Septic overflow


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Old 06-11-17, 05:26 AM
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Septic overflow

Long story short, I saw the ground around my brand new septic tank was wet as it is overflowing. This is a new construction house and apparently when we moved in, we assumed everything would be working and ready for us but once I saw the overflow, I checked the systems breakers and noticed the pump and septics were off 😡 New to homeownership and septic in general, we figured all breakers would be on upon move in. We were wrong and this whole month, our system has been filling up but not pumping away.

My question is, did we ruin it and require a pumping already or now that I turned the pump on and it's working (the ground water is already receding), can we assume it will catch up in time?
 
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Old 06-11-17, 05:31 AM
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While I don't have any experience with systems that use pumps - it should be ok. Now that the effluent is being pumped to the drain field the tank should return to normal.
 
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Old 06-11-17, 05:51 AM
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What type system do you have? Apparently you have a pump which means it's not a traditional gravity system.

It sounds like the pump is working. It is very possible that the breaker was just off. It was probably turned on for testing during construction then turned off. It is common for breakers to be off when purchasing a new home.
 
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Old 06-11-17, 05:52 AM
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I'd call the Builder this afternoon to verify that this is all that was needed; and to put him on notice for future transfers, that this oversight occurred.
 
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Old 06-11-17, 06:42 AM
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It's a "pump to gravity" system as stated on a health inspection sheet I found. It does appear that the breakers were just off the whole time and not tripped or anything. Being unfamiliar with septic systems in general, it would appear that nothing got screwed up, but does anyone have an educated guess as to how long the system might take to return to a normal level? We're a family of 5 in a 5 bedroom home. Not really sure of the tank size. I know that the pump has now been running for 36 hours and the alarm still sounds when I enable it so it's obviously still got a ways to go.

Thanks for the replies
 
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Old 06-11-17, 06:55 AM
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Don't know about septic system but be sure to call builder and document problem in case of future problems (in writing)
 
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Old 06-11-17, 07:29 AM
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Limited experience with pumps systems as well so just a contractors opinion.
I believe that pump should have emptied its holding tank in "minutes" not hours. From there it should be pumping into a standard septic tank which should be much larger than the pump holding tank. Again my opinion, something is wrong and that system needs professional attention. Not your nickle being a new home so get the builder involved.

Note, it he says it was your responsibility to turn on the pump, ask him where the instructions were posted and disclosed. There are many "new home owner" disclosures that should be included with the sale.

Bud
 
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Old 06-11-17, 08:15 AM
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Thanks for your opinion, Bud. I was hoping to solve this immediately on my own as it's the weekend and reaching the builder will be a tall task, but you're right. There were no written instructions on the system, but merely a quick walk through as to what items were and to contact the individual contractor with questions/concerns. Just another builder company passing the buck to make a buck, it seems
 
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Old 06-11-17, 08:33 AM
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If the water is receding you should be making progress but constantly running doesn't sound good. A company that pumps systems like yours should be very knowledgeable in regards to what is happening and I don't know if it is related to the nature of that business or not but every time I had to call or talk to them I found them pleasant and helpful. I guess they are used to helping people caught in tough situations.

If you can't get a prompt response from your builder I would consider getting it pumped and see what that turns up.

Remember, that system may not have been tested, ie filled and pumped. Maybe they did, I don't know.

Bud
 
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Old 06-12-17, 03:04 PM
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It takes days to do a formal and brute force test of a septic system starting from day one.

Specifically all the chambers have to be filled up to about 85% which can amount to well over 1000 gallons. In a water metered district this can be very expensive.

More common is a leach field only test, performed by introducing water into the distribution box.

Another alternative is to not do a formal test but instead just start using the system and the "main" septic tank will fill up first normally followed by a second chamber (if any) followed by a holding tank (if any). It is rare for a septic system that is properly installed and properly inspected before use to fail upon reaching normal liquid levels for the first time. It is up to the homeowner to notice any problems.

Some systems use a timed or measured or dosing pump that sends only so may gallons of liquid every so many hours from the last tank to the leach field. Systems that have an unmetered or untimed pump that you forgot to swich on can overload the leach field. This usually does not hurt the leach field but could overheat the pump.
 

Last edited by AllanJ; 06-12-17 at 03:21 PM.
 

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