# hole in lawn near septic tank.



## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

I've noticed soft spots before but today when mowing I stomped down and my foot went in the ground about 4-5". I kept pushing and you can see the area where grass sunk.

This us near the end of my concrete septic tank. There are no tunnels like moles make in my back yard. This part of Fla doesn't have many sinkholes. 

I pushed a tomato stake in the hole and it went down 16" in a couple of spots. Its not wet and doesn't stink.

Any ideas?


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Start digging and see what is going on. Could be your tank has failed.


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## Jim F (Mar 4, 2010)

If it was mine I would start digging until I found the problem. Is this a fairly new tank? It could just be ground settling. That would be an easy fix.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Joed,
Wouldn't I have some kind of trouble, like with drains in the house, or bad odors outside?

This is at the far end of the tank, opposite where the guy opened it to pump it when I moved in. ( 3 yrs ago).

Im able to start digging, but I'm a little afraid.

What would I look for?

Jim,
Its 31 yrs old and there are no trees roots nearby and I had a man who's been in the business for 50 yrs inspect it and he said it was a good concrete tank.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,.... Yer lookin' for a broken pipe, as the dirt falls into it, 'n is carried away by the effluent, hence yer hole,...


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Bondo.
Ok, Ill call the Septic Co, I used to drain the tank, an see who they recommend.

Hope it doesnt cost much.

Now if one spot broke hope other spots don't break.


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## Javiles (Dec 12, 2011)

Fill the hole with #2 rock just below the grass line and see what happens. may just be a gap around the septic tank cavity sinking common problem keep an eye on it.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

My lawn looks like it has a belly button.

Javiles,
Ok, I'll buy some gravel an try that.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,.... You say it's 31 years old,..?? That's not settlement, but a Problem,....

Just fillin' the hole, will lead to more stone, 'n soil fillin' the leach field,....


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Filling will not fix the real problum.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Ok, I'll dig down a little.


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

Tell someone to watch while you dig just in case it is one of those Fl sinkholes. We don't want to lose a forum member. Better yet, tell someone to dig while you watch.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

LOL, 
Seriously, I think thats what scares me.

A couple of yrs ago a man, over near Tampa, was sleeping in his bed an a sink opened and swallowed him. His brother ran in and just saw his arm disappearing down the hole.

I'm going to call someone and if it costs to have them investigate the hole I'll do the digging then.


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

If you know the depth of your tank lid- thats how deep you'll probably need to dig- plus a tad more to the outlet pipe....


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Heres a photo from 3 yrs ago when the inspector marked the tank with white flags and drainfield with yellow flags.

When I watched the tank being drained I'd say its the depth of the tomato stake I poked down, about 18"

From the white flags, now it looks like the hole is on the side of the tank away from the drainfield.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> From the white flags, now it looks like the hole is on the side of the tank away from the drainfield.


Ayuh,... That would lead one to believe the input pipe is broken, 'n the tank is fillin' with dirt,.....

That's a Plus, as yer not fillin' the leach field with dirt,....

I'd probably uncover the tank, 'n dig to the side where the failure is,...
Then fix the pipe, 'n have the tank pumped,...


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Bondo, whew, news not as bad as expected, thank you. Im guessing a septic company are the ones who fix an "input" pipe, so I'll call around today.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Startingover said:


> Bondo, whew, news not as bad as expected, thank you. Im guessing a septic company are the ones who fix an "input" pipe, so I'll call around today.


Ayuh,... It could be alot worse, no doubt,....

Good chance to pump out the tank, 'n start fresh too,....


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Bondo,
You were exactly right. I felt so much better when Septic Co. confirmed it.

They just left. Only charged me the standard 230 pumping fee.

When they dug down in the hole where my foot went in ground, about 16" down there was a big black flex pipe that broke off the concrete tank, on the end about 14" down from top of tank. They said no sand was in tank. 

What confuses me is they called it "sinkhole lid". The big lid, (that lays on top of tank) that they take off to pump, is at the other end, near the house.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> Bondo,
> You were exactly right. I felt so much better when Septic Co. confirmed it.


Ayuh,.... Cool,.... even the blind squirrel finds a nut once, in awhile,..... :thumbup:

or in My case, common sense, 'n logic usually get ya right,....


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## Tom738 (Jun 1, 2010)

Startingover said:


> Bondo,
> You were exactly right. I felt so much better when Septic Co. confirmed it.
> 
> They just left. Only charged me the standard 230 pumping fee.
> ...


Did they pump it too? If so, nice deal. Might be a company worth sticking with.

Now is the moment to reflect on how happy you are that you didn't just fill the hole with gravel. :yes:


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Tom, yes they pumped it too. I'm very happy.

This is my first experience with septic so I was nervous about it when I bought the house but am accustomed to it now. I wish we had city sewer, but no one wants to pay the monthly fees.


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## Tom738 (Jun 1, 2010)

Startingover said:


> Tom, yes they pumped it too. I'm very happy.
> 
> This is my first experience with septic so I was nervous about it when I bought the house but am accustomed to it now. I wish we had city sewer, but no one wants to pay the monthly fees.


Yeah, there are definitely pluses and minuses. Septic is usually better if you have the land to do it without it being a hassle; a few hundred bucks every few years for forty years is really cheap operating cost for waste management.

The capital cost of replacing it is big, though, when you have to replace a drain field. It also gives you more incentive to follow good waste management practices (e.g. don't put much bleach or fat down the drain, etc...), and you have increased pumping frequency if you run a garbage disposal, etc...

Anyway, I'd read up on them a bit if you haven't already. If nothing else, you want it pumped and inspected every few years. Here is a chart:

http://inspectapedia.com/septic/Septic_Tank_Pumping_Schedule.php


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Tom, nice of you to post that link which I'll keep. The garbage disposal didn't work, so I had it removed and keep a trash can near the sink for veggie scrapes which I take out every day. I was warned about grease so am careful.

 didn't know about bleach and I use a lot for cleaning. I'll cut back.

I also didn't know about any inspections but that makes sense.

Thank you.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Crud!

Its been one month since that pipe coming out of the septic tank was fixed (where it broke loose).

Slowly the ground was sinking again. Now that hole is deeper than it was before it was fixed. 

Its too deep 12" to account for ground settling so I guess I have to call the septic Co. again.


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## Ghostmaker (Mar 2, 2013)

If it's a concrete tank don't stand on it or work alone. It may collapse.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Ghostmaker, 

Omg. Could that happen? Yes, its concrete. Can the septic Co tell me about the integrity of the tank?


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## Ghostmaker (Mar 2, 2013)

Yes it can and has happened. Over time concrete weakens with water. Our head septic guy was looking for a tank he found it SH** bath and all.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

The city told me it would be 15 yrs before we have sewer lines. I hope this tank lasts that long.

Im almost a germaphobic so if I ever fell in you can just shoot me!


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

The Septic Co came today. He said there was a gap around the hose and dirt had just settled. He filled the hole with water and the water stayed. He said if the hose was broken off the tank the water would drain.

He said I'm not going to fall in.

All's well in my world......for the time being.


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