The Septic System Owner's Manual Revised Ed.

Customer Service

avid Hayward came home one summer day to find brown, swampy puddles in his front yard. As he puzzled over the brown ooze, his neighbor strolled over and identified the problem: " Looks like your septic system went." Until that day, David didn"t know septic systems died he thought of his system as a simple underground tank that just made wastewater disappear.

His local septic contractor pumped the system out twice. The diagnosis: Clogged leach field. The recommendation: Replace the entire leach field to the tune of $12,000. Mother Earth News October/November 2002 As the old saying goes, "what you don"t know, can hurt you.

" Your septic system is designed to receive regular maintenance ignore it, and it could end up costing you a significant amount of money. You received an owner"s manual with your $15,000 new car here is the manual for your $30,000 septic system. This book is for the 60 million people in the U.S. whose homes have septic systems.

It describes a basic gravity-flow septic system, including the tank and the drainfield. It will tell you a bit about soil and the process of how microorganisms purify water-borne pathogens. You will learn what you, and all the other members of your household, can do daily (dishes, toilet, washing machine) to promote healthy functioning of a septic system.

We will describe common-sense maintenance, periodic tank inspections, and tank pumping when necessary. There is a chapter on what to do if things go wrong, and information on simple graywater systems and on composting toilets. Alternatives to the typical gravity-fed septic system are described, including mounds, sand-filters, pressure-dosed drainfields, and wetlands.

1999 Shelter Publications And for the small town facing the likelihood of a town-wide septic system upgrade, we provide advice on basic organization, dealing with engineers, and selecting the best option for wastewater disposal.

Published/Edition: Shelter Publishing . 2007 . ISBN/0936070404