Potentially deadly septic tank uncovered

[@crusesepticnc1976]

Hey bud, shout out from Cabarrus County NC. Before i started pumping i used your services down this way when i had to repalce tanks or do an inspection. Good to see you educating and sharing. Well done! Lets keep this industry honest!!

[@shthappens5124]

Thanks! Hope your business is as $h*tty as mine

[@crusesepticnc1976]

@shthappens5124 at times it's ridiculous, but consistent cash flow is where its at 😊

[@lincolnhunt9558]

Grew up in a house that had septic. I can smell this video

[@shthappens5124]

smell? What smell? I think I can't smell anymore - that's fortunate for me

[@barnmaddo]

on second thought, lets not watch this video while eating

[@dieseldragon6756]

I watch another channel covering this topic, and many people commenting there say they actually _do_ that! 😳 Hey; Coming from the UK, I know that it takes _Allsorts_ to make up a community... 😇

[@johneven2896]

This brings back memories working with my Pops in the early 70's, He installed a bunch of septic systems but he was a picky master plumber and I remember him saying then about a couple of them "If 2 fat people walk over this at the same time it's gonna fall in, I'm guessing even in the day a customer could cheap out on the quality but they were on their own if it failed.

[@KevinCoop1]

I put a septic tank in in 1984. About 12 years ago, I was walking in the yard and something looked weird. I walked up the hill, and the whole top had fallen in to the tank. Glad I wasn’t mowing across it when it went!

[@shthappens5124]

OH MY! That's where this one is headed, I think.

[@KevinCoop1]

@@shthappens5124 Luckily, I had a county pressurized sewer system tank and pump already installed that I had not made connection to yet. Cost me $25 to get installed. Didn’t want to start paying the high monthly costs yet.

[@troys6965]

Juat replaced a sluggish drain field that would also get submerged whenever the water table rose. Every line was clogged with roots. We elevated the new drain field and added a pump tank. I like that the new lids for old and new tanks are surface level. There's no longer a mystery as to what might be buried there. And I prefer being able to inspect and repair as much as possible myself.

[@Straight_Flush_Septic]

Oh! That's a big deal! I don't do installs but I know that hurt to pay that one. And yes - so nice to have lids at the surface. Thanks for the comments. Hope your resolved your shi*** situation!

[@troys6965]

@Straight_Flush_Septic The inspector arrived during the "dry" season. But since I knew the issues, I made clear his design criteria included where I knew the water table maxed out. It turns out that silt in sand (this is Forida) leaves evidence of water levels as well.

[@TheBorrito]

Other than the obvious safety issues. I loved the trick with 2 shovels to open the lid. Very nice.

[@shthappens5124]

Thanks!

The best option is to install the square to round plastic risers, a safety net and screw down plastic cover.. Our tank is old but solid since it was coated on the inside with a tar wash when new 65 years ago.. We inspected it with a camera on a pole and took both high resolution pictures and video right after it was pumped and cleaned.. I "repaired" the leach bed 2 decades ago which was originally an old school gravel leach pit that clay tiles ran through by installing several hundred feet of pipe and gravel.. Turns out the neighbor bought the 1 acre that it was on 10 years before the people sold me the house.. The inspector somehow missed this and screwed us.. To add insult to injury I had to buy a mismarked piece of my property back from the guy.. Buyer beware I guess..

[@shthappens5124]

Agree on the riser ! Wow - that is some real $hit!! Thanks for watching and appreciate the comments.

[@a.joegevara3519]

Could not ever possibly pay me enough to do this. I maintain mine and have only ever had one pumped out, which it didn't need. I ended up replacing the drain field because of root intrusion. Great life hack; I install a cleanout after the tank so I can add a 50# bag of rock salt, it keeps roots from growing! Don't forget your enzymes (Rid-X)

[@sstjacques]

Why is main lid so deep? To dig and pump out you need a mini excavator?

[@shthappens5124]

I've seen tanks just a few inches deep and over 12 feet deep Most I see are 12-36 inches. I bring the mini excavator on most of my inspections since we have to dig up all the components to confirm delivery of the waste water to each component. I have had to dig as many as 12 holes before to uncover the components and never know the depth, so its a real time saver as well as back saver. Usually don't need it to dig most tanks around here just to pump them but I do run into the occasional tank that we need the mini excavator because the tank is deep or the soil is rocky or full of roots. Dank depth just needs to be deep enough to allow enough fall and ensure the soil at that depth will allow the system to drain. Here the county health department makes that determination based on soil samples before installation. Good question.

[@b.a.1591]

I can almost guarantee unless that homeowner calls you back to fix the lid that they just filled it in and left it.

[@Straight_Flush_Septic]

I hope not - this was a septic inspection. I talked to the buyer, the selling agent and left an urgent message for the listing agent. I did circle the area with caution tape. Really didn't want to put the dirt back but that would create another problem so I did what I could to protect people and animals. Thanks for the comments.

[@b.a.1591]

@@Straight_Flush_Septic Sadly I have seen it so many times when both the buying and selling agent sweep a bunch of things under the rug to close the sale ☹

[@fillup40]

What is the solution?

[@shthappens5124]

A new septic tank lid is inexpensive and needs to be installed. I never heard the final outcome. Called both realtors and the buyer and let them know while I was still on-site. Also circled the area with caution tape. Never heard back if someone fixed this. Its a ticking time bomb if they didn't. I wasn't authorized to repair it and didn't have the lid at the time. I would have put one on there if I had one even if I wasn't authorized because of the potential danger.

[@Thoreau-e4l]

You didn't have a locator come out first?

[@shthappens5124]

I am the locator! There is no other real way to locate these things except probing. The locating is part of the service we provide. Can't use a utility locator - it won't pick it up.

[@Thoreau-e4l]

@shthappens5124 I didn't mean to find the tank, but to stay off gas lines, electrical lines etc

[@Thoreau-e4l]

@shthappens5124 I'm a plumber, and friend of mine has one of the busiest septic tank business in our area. We've dug up countless tanks.

[@shthappens5124]

@@Thoreau-e4l OH! gotcha. Good point. We do call that in sometimes. It's a 3 business day turn-around so I can't do it on everyone. This one did indeed make me a bit nervous. Would have been a good idea looking back on that now.

[@Truckguy1970]

My tank was like that too. I just put a riser in with a hard plastic lid

[@shaunmcinnis1960]

Don’t know if it’s strong enough to carry the weight of a person. Isn’t there 2000 pounds of dirt on top of it.

[@shthappens5124]

My concern exactly. Didn't want to leave it uncovered. But I didn't want to cover it. Had no way to fix it right then. So I called everyone that was involved with the transaction to let them know and I put caution tape around the area. Thought for sure they would say fix it now and I was expecting to come back right away,

[@porkrind3512]

Thankfully I do not have the new apple smellaphone. You know this smell like 💩

[@shthappens5124]

Ha ha! Its so weird- the smell doesn't bother me anymore - I hardly notice it, yet if there is dog poop around I can smell that and it does bother me. I'm becoming an authority on different poop odors.