Awful smell, awfully expensive.

March 28, 2008

By Jenny Andreasson
The Seminole Voice

Human waste bubbled in the clogged septic tank below.

When the tank’s lid was lifted off, a portable-toilet aroma permeated the fenced backyard. Heavy wads of toilet paper, dyed a light brown, clung together at the surface of the tank. While thinner, single-ply toilet tissue disintegrates quickly, the two-ply kind takes longer, and in this case, it caused a clog. Toilets didn’t flush. Water stayed in the sinks. Baths didn’t drain.

An alarming number of homeowners don’t know they need to pump out their septic tanks at least every three years to prevent clogs such as this one, said Troy Simmons, of Dial Septic Tank Service in Oviedo.

Simmons and his partner Jeff Califar hooked up a long vacuum tube and proceeded to pump out the clogged tank into the company’s pump truck, which can hold 32 tons of stinky stuff.

Unfortunately for this homeowner, the pump-out only bought time. Because the tank went 10 years without being pumped out, the drain field — the area that absorbs the decomposed waste from the tank — built up with solids, clogging and straining it to the point where it needs to be replaced.

“People are killing their own drain fields,” Simmons says. “They don’t know any better.”

Instead of paying about $80 a year to maintain the tank, this Oviedo homeowner will have to pay about $3,500 to replace the drain field. That’s cheap compared to larger ones — built to handle bigger buildings — which can run $6,000.

A septic tank holds wastewater that comes from the kitchen sink, washing machine and bathrooms. The waste is decomposed by bacteria into gas and liquids. The gas is released through a vent above the roof, and the liquid flows by gravity into the drain field, usually an underground area of stone and perforated pipes beyond the septic tank.

Simmons said that sinks and toilets should not be considered trash bins. Many items can clog a system, including two-ply toilet paper, paper towels, baby wipes, tampons and kitty litter. Grease is a common culprit because it is solid at room temperature and can’t be broken down by the bacteria. Liquid fabric softener causes problems, too.

“It’s amazing the number of people who flush their toilet and never wonder about where it goes,” Dial Septic owner Carl Anderson said.

The company, which started with just a wheelbarrow and a shovel 34 years ago, pumps out about 20 to 30 septic tanks a week. About 10 jobs a week involve repairing or replacing septic tanks that have failed.

If you thought septic tanks were dying out, consider that Seminole County has about 40,000 septic systems alone, according to a Florida Department of Health estimate.

Anderson said there are monetary benefits to running on septic. It costs $80 a year to maintain, which is cheaper than paying sewer rates of $20 to $30 a month.

Despite its reputation, he said, septic is not a way of the past.

“There will always be a place for it,” he said, referring to continued growth into rural areas. “We’re always building out past the sewer and water services.”