tank. If the scum layer gets too thick, some of the scum can be washed out into the soil absorption system. Again, the septic tank needs to be cleaned and pumped before this happens.
Some onsite sewage treatment systems use an aerated tank to promote decomposition of sewage solids. The design usually calls for a settling tank in the sewer line ahead of the aerobic tank. The settling tank takes out the largest solids and basically serves as a septic tank. The aerobic action in the second tank does a better job of breaking down organic solids, but a residue in the aerobic tank must be periodically removed. And it is also called sludge.

Sludge 101

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Comal County. There are 3 tanks and I believe the control is electronic but I will need to double check that. It's in a box on the house with a red green and yellow bulb on top of the box.

I live in Comal Co (going on 6 years) and have never had a contract for maintenance on my septic system. I just add bleach to my reservoir and make sure the heads are working and the pump is running. That being said, it's probably time to have someone check the depth of my solids.

This intimidates the hell out of me. We have land in Johnson City we hope to build on soon. I've never had septic. Now I understand why our friends in Driftwood have a compost set up. Good place for the scraps you can't put in the septic system.

Thx!

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This is why I recommend homeowners with onsite sewage systems do not install a garbage disposer.

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Yes yes yes to this.

Sinks with disposals are an invitation to toss whatever down the drain. Can't be that cavalier when you're on a septic system. Having one installed right now, and no disposal on the kitchen sink. It will just require education of our kids and guests. Scraps go in the garbage. Fats go in a mason jar. Nothing goes down the sink but water and soapy water.