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dlockhart · Jan 10, 2011, 03:07 PM

My drain field from my septic system has failed. While I'm working on gathering funds to get it replaced, my family and I need to take showers, wash clothes etc.

The septic tank is fine. I've been using a sump pump in one of our showers which the family all shares and it worked great, I could even wash clothes and run the dishwasher. I had the hose drain into a fire pit in our yard (no sewage, just water from our wash, showers etc, because I'm using a portable toilet which is working great & rented a porta potty just to use as a holding tank, so don't get grossed out :-)

Then all of the sudden my 1/3hp sump pump didn't work and I discovered it was now sucking up nothing but grease. It took 3 washes to clean my shower, and drain the shower pipe with a wet dry vac which worked. The pump is fine, but doesn't work well with even a little amount of grease.

Should I try a stronger hp sump pump maybe a 3/4hp? Is there another method? I don't want to use the wet dry vac every time, but if I have to I guess I have to

ballengerb1 · Jan 10, 2011, 03:49 PM

Where is the grease coming from that the sump is sucking? I thought you were just draining your shower pan with it. A few more questions. How do you know your field has failed and how do you know the tank is fine? Here is a short term idea to get you through the spring. Renting a porta ptty isn't cheap so let the sewage go to the septic tank but have the tank pumped. If you find the cap and open it there are places who will pump for about $100. Your tank is between 500 and 1500 gallons so for $100 you get a lot of sewgaed pumped compared to renting a porta potty.

dlockhart · Jan 10, 2011, 04:58 PM

Hi ballengerb1 this is my first time using this site and I can't seem to find where to reply to your questions this is the only way I know how.

The grease is coming from the drain in shower where I put the sump pump directly over it so that we can shower and have the water pumped out at the same time. As far as the drain field, I just found a review about the company that said it was my drain field and someone said Not to trust him.. they had a bad experience with him before. I did have my drain field "jetted" years ago when this happened and it worked fine for years, now all of the sudden 2 companies are saying it's my drain field and that jetting is a myth, when I know for a fact it worked for me.

Anyway.. I have the same company that jetted my drain field years ago. Come out and do it again or at least look at my septic system.

Suggestions?

dlockhart · Jan 10, 2011, 05:03 PM

Hey ballengerb1, I posted my reply to you right above, hopefully you can give me some more advice thanks again

ballengerb1 · Jan 11, 2011, 08:54 AM

Ypou have used the correct method to reply. Just type in the empty box at the bottom of each post. Where do you live? I have seen pipes jetted but a septic field cannot be jetted as far as I know. A properly working tank only allows sewage water to enter the fiels so there is no junk to be jetted. I wonder if they jetted the line between your home and the tank?