How Do You Get Rid Of A Septic Tank?

You might have a septic tank on your property if you recently bought an older home. The same applies even if your home has a municipal connection. It is possible that a previous owner connected to the city sewer at a point in the past when the septic system was abandoned.

Today, proper abandonment of septic tanks is regulated, but in years past, the tanks were simply left in place and forgotten about. If you have children, pets, or livestock on your property, an old septic tank poses a huge safety risk. Your best option is to have the old tank emptied or destroyed. Let's examine the process in more detail.

There May Be A Need For Permits And Inspections

There are local codes governing how to abandon old septic tanks due to their safety hazards. Children may open the lids and fall into them if they are curious. A person walking over an old tank can cause it to crumble and fall. In addition to the toxic nature of the contents of a septic tank, the concrete falling on top of you can be fatal.

Septic waste used to be collected in steel tanks years ago. Due to the rusting and fragility of the steel, this practice was discontinued. Likewise, concrete cracks after years in the ground.

Septic tanks are like caves with a lid that might give way at any moment. In that case, the well should be abandoned in accordance with the local codes, followed by an inspection by the city to verify that the closed tank is safe.

Crush And Bury Or Remove The Old Tank

In any case, your contractor will decide what the best course of action is for getting rid of your old septic tank. If it's steel, it's probably going to be crushed and buried. You can separate the bottom and sides of a concrete tank so that it can't hold water, and then fill it with sand, gravel, or some other type of rubble and bury it.

After the soil above the tank has been compacted, the rubble and sand will not shift when someone walks on them. You can completely remove tanks, or you can destroy and bury them there. If you plan to build another addition or build a pool on the site and need to get rid of the remains of the tank, it may make more sense to remove the remains.

The Abandonment Needs To Be Documented And Mapped

Even when they are active and in use, septic tanks can be hard to locate since they are underground. Once abandoned, the tank can become nearly unnoticeable. A future owner will have no idea that it still exists. Therefore, it would be valuable to draw a map of its location. You will also get the permit and inspection papers that prove the work was completed in compliance with code from your city or county.

The new owners will value knowing there are large chunks of concrete buried underground before they dig things up in the yard if you can prove an old septic tank was abandoned correctly.

It is possible to have more than one abandoned septic tank on your property since septic systems do not last forever. Finding out what lurks under the soil of your property may require some investigation.

When you discover an old septic tank on your property, contact Fuller-Wente Inc. so we can perform proper septic tank removal abandonment procedures in line with local regulations and protect you and your family from injury or death.