# my septic tank is collapsing?????



## flyingt (May 14, 2008)

I decided to have my septic tank pumped out after being in my house for 7 yrs. My wife had called several places and got quotes. the cheapest guy said it would be 225 if I dug the holes to access the lids. He came out today and told my wife after only pumping 1000 gallons that he thought my plastic tank was collapsing and he thought he should stop at that amount. He said he could put in a new system for 4100 bucks  BUT he would take 500 off if we did the system soon.  I have talked to 2 other companies and they said if the ground was not sinking in then it was probably not a problem and it was most likely from the original installer and if it is still draining properly then it was probably not an issue.
  I have no idea what to do. I dont want to put in a new system if there is really no issue but I also dont want to ignore a problem that could flood my basement with baby ruths.
 Any advise would be appreciated.


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## auburndeerhunter (May 14, 2008)

you shouldnt have a plastic tank if it is 7 years old they were still doing concret tanks,it is possable but  very unlikely i would tell him to put that est where teh sun dont shine


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## bobo&hobbs (May 14, 2008)

*tank*

about 4 yrs ago mine started pumping baby ruths out the access cover where I guess they try and root out the system .I knocked the top of it off with the lawnmower so when my system backed up it came out there . they came out and dug up the lid and somehow flushed out the lines and it has been ok since ,they never tryed to sell me any other repairs but my house was built in 1976 systems must be different now. maybe you can get by with a clean and flush


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## flyingt (May 14, 2008)

auburndeerhunter said:


> you shouldnt have a plastic tank if it is 7 years old they were still doing concret tanks,it is possable but  very unlikely i would tell him to put that est where teh sun dont shine


It's plastic.  I still have the lid areas dug up and can look inside...and smell They had to put in plastic because thay had no way to get the concrete one unto the site.


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## auburndeerhunter (May 14, 2008)

ok but it is still hard to cave one of those things in unless you park your boat or trunk on it all day every day!!!!!!


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## dawg2 (May 14, 2008)

Sounds fishy to me....


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## Havana Dude (May 14, 2008)

I'd be leary. Times are getting tough for a lot of folks, and he may be trying to drum up work. If you can look in it then you should be able to tell if it is collapsing. Use a mirror taped to a stick and a flashlight to see the upper side that is not visable from the access.


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## UPHUNTER (May 14, 2008)

you know how hard you would have to suck on that thing to get it to collapse like a coke bottle?


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## SnowHunter (May 15, 2008)

Havana Dude said:


> Use a mirror taped to a stick and a flashlight to see the upper side that is not visable from the access.



yup, don't get the idea to stick yer head in and look for yourself  hopefully you can get this figured out..otherwise, well, stinky situation. good luck!


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## Norm (May 15, 2008)

Sorry to hear about your trouble. But most people don't know that those plastic tanks do and will collapse if they are empty and covered with dirt. When it was installed, it was filled w/ water before they covered it up.
  The service man was probably giving you the only other option that you have. Maybe not best price, though.
  You did not say if it was "backing-up" or did you have it pumped for maintenance purposes? If it is not giving you problems, keep it and have it pumped at least every 4-5 years and tell whoever you call to do the service that you do have a plastic tank. Most likely, the best anyone who cleans your tank will only be able to remove the "solids" and leave the liquid in tank, to prevent it from collapsing.


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## Derek (May 15, 2008)

have someone else come look at it...


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## cmghunter (May 15, 2008)

Check your pms


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## flyingt (May 18, 2008)

I had 2 other people come look at it and said it was fine and that I should hav the original guy come back and finish sucking out the stuff.  The drain field is fine and I now know how to do some things myself like cleaning the exit filter and checking the intake to see if there is any back-up. The guy that came out today(yes on a Sunday) gave me some extensions so I can access my clean outs and 2 new lids  for free. He is a good Christian man and he said he would rather be an honest man then a rich man. If any one needs a septic tank sucked out or one serviced pm me and I will give you his contact info.


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## Craig Knight (May 18, 2008)

Got to keep your septic tank alive, I dump in a container of Flecshmans Yeast every other month or so and that keeps the bacteria and bugs going great no back ups or other problems.


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## bilgerat (May 18, 2008)

Ive live in the same house for over 20 years and have never had to mess with my system, Im sure Ill eventually have to deal with it but I aint digging up no problems till the baby ruths start showing up!


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