Septic Tank Riser? (how much, tanks, install, cleaning)

[spacelord75]

Has anyone had any experience with having a riser installed on their septic tank to allow for easier access for pumping? How much did it cost to have a PVC riser added? My tank is about 3-4" under ground, and having the backhoe tear up my yard every 3-5 years is not appealing, therefore I was thinking about adding a riser/manhole....any thoughts/experience on this?

[TransAm]

I just had mine done a few years back, I had new concret lid with a concret riser installed, I think it was $200, the guys that pump the tanks, like a big riser, it makes it easier to get everthing out.

[SoHoVe]

JMHO...I would rather deal with the yard being torn up once every few years than see a lid everyday.

Oh the other hand it does make access MUCH easier.

[fallingwater]

Find out if it will even make a difference. When we bought our house, we had to pay the inspector to find the septic. After moving in I had a company come out to install a riser since I did not want to pay for the "finders fee" each time I had my septic cleaned. Turns out I already had a riser. Even with the riser our lid is a couple of inches below the dirt. The houses we had looked previously had risers above the dirt. So I scrap the grass off the lid before the septic guys show up to avoid the fee.

[spacelord75]

Originally Posted by SoHoVe

JMHO...I would rather deal with the yard being torn up once every few years than see a lid everyday.

Oh the other hand it does make access MUCH easier.

I'm kind of torn on it....I think I could disguise the lid pretty well with where it would be situated with some plantings and pine straw, but I got a very rough estimate from my septic company and they quoted $1k! That seems kind of steep for me right now, perhaps I will wait 5 years till I need to pump it again and then just knock it out then.

[homeowner46808]

I wanted mine done right, had a few low quotes for a bandaid type install around 600...got it dont right for 1500, they dug it off, cut a hole in tank, conretd a riser in place, and attached a secure lid. My pump guy was impressed! No more digging tank up ruining my grass, and e-z access for pump guy. And my kids cant fall in or open!

[indyreepxerts]

Does anyone know...if I was able to secure a copy of the permit with the drawing of both well and septic, would this be sufficient in helping the septic guy gain access?

[RVcook]

I've owned 5 homes during my lifetime and each one was in a rural community and had a septic tank. On each one, I had risers installed. The current one has two risers. To disguise the covers, we did a bit of landscaping that included edging and then filled in the area with colored, crushed stone. The risers are also covered, but only lightly and then large pots filled with plantings are set on top of the stone. In order to access the covers, I simply brush aside the stone, unlock the cover and allow the pumper to do his job.

Because our tank is located in a really, really inconvenient place in our yard, this was the best solution. And having lived with so many tanks in so many yards, I seriously do not even notice it anymore.

RVcook

[MidValleyDad]

I grew up in a house with well and septic. I've been surprised by the number of people that say they have to pump their septic tank on a regular (every couple years) basis. I thinkwe had ours pumped once in 10 years or so and that was because the old metal tank (installed in the 1930s) was failing (rotted through0 we replaced it with a new concrete tank and then went I think 15 years or more without aving a problem.

As I understand it people need to pump because they don't watch what they 'feed' into the tank. You put in chemicals that kill the bacteria and it doesn't process the waste. The funny thing is that now I hear of major sewer systems developing plans to limit what gets flushed down the toilet. No old medicine, cleaning chemicals, baby wipes, none of this went down at our house. Then again maybe we were just lucky :-)

[RVcook]

Originally Posted by MidValleyDad

I grew up in a house with well and septic. I've been surprised by the number of people that say they have to pump their septic tank on a regular (every couple years) basis. I thinkwe had ours pumped once in 10 years or so and that was because the old metal tank (installed in the 1930s) was failing (rotted through0 we replaced it with a new concrete tank and then went I think 15 years or more without aving a problem.

As I understand it people need to pump because they don't watch what they 'feed' into the tank. You put in chemicals that kill the bacteria and it doesn't process the waste. The funny thing is that now I hear of major sewer systems developing plans to limit what gets flushed down the toilet. No old medicine, cleaning chemicals, baby wipes, none of this went down at our house. Then again maybe we were just lucky :-)

This is an excellent point. Having lived with this type of system, it is a no-brainer about what is flushed or not which has a huge impact on how a 'healthy' system functions. City-folk don't seem to understand that there are just some things that shouldn't go down there . However, in our state, the DNR requires that all septic systems must be inspected every three years. While certainly helpful for aging systems that could have the potential for failure, to me it's just their way of making sure I do my part to keep the local pumping company in business.

When I questioned the pumper about this so many years ago, he explained his procedure for inspecting the system which (of course) he is unable to evaluate thoroughly unless the tank is empty. So in states like mine, access to the tanks must be made every three years.

In the case of my current system, because it was a complete tank replacement, it automatically came with two access ports because it is a two chamber tank so the risers were just a 'given'.

RVcook