Septic System in TN....I'm not used to it. (buying, live)

[gismet]

Purchased property in Tenness and been looking into perc test and soil conditions besides using a lot of asprin no where near to knowing more than i started using basic plumbing and a few calculations have been able to determine a little bit more than what i did before i started. currently live in florida which has a septic system the leach field in connection with the tank is pretty much it however area of property in tenn is different soil so will be testing that at a later date thinking of doing my own testing first before getting it done byanother person
this way i can see whats up and firgure out best place to locate house

[JEANNE61]

Originally Posted by hoosier07

hi everybody....lot's of houses i was looking in the internet have septic system, even new houses in nice areas....it's kinda tough for me to accept that....sorry.....city guy here. Perhaps i should be that concerned. It appears that a system can go several years if you use it correctly, but you have to watch closely. Comments ?

i'm about to move to my first 'septic' experience too . .this weekend .. Adamsville tenn . .
What about using bleach in the sink and laundry ???

I assume that would kill the precious bacteria ?? All answers welcome ..
Jeanne

[JEANNE61]

Guess i should have read further down . . Thanks hengy mama, now i know about 'no' bleach . .and anti bacterial soaps .. Which i use here in fla .with o problem cause i'm on the 'city' sewer ..

Any problems with your 'whites'? . . (clothes )can't imagine how i'm gonna get m y little niece's clothes clean with all that 'red' mud i've been seeing on each visit ... /???/

[Bones]

Originally Posted by JEANNE61

i'm about to move to my first 'septic' experience too . .this weekend .. Adamsville tenn . .
What about using bleach in the sink and laundry ???

I assume that would kill the precious bacteria ?? All answers welcome ..
Jeanne

NO,NO,NO, bleach in a septic system...... We have water conditioning equipment on our well water and very little iron with it. We do use some hydrogen peroxide.

[Bones]

Originally Posted by gismet

Purchased property in Tenness and been looking into perc test and soil conditions besides using a lot of asprin no where near to knowing more than i started using basic plumbing and a few calculations have been able to determine a little bit more than what i did before i started. currently live in florida which has a septic system the leach field in connection with the tank is pretty much it however area of property in tenn is different soil so will be testing that at a later date thinking of doing my own testing first before getting it done byanother person
this way i can see whats up and firgure out best place to locate house

gismet, your testing may frugal. Then your location plans may not work. Just have it tested and septic system installed (hopefully where you want it and away from well if you have it) and move on from there....

[JEANNE61]

I have looked hi and low for 'septic safe toilet paper' since i moved here 6 mths ago . .western tenn .. .
Haven't found it yet .... ???

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by JEANNE61

I have looked hi and low for 'septic safe toilet paper' since i moved here 6 mths ago . .western tenn .. .
Haven't found it yet .... ???

I believe Angel Soft is okay for septic tanks, double check, but I believe it states it on th package.

[Grizzlybear34]

What about the toilet paper that they use in motor homes??

[barger]

Your more expensive soft toilet paper like the "C" brand and others typically cause the most problems. The "John Wayne" type toilet paper, you know the kind that is tough as nails and doesn't take crap off anything, works the best.

The reason the toilet paper causes a problem in the first place is because Tennessee requires an inlet tee. Depending on your contractor who did the work, you have a 3" or 4" diameter pipe coming into your tank. 4" being optimal. The inlet tee in Tennessee must extend at least 12" below the liquid level. Page 18 (f)

The toilet paper come in, hits the inlet tee and then drops down. The inlet tee is most commonly concrete or can be PVC. Examples below. If the inlet pipe from the house to the tank is shoved to far in, it can cause a backup and slow draining. The PVC tee takes the risk away from having a pipe shoved in to far.

PVC Tee


Concrete Tee (This image has been edited to to remove a lot of trash from the tank since I don't have a decent image laying around)


The toilet paper and anything being flushed down has to be pushed down. There, is the problem. Pushing it down. The good papers require a lot of force to push the toilet paper down. In other words, a " big load" of water or other things to push the toilet paper down. Once down, they normally sink since they are so heavy.

So use the "cheap" toilet paper if you are concerned about something that is going to give you issues.

[kygman]

I heard a scary story from the safety man on my old job. An aquaintance of his heard from a friend that about a spoonful of carbide powder (used to make acetylene gas) flushed down the toilet would clean out anything in the septic tank. "El Bright One" thought that, if a spoonful would clean it out over a couple weeks, the whole half pound would clean it out quick. Know what a half pound of carbide powder does when introduced to water and flushed to an underground tank? It blows the tank, and EVERYTHING in it, out of the ground and all over that end of the neighborhood! lol This was before EPA days, but he still had a bunch of people to answer to!