Septic Tank Advice Shouldn't Go to Waste

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

February 13, 2003

Tony Wachinski was just trying to help his neighbor's daughter. The woman was having a major problem with her septic tank recently and was looking for some advice. Wachinski, a civil engineer from Oyster Bay, was only too happy to help, first with some consulting over the telephone, then by sending her a copy of his 35-page, soft-cover book.

Information from his book - "What Do You Mean My House Has a Septic Tank? A How-To Book for Homeowners" - helped the woman answer a few questions from her contractor and give up chemical additives, an annual savings of $160. "But, eventually, she did need a new septic system anyway, and it cost her about $7,000," Wachinski says.

Ouch.

"Yeah," says Wachinski, "when you have to do something to your septic system, it's almost always too late."

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Wachinski is wondering if his book, the first version of which he penned more than 20 years ago, could perhaps help other homeowners who have septic tanks. (Long Island census records say about about 75 percent of homes in Suffolk County are served by septic systems and 10 percent in Nassau County. The rest are connected to sewer systems.) So, for $10, including shipping, you, too, can get Wachinski's advice.

"It has undergone several rewrites and changes. I've also probably given more copies away than I've sold over the years," says Wachinski, 56, who retired from the Air Force in 1991 and whose military career included consulting for the Department of Defense on water, waste water, industrial wastes and hazardous wastes issues.

Wachinski published the book in 1980, a few years after graduating from Purdue University with his doctorate and early in his Air Force career. He wanted to help people, and acting upon the advice of a professor, decided to go underground. "There's no discipline in the industry, no easy way to find information on septic systems," he says.

Wachinski's book includes several sources of information, including Web sites and phone numbers, and charts and tips to guide homeowners in system maintenance and design. (One excellent source of information is the National Small Flows Clearinghouse, www.nesc.wvu.edu/nsfc.)

What homeowners don't know about their septic system can be costly, in some instances, much more than financially. Every so often, there's the tragic collapse of a septic system that claims a life. (A Huntington Station man died in one such collapse in September 2001.) Systems most susceptible to collapse were built of stacking cesspool blocks before or during the early 1970s. These systems should be replaced, experts say.

For the novice homeowner, a septic system takes household waste and disperses it into the soil. This waste is first deposited into a holding tank, where natural bacterial action occurs. Waste in the holding tank separates into three layers: a top, soapy scum layer, a clear liquid middle layer, and a heavy, solid bottom layer. As more waste is deposited to the holding tank, clear liquid from the middle layer is pushed into a second tank, an overflow or seepage tank. The clear liquid then enters the soil, which acts as a biological filter.

Wachinski says the first thing homeowners should know about their septic system is its location.

On newer homes or homes recently resold, this information might be on a survey. On older homes, locating the septic system might mean a trip to the town or village building department, or even hiring a professional septic system contractor. Wachinski's book instructs homeowners on how to follow their sewer line from the foundation toward the septic system.

Once found, construction of the system should be identified. Systems built after 1973 on Long Island should have an airtight septic tank of reinforced concrete that distributes liquid to an overflow tank. If you can't find this information through your building department, hire a professional to inspect and, perhaps, pump out your system.

After determining age and location, homeowners can be in position to make some decisions about their systems. Should it be pumped out? Should it be replaced? What size system should you buy? Should chemical additives be added to the tank to improve flow?

Some answers are easy: Pumping of block systems, built before the early 1970s, should be avoided. Pumping can reduce pressure inside the tank, and the interior walls can collapse. These systems should be replaced. Frequent pumping also could indicate a failure of the system's drainage field, which includes the soil around the overflow tank. This soil, when saturated by years of overflow, can't properly disperse the liquid. Again, a new system with an airtight tank probably is necessary. Also, homeowners should buy a system that's a little bit larger than required - a sizing chart is included in Wachinski's book.

Like most experts, Wachinski scoffs at the use of chemical additives. "They often do more to disrupt the balance of enzymes in the system," he says. "Don't use them."

Wachinski says if you want to add anything to the tank, pour a one-pound box of baking soda down the drain or toilet every month. "That way, people will feel like they are doing something."

Wachinski's book also offers some advice on designing a system for a new home. He advocates a two-tank system that features a diverter valve. When one tank fills, the valve is turned to divert household waste to the second tank. Both tanks can use the same overflow tank or have separate ones, he says.

Then, of course, there are some issues in the book that are much simpler to deal with. For example, Wachinski has some advice for Kathleen Kiley, an Islip Terrace homeowner who is experiencing backup problems when she washes more than two loads of clothes.

"Sounds like the drainage pipe from the house is too narrow," he says. "The flow of discharge from the house exceeds the flow capacity of the drainage pipe. You can change the pipe; have a wider pipe installed to handle more flow, or you can stagger your water usage."

Staggering usage means waiting longer between loads or washing clothes when there is virtually no other demand for drainage, Wachinski says.

Do the simple things first, Wachinski says.

To order "What Do You Mean My House Has a Septic Tank? A How-To Book for Homeowners," send $10 (check or money order) to Tony Wachinski, c/o AMW Press, P.O. Box 1406, Bayville, NY 11709.