How do I start a septic tank that hasn't been used in a year? + other general septic tank questions?

Question

We are soon moving into a home we bought and the neighbors said the house has been vacant for almost a year but the owner has been coming by to do work on it occasionally.

I don't know how often the owner was there or if they used the toilet, but the electricity and water are still turned on, so maybe he used the septic system a little while he was there.

Anyways assuming it hasn't been used in almost a year:

What do I need to do to start it?

What sort of problems should I look out for if it hasn't been used?

Are there any shut off valves or anything I should know about?

Anything I need to do if it starts to back up? The house is near a river.

I've never had a septic tank before and this will be our first home.

I've heard of using yeast to keep it working properly:

How much yeast do I use to start it?

And how much yeast and how often do I use to maintain it?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

Answer 1

You're asking a lot of really good questions! First you should find out exactly what kind of septic system you have and where it is located. You should also find out where your well is located. Your local health department will have this information. If everything is relatively new, you should be able to just look in the yard to find those things, but not always.

What to do to start it? If you don't know when the septic tank was last pumped out, have it pumped out by a septic tank cleaner/pumper. Assuming you don't have any mechanical parts (like an aerator, lift station, mound, etc) then just start using it.

Your health department will be able to tell you what kind of system you have and what (if anything) you need to do before moving back in.

What to look for? Again, this will be determined by what type of system you have.

Do not waste your money with any kind of septic system additives, they do not work and some can damage your system. See http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/ssom_additives.html for an excellent, non-biased article.

How often to pump out the tank?
http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/0740.html

The septic tank is the protector for whatever is after it (leach field, sand filter, mound, cesspool, etc) and you're much better off pumping it out more often than less often. If you have teenagers, I count them as 2 people, since most of them use significantly more water than the rest of us, meaning pump out the tank more often if you have teenagers.

In theory, if you never use the system, it will never fail - so, the less water you put into it, the longer it will last. Use low flow faucets and toilets, if you're replacing a washer, use a front loader or one of the new high efficiency machines.

Last bit of advice - the only thing that should go into the system is what comes out of you naturally and toilet paper. Don't waste your money on additives.

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me.

Answer 2

Septic Tank Starter

Answer 3

Before you either start using it you can do several things. One is you can have it pumped completely out. Look in your phone book for a company that does this.
Two you can try using either Rid X or Doctor Drain or yeast. Or some other brand made for that purpose.
You might want to kick start it at few days before you move in. I always do this when I have been gone awhile before I start back using the septic tank:
I use Doctor Drain because it is USDA approved:
What I do is pour a jar of it into the toilet and follow the flushing instructions on the jar. Then let it set without using any water a couple of days.
Then I pour another jar of it into the toilet and again follow the flushing instructions, then let it sit a few more days:
When I get back home to stay I flush out the water line going from well to the house good. After I do that I flush out the water lines in the house good as well. (Flush out any bacteria that got in the lines or well.)
Then I use it normally and about once a week I pour a jar of Doctor Drain into the spetic tank again using the toilet and following the flushing instructions,.

Here is one thing you need to know about using a spetic tank. You can not use and cleaners that have bleach in them, or any cleaners or soap that is anti bacteria because it will kill the bacteria in your spetic tank.
If you have to use a cleaner such as comet that has a high Bleach content or Clorox bleach then you will have to add more spetic tank treatment because they will kill the bacteria.
AND THAT IS ALL SPETIC TANK TREATMENTS ARE! THEY ARE NON HARMFUL BACTERIA THAT EATS ORGANIC MATERIAL! Keep that in mind.
I like I said I use Dr. Drain because it is USDA approved, (You can get it a most Wal Marts) but you can use any number of different spetic tank treatments such as Rid X, or a block of yeast.
And like I said I normally treat mine once a week.
Next if you are having backing up problems you might like I said at first want to have it pumped out before you move in. If you are still having problems with it backing up then you might have a collapsed or stopped up field line. In that case you might have to dig it up and put in a new one. Or could be as simple as digging it up and laying it in gravel so it will drain right.

Hope that helps you.

Answer 4

pump the tank before you move in...i think thats required by law. have the well water tested i dont know about the yeast thing they make special septic bacteria that costs about ten bucks a bottle if you feel you need that.