Cesspool concerns
We have a cesspool. We recently had it pumped. Water was pooling on top so we figured it was time. The guy came, pumped it out, and didn't say anything about possible clogs. We haven't had anything backing up into the house. There is still water pooling on top, a fair amount. Not sure what our next step is here or if there's anything that we could do ourselves, any recommendations as to who we can call as the guy who came must not have looked at it very hard. Thanks!
Birdie oh Birdie; that's not good news;
the sides are probably clogged with debris and grease which blocks water from flowing through
there are some chemicals you put in to try and eat away at it, but don;t expect much
you can try and shunt the grey water form dumping in there (that's the clothes washer water and dishwasher water) maybe you can pipe their output somewhere else. (yes it's ok to do that as long as you don't create a problem for your neighbors or the street)
winter is worse for cesspools. also most of them are 100 years old, they get plugged,
bad news, because you probably have to put in a real septic system.
that can run you 10 - 20 thousand dollars,
see if you can get it done as a 'repair' of an exisitng system, permits are easier to get and pricing is modified some.
this happened to me many years ago, and it was painful to remediate it
BrotherDog cesspools dont often back up into the home, due to the fact that they are mostly made of stone and realy arent sealed at all so as long as they are lower then your lowest drain they wont backup into house they just run out on to the ground.. you have to remember this cesspool was most likely designed by the home owner not a enginr. and this can be a plus cause old farmers, home owners, often knew the land better then a perk test can tell you about it. anyway. You probly have a leader running outta the cesspool to drain off the liquids, I would bet you that leader is clogged. I have done this often in the past and it sucks but so be it. You need to get down into the cesspool. be very careful they often but not always contain poison gasses the that will knok you out and anyone who enters after you to save you. So if you arent confident in entering it have a person who is help with it. but you gotta snake out that leader. I have used a water powered snake for this and it works best IMO. Also dont acid treat the cesspool to open it, that causes the ground around it to get very hard over time and it wont drain well. Use a coustic, pure lye, I would put in about 10lbs at first, that amount of lye will eat up all organic matteral and really get it flowing. But all these steps involve dangers LYE will blind and scare you very badly almost worse then most acids. So you need a very crafty husband or friend to help you with this. be careful. and yes you can still buy lye in 30lb buckets, I know many will say its hard to find anymore cause meth labs control there reactions with it so alot of places dont carry any more but any chemical company will have it for sale. the peroxide wash works also but is very costly to purchase chemicals compared to lye and it doesnt work any better.
aguy if it doesnt have a leader outta it, but you have to look for leader it should have one. then dont buy any chemical off the shelf at home depo ect. get lye its the only thing thats gonna eat up that much build up. and it is completely safe to the ground and enviroment. thou Im sure someone will want to tell me it isnt safe to the enviroment, but it is and they are wrong.
if you are up in the woods where no one can see you, get a guy with a back hoe to dig a seapage pit next to it and tye them together, it most likely will out last you if you do that.
Ha, all it would take is *one* person to catch wind of a non-permitted septic modification (i.e. just digging a bigger pit) and the 10-20k for a new system would seem like chump change compared to the fines and legal trouble if they decided to tip off the town.
My parents just had theirs replaced for 20 something thousand $, and my dad hates spending money. Just no way around it, IF it truly needs to be replaced.
I passed up buying a house in Byram due to a questionable cess pool. So glad I did, and the $75/quarter I spend for water/sewer is so worth it for the peace of mind.
Hopefully, your system is repairable with more aggressive cleaning or chemicals, but at some point, there's only so much the dirt can handle before it needs to be excavated and replaced.
Mark Mc. As of April 2012, no sale of any property containing a cesspool will be permitted, unless to a family member. I also don't think they are issuing repair permits for cesspools, either (but I'm not 100% sure on that). Make an anonymous call to WCHD in Oxford for more answers. Just don't give them your name and address (-;
ianimal 
LVMomOfBoys you need to have a new septic system installed...neither Rid-X or lye is going to solve the problem. it is illegal to have septic wastewater leaking on your property.and the leaking wastewater might contaminate your drinking water supply . the honeydipper who pumped your cesspool is not an expert who could evaluate your problem. you had better get an engineer to look over your problem.you will need a proper contractor...and get permits from the town you live in.you have a serious issue with your cesspool.for anyone else with a septic system...get it pumped every three years...and do not dump grease into the system.
