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Septic System


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My house in unincorporated Collin county was built in 1983 on the site of the original farmhouse, which was moved a few lots away. Dishwasher, kitchen sink, and clothes washer go to the original tank, age unknown. Everything else goes to the new(er) septic system. Old system is failing. Am I asking for trouble if I send everything to the newer septic system?

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1 hour ago, Reagan1k said:

What type / size is the new system?  Conventional (gravity drain with field lines) or advanced system like aerobic? 

Why was the new system put in but not made to handle the whole load?  

New system is conventional 3-tank that dates back to 1983. We bought the house in 2003 and the original owners had already passed away. Our tank cleaning service had serviced the previous owners and had no idea the old tank existed until we started having problems with it.

So, we have no idea why the load was divided between the two tanks. Choice now is to repair the old system (expensive) or send everything to the newer system (cheaper). The newer system has worked with no problems for the past 15 years. It is only my wife and I in a 3 bedroom/3 bath house.

I'm calling the tank cleaning service on Monday to see what they think. I was just wondering if there was a possible reason the original owner kept using the old tank.

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If the “new” system was sized for the whole house then diverting the grey water to that system should not overload it.  It was sized to handle it.  If they sized the new system smaller than normal for a 3/3 due to the grey water going elsewhere then it may cause an issue.

if you can find out the sizing on the new system it will answer your questions. 

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19 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Dishwasher and clothes washer are greywater I believe, so you could go with a greywater distribution system to take some load off the newer septic and save some money.

This. You don't want to overload your septic system with greywater. If you can run it to the old system, I'd go with that. Old timers used to run the sink and washing machine straight into the yard.

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You can run the grey water straight into a pipe with holes drilled in it. Dig a trench a few feet deep and fill with gravel. Bury said hole filled line a foot or so deep so all the water sinks into the gravel and then soaks into the ground. No need for a tank or anything. Not sure about the permitting requirements these days, but you live in an unincorporated area, so chances of the government getting their parties in a wad are not high. Do this and you shouldn't have to worry about it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

One other thing to consider would be your plans to potentially sell the home at some point in the future.

A buyer might want to or be forced to have the system checked and if you do anything that is not permitted / up to code, it might necessitate spending more money down the line to rectify it.  

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