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My septic system is only 17 years old. I went to get it pumped, and they said the water level is less than a foot, so they couldn't pump it. It must be cracked. They gave me a quote to do a tank seal, which involved pumping, water jetting to see where the leaks are, and then repairing with...

I just signed up for an air source heat pump to replace my Boilermate hot water heater. I understand the basics of how it works, but I'm concerned at how much cooler my basement will be when the heat pump is running in the winter. It's a 50 gallon heat pump. The basement volume is 5000 cubic...

I have a Toto Carusoe tank that is cracked. The mounting bolts are 6-5/8" apart - maybe it's supposed to be 6-1/2" (kind of hard to measure exactly with a carpenter's tape measure). Lowes and Home Depot both carry a Toto Drake replacement tank. Same brand, but different model. I just checked...

I think the drain field is 2' deep. It was built in 2003 and went through 11 Massachusetts winters with no problem. The design codes here must account for the frost line in our area. The first sign of a problem was after the winter of 2014-15, when we had record breaking snow. If anything...

Thanks. Is there something you think I'm missing? Or is a Penn State article a no-no for a WV guy? :D

A biomat is only negative. If your drain field has a biomat buildup, it means you have too much anaerobic (non-oxygen consuming, bad) bacteria, and not enough aerobic (oxygen-consuming, good) bacteria. This is the best article I've found about them...

Before we had the problem diagnosed, I was worrying because it's been two and a half years since it was pumped. So pumping too often is not the problem.

There is a 1500 gal tank, and a 20x30 drain field with three lines. There was enough slope from the tank to the D-box that a pump wasn't needed. No floats, control panel, blower, or filter. But every inspection of the tank has come up clean. We've had the tank pumped and inspected at least...

I guess it's a traditional system. It was state of the art in 2003, and met all Mass. Title V requirements. They did a perc test before installation. The field actually had to be one foot higher that normal (5' above undisturbed soil instead of 4') because it perked so fast. The guy who...

We live in northeastern Mass. We had a whole new septic system in 2003, put in by a reputable company. 1500 gal tank for 5 people, now 2. No dishwasher, no garbage disposal. We are careful what we put down the drain, and have the tank pumped regularly. Last year (2015) we noticed the ground...

After a few hours, I ran the water again, and the smell was back. It probably sounds like a stupid question, but I was wondering if there was a way to run chlorine just through just the pipes (as opposed to putting chlorine in my water tank, which just sounds like a bad idea), letting it sit...

Thanks for the help. I ran the cold water for about 20 minutes. I'll see how it goes when I run it again.

I know it's not the drain because I can smell it in the water, either as it is flowing from the faucet or when I pour a glass. There is no smell with the hot water. I've noticed a similar smell for years from a faucet in my garage. Just like the new bathroom, the smell goes away after a...

I remodeled my bathroom, and for various reasons, it was a very long time - almost two years - between when I installed the new sink and tub/shower valves and when I finally installed the sink and began using the bathroom. The bath/shower faucet was used occasionally during that time, but not...