oldman 
eapos I was always told you should never pump out a cesspool. But if the guy was indeed able to access your cesspool to pump it then no clog there so it could be as mentioned above a clog in one of your leaders. Washing machines were the downfall of cesspools they put a huge burden on these systems. Also antibacterial soaps kill the bacteria that's supposed to break down waste. Most companies today really only know septic systems and they troubleshoot cesspools as if they were the same....not good. Be careful using septic system chemicals too they are very harsh for these old systems. Good luck.
honey badger a cesspool is an underground tank that drains directly to the soil...some work very well...most fail. a septic system has a waste tank that contains the solid waste and allows waste water to drain into a leach bed.the waste tank in a septic system needs to have the solid wastes pumped out at least every three years...if the tank is not pumped out...the solids will overflow into the leach field and clog it...and then the whole system will have to be repaired or completely replaced
Override of Caller ID: dialing *67 before the number you are calling. :-)
http://www.ehow.com/how_4828987_make-anonymous-phone-call.html
runnerBirdie, if you have the land to do it, draining your washer and dishwasher into a dry well would help tremendously. I don't know if that is legal in NJ though.
My house had the original cesspool when I bought it. But it is an Albatross hanging around your neck. I new it needed to be upgraded if the house was sold. Which it will be. I figured, for $20k, I should at least get to use the new septic and had it installed about 7 years ago. Also, you do start to get nervous when you read stories about homeowners mowing their lawns plunging into the old cesspool. Especially when you have kids.
If the pooling is visible, hope that a neighbor won't complain to the county health department. Good luck.
maja I "feed" mine yeast. The kind that looks like a stick of butter. Mine is about 70 years old.
Ms Fishy if its been freshly pumped 15lbs of lye will work wonders. I would saturate 5gals of very cold water at a time with about 1-2lb of lye in each 5gal pale and keep pouring it in. only mix up the solution in a glass or plastic container never ever aluminium container it with react and hurt you. stirring it with a glass or plastic item. it will heat up quickly on you so you may want to add ice to the solution to keep it from reacting to quickly. in the old days they would use lime water to do this but its not really avble anymore and the above works better IMO. pot ash or soda ash will most likely work also but you will need alot more of it. they would also shot a groung hog and throw it in afterwards to get bactiria going but that not really needed. dry wells for washing machines arent allowed any more, but you see them often. even on some very new propertys.
In the old days, one might have put a "spider leg" on the clogged cess pool. That is dig down to below the frost line next to it, then trench out a bit to a new gravel pit (leech field). punch a hole in the cess pool wall, lay in some perforated pipe, cover with gravel and soil. Done, should last a few years or forever.
A lot of cess pools are stacked cinder block or stone so punching the hole is not too hard.
of course probably illegal today but perfectly fine when the cesspool was put in.
mistergoogle Ok we are definitely NOT going to be going into the cesspool, lol. Honestly, when we bought the house I was kind of clueless, I thought it was a septic, I really had no idea it was a cesspool. I will have someone come look at it this week. I'm not comfortable using anything that can blind me, because with my luck, I will be blind. Thanks everyone.
Maybe it's an older septic system. How do you tell the difference? The house was built in the 30's but it was gut renovated before we bought it. I am REALLY freaking out here because we cannot afford to have a whole new system put in.
a septic system tank is sealed tight to prevent ground water from entering it or leaking out of it before leach feald. what is it made of. if its stone its a cesspool, if its a precast cement tank or has a good lid on it that seals tite its septic system . your survay may also show its lay out which will be easy for you to tell
Your realtor should have told you what it was when you bought the house. Cesspools are no fun and outdated.
botheredbyu if you call any big name guys Rus reed ect you are going to end up with a new septic most likely. but I think your leaders are clogged. or the baffle on them but if its old system no baffles. the rite person can get this working for you again, but you dont want to ask or call everyone and give your name, use friends and co workers to help you contact rite persons for job, you need one of those old farmer type guys who can fix anything. there are still a few around.
and dont let them use fear to make you sign a contract, the whole world has nite mare storys about septics system, so most people try to scare you into going there way. even that stupid ridex comrcail on tv trys to make you think you can prevent going broke by useing there stuff. and ridex ect doesnt do anything good, just breaks down solids so they can enter your feald and clog it, you want the solids staying in tank so you can pump them out.
Sounds to me like you have a leach field problem and not the whole septic system you get those leach field problems when on dissolved soaps mainly laundry detergent dry soaps they cling to the rocks in the leach field and doesn't allow the water to drain into the ground I know there are a few chemicals you can put into the leach field to dissolve the soaps other than that look into putting in a new distribution box and a new leach field much cheaper than replacing the whole system
We have a round stone thing that they took off to pump it out. If that helps. My husband is going to call around tomorrow. Are there any recommendations as to who we should call? That can repair rather than recommend a replacement?
