Septic cleaning

I finished cleaning my septic tanks Sunday.  This Summer my drains started to drain slowly when I took a shower.  It has been almost 11 years since I last cleaned the tanks.  It was past time.

First I had to find the tanks as - I now know - they are 15 inches below the ground.  I forgot where they exactly were, or how far below the ground they were.  My old photos didn't show where they were.    I remembered they were low.  I started digging.  And digging.  And digging.  I dug about 10 feet to the south of where I started.  Finally I went down in my house's crawl space to see where the sewer pipe exited the house.  It turns out the tanks were about four inches north of where I had started digging.

I took photos so I know in the future where the tanks are.  The drain field is south and west of the patio.  That is why I thought the tanks were more to the south.  I forgot the initial pipe to the drain field hooks to the south before turning west out to the hayfield past the patio.

Here is the second of the two tanks after I cleaned it out.

You can't see it in the previous photos, but a few tree roots came in between the lid and the first tank.  Once in the tank the roots expanded and grew lots of micro-roots.   I cleaned the second tank first.  That is why the level was no longer up to the lid when I opened it as liquid in the first tank moved into the second tank as I cleaned that tank.

I removed three and a half wheelbarrow loads of the micro-roots and "manure".  I spread them out in the pastures to fertilize those areas.

Here are the tree roots that were growing just outside the tanks.  The side roots that went into the tank was smaller than my little finger.

Now I can take a long shower and all the water drains immediately.