He got real quiet. Then he said, "You know that water carrier I've got? I do believe that would fit in your pit pretty neatly, and I've got no earthly use for it."
I do know that water carrier; he used it before he put his well in, to shuttle water from D&L's place. It's a 275-gallon square plastic portable cistern, and the pit would accommodate it with maybe just a little modification. I don't know if I like the idea of dirt pressing on that much plastic square footage, but it is enclosed in an aluminum cage.
ETA: I thought about it over the evening and morning, and decided I'd be swapping a high probability/low impact problem (maybe I'll have to pump out the barrel occasionally) for a low-probability/high impact one (the whole thing collapses and I get to climb into a sewage-filled pit with a Sawzall and take it out in pieces, and/or rebuild my entire system.) So right now I'm leaning toward not doing this. On the other hand I've always wanted one of these for backup water supply, and the price is right. So I may buy it from him anyway unless examination says UV is already having its way with it. If the plastic has started to degrade, of course, the whole thing's off.
4 comments:
I know the container of which yuou speak, unless you want the opportunity to do this over, a really nasty6 job, I think I'd forget it.
How much do "real septic tanks" cost? I admit, while I have one, I've never had to buy one. I'd suspect that there are different sizes, you'd likely want the smallest.
It shouldn't collapse, since it would be full of water, but it wouldn't hurt to throw some old plywood around the outside to help until the soil settled. I would make sure it was full before you started backfilling. This type of plastic is thinner than the barrels you are using, so take that into consideration. On the plus side, it would multiply the time it would take until a pump out was needed and may help that by the bigger access hole in the top of the tank as opposed to a barrel. I'm thinkin' this may call for a "know how" article and a sketch of your septic setup since I may be placing the tank at the wrong place in your system.
I'm with Big Wooly on the need to reinforce the outside of the tank with plywood scraps. OR remove the metal framing altogether and box it in with a plywood box made of treated scraps. Save that spiffy metal box for some other purpose.
I would suggest making it the First container in the system to take advantage of the larger access opening when it comes time to call "the honey pumper".
I think [usually dangerous for me ...] I'd give it a try.
captgooch
Them tanks are damn flimsy. They also degrade under UV, lose their flex.
Having said that, how dry is the soil you're taking out? I'd wager quite dry? Build a plywood box around it, the cage will keep the plywood away from the tank, and the plywood will keep the soil away, and if it's not wet the plywood won't rot.
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