Septic Tank Help

vanman99

Hi, looking for some guidance. I think I have an aerobic treatment unit, 3 tanks,. Tank 1 is where the crap goes basically, tank 2 is full of little aerobic balls and a lot of water. And then tank 3 is very little water....now tank 1 was full to the brim with water seeping out and the intake pipe full also, tank 2 doesn't seem to change the water level but is full of little plastic balls and a pump and tank 3 very little liquid, some electric cable and what looks like a fuse box. I had tank 1 emptied and de-sludged and tank 3 cleared, couldn't touch tank 2 but I think that's causing my issue with why tank 1 was full..... I've added photos of tank 2 and what it is full of, I have a suspicion these things should be in a bag and that split and is clogging up a pipe but any one any ideas if this is how tank 2 is supposed to look??

Meningate

Not a big help, but I've been looking at tanks myself this year and I've not yet seen one with loose plastic. Regarding water levels, once the tanks are full, the levels shouldn't change. As new stuff enters the primary chamber it displaces liquid and light waste into the middle chamber where it's aerated. Incoming into this chamber pushes some water out into the final settlement chamber which in turn displaces liquid into your distribution box and on to your percolation field, the chambers remain full at all times. The distribution box should be accessible somewhere in between tank and field and you will see how much is passing through. Hope you get a more definite answer.

vanman99

So, managed to get the original installer, the baffles should be loose, no idea what the cloth stuff is, maybe the sock from the pipe to stop effluent getting to tank 2 or maybe just a cloth...he reckons pump is gone in tank 1....

Meningate

Surprised about them being loose, there'd be nothing to stop them going into the next chamber and on into the percolation field. I've looked up several on line and the manufacturers that show a sectional diagram show them all together in one or two blocks although they don't give any sign of what holds them. Can't believe there would be any obstacle ( like a cloth) over the pipes between chambers as that would be most likely to cause a blockage. Could be someone in the Household is using the wc as a bin ��. Anyway, thanks for sharing and I hope you get it sorted ok.