01/09/2019
Fibreglass Failure
This post is long overdue and I hope it will reach as many country living people as possible. Due to the acreage development boom of the 1970's, many of us living in those 70's built homes are discovering that we are requiring new septic/wastewater systems to replace the original. Let's face it, most of us would much rather spend this sort of money on a new quad or a small tractor for around the acreage, or something else a bit more gratifying than a buried waste collection/distribution system, yet it is a vital aspect of country living. So if we're spending this sort of money we definitely would hope that it would last as long as the thirty to forty years we got out of the original tank. The sad news is that they just don't make things like they used to regardless of whatever it seems to be these days and septic tanks are no exception. In fact, when it comes to septic tanks we are finding that except for a few manufacturers, quality is at an all time low.
I was really looking forward to watching some playoff football on Sunday morning after a nice sleep-in when I noticed I had already received a call on the emerg "bat phone" from a parkland resident in distress over a backup of unpleasant "stuff" in her basement. Quite often these are quick and simple fixes, like a pump switch gone bad, and we can be in and out in an hour, but not this time. When I opened the tank I could hear the pump making the sound of what is typically a worn out pump on its last legs but when I attempted to pull it up I encountered resistance indicating that it was stuck in "sludge" (which should absolutely not be in the liquid discharge chamber!). I pulled a bit higher and into liquid and tried again, and lo and behold that Barnes EV412 1/2hp pump (great pumps) that had been bogged down at the bottom, came back to life, and after pumping water through for a bit, looks to be good as new.
Pump was good, 850.00 saved for the customer, but for some reason we had a real mess of unwanted "sludge"at the bottom which would need to be removed so I ran to the farm and grabbed the vac truck for a quick clean out. What I had hoped was to be quick turned into hours as a new problem soon came into sight. The center wall was curved like a half moon and as I pulled from one chamber the tank equalized from the other; the center wall was broken. And the more I pulled out, the worse it looked, until I could pull no more, I was stuck. The vac, was unable to pull up whatever it was that was down there and I was thinking people really need to eat more red meat, if you know what I mean.
Only on a few occasions are we unable to empty a tank and is always due to a tank being full of clay. Sure enough, it was clay, a lot of clay, 2 feet of clay in the bottom of the tank. How could there be clay in a tank you might ask? Especially a tank that's only 5 YEARS OLD?? And here, my friends and neighbors, is the moral of the story: It was a fibreglass tank. I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but it was the fifth fibreglass/poly tank failure we have encountered in the past twelve months. I'm not sure if I mentioned this earlier but if not: DON'T USE FIBREGLASS TANKS!! (unless surface or close to surface temporary)
Here's why: In this case it's a combination of a poor product combined by a poor installation. These have to be installed perfectly or they will settle unevenly and will simply buckle and or break underground. If they are installed perfectly, there is still the issue of tank strength and durability. These tanks are constructed with a very thin center dividing wall with two thirds to three quarters of the volume on the settling side of the wall. So what happens when the settling side is filled for the first time?? You have the pressure of up to 10,000 lbs pushing on a 1/2" wall with nothing on the other side until the tank is completely full, which it never is because the discharge pump kicks in when that opposing chamber is approx half full and pumps it down to a quarter, the whole while there is a constant 3-5 TONS (600-1000 gal) pushing against it. They don't survive.
But what if your contractor is telling you that there is no way to get a picker truck into that part of the yard to set a concrete tank so there is no choice?? THERE IS A CHOICE! There are cranes and they cost a few more bucks (1000-1500) but we have used them to set tanks anywhere in a yard. And believe me, my new friend Tammy, would have been happy to spend an extra 1000-1500 to crane in a concrete tank if someone would have given her that option, while telling her the truth about the durability issues with fibreglass. Because now after five years and $10,000.00 initially spent, she has a real fight on her hands to try to get the contractor to admit they installed a poor tank incorrectly, both in faulty methods and application in general, and a tank manufacturer to stand behind their false claims of long life and durability.
On a positive note, when notified, the installing contractor did come out to take a look, which is a first, as they are normally never heard from again on these occasions. We'll hope for the best, but the bottom line is that after five years, this tank is done, and someone will pay to put a new one in. With a one year parts and labor warranty provided by the contractor at the time of the install, it will most likely be Tammy. And if the manufacturer and contractor do get to together and do the right thing...Tammy gets another fibreglass tank. Which means that in a few years, when I'm setting up to watch some Sunday playoff football, the call will come, and I will get in my truck and once again thank God for the guy who invented the PVR.