You're dancing on the edge of legality. If you were to try a spider leg, you probably want privacy and a back hoe guy who is not in the septic business (so has less to risk). Tough time of year to be in this fix. Might try another pump followed by massive chemicals to break clogs/stuff up but not sure that would even get to spring if you wanted to try a little digging under cover.
Don't have a reference for that kind of work, I have used Tom Zukoski of of Blairstown I think for legit septic work. He is down to earth and knows his stuff and is a fair price if you need to go new.
I'm not trying to do anything illegal or anything. I just want to see how we can get it fixed and what our best options are. I don't know anyone to come in with a backhoe or anything like that and I'd be worried it would be even more messed up or something. Are you saying we cannot legally even have this repaired?
No, I really don't know and am amateur at best in the area. But it does sound like your field is bad or flow to field is bad so hopefully it's flow and they can "blow it out" somehow.
Birdie, I never did find anyone who could suggest cesspool improvements. I did use a bacteria product that worked to keep the system going, but I think the company has gone out of business.
Try something strong ( I don't know where you would get lye as suggested ) maybe like: http://www.amazon.com/Ecological-Laboratories-Microbe-Lift-Cesspool-Treatment/dp/B000DZD3MY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Plus avoid using your washing machine as much as possible for a while. Maybe you can do laundry at a family members house. If you have a garbage disposal,don't use it at all.
Good luck!
you can find septic businesses that will stick high pressure water probes into your leach field and back wash the system...but that is a temporary measure at best... if your leach field is clogged with sediment and solids there is almost no way to restore it to use.
You may want to contact an engineer who can tell you what is legal as far as repair and will advise you on current code, etc. Might be worth the consultation to get accurate info.
as maja said.. dont use a garbage disposal. thou I dont think anyone would of installed one knowing system is older. as for having it pumped again I would only do that if I wanted to find the leader/s out of pit so I could snake them. but if you do for some reason have it pumped again, have the driver pump it a cpl of times to bust chunks of solids free. driver can put postive prs on truck tank and with alot of force refill and repump cesspool a few times to wash walls of pit clean. he shouldnt have a problem doing this for you. it only takes a few extra minutes and doesnt fill up his truck anyway. and they do it all the time. thou it does seem funny when doing it tthat your washing out your septic with other peoples poopy water, but it will help flush solids from your cesspool pit. some of these guys who pump septics are great people and really are interested in what they are doing for you and know some tricks,some just needed a job. You can tell what type of drive you got rite away by chatting with him. Ive had guys hang around an extra hr while I messed with tank so they could help me out, and Ive had guys who just want to pump it out and go. best of luck
the best cesspool cleaner was an old time guy.he came over and lifted the lid off.he then lowered a broomstick type contraption with what looked like a coat hanger on the end that was attached to a big battery.into the cesspool...we have never had a problem since he did his work. he charged us $200.00 . I hope this helps
pennypincher Birdie:
If I am reading these right, I think you have two choices --- try to fix or replace.
An engineer will replace.
Many "septic" experts will advocate replace; I think you want to find an "expert" who frequently works on cess pools and is recommended based on fixing someone's cess poll. Otherwise, even if they say they will try to fix it, they might just be taking your money to get to the real deal --- the new one.
When I did mine, and again this was before the controls got stricter, I did research and found someone who had done spider legs before. While they would not gaurantee it, and most certainly couldn't say that if it worked how long it worked, they did say they had done it many times and most often it worked. And I believed them.
Sounds like you have a fouled field. You want someone who thinks they can "breathe" life into your field and make the cess pool leach out like it is supposed to. This is probably some kind of cleaning or "blowing it out,", some super "draino" cess pool cleaner or both.
I wiish I had a contractor's recommendation for you.
Update: We had someone come and look at it. He said that it is most likely a clogged pipe. The leech field and pool itself are functioning fine. He said we can try and flush more bacteria down it to unclog it. If that doesn't work, we can have him dig around the pipes and he can repair it. Thank you everyone for your advice, we really appreciate it and will keep you updated!!
if you have a clogged pipe bacteria will not unclog it. you need to figure out what type of system you have. Its either a cesspool...or a septic tank with a leach field...if your tank and field are functioning normally you have a clog in the pipe leading from the tank to the leach field...in the between the tank and the field should be baffles and a d-box...you will have to dig them up to get a better picture of why your system is failing.
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