Septic service for pit clean out?

[VThartzog]

So the previous manager was a bit lackadaisical on some maintenance here and there and it's been 3 years since our pit has been cleaned out.....I know it's a nightmare, we drained the water and there's a good three feet of muck. Our pit is a good 8x8x8 if not bigger.

I called a septic company out for Tuesday and they seem to feel like they can do it. Anyone else done this? I want to say it can be done since it's probably no worse than a septic tank. They are going to pump into their truck then pump into our dumpster. We started with buckets, but it would take every bit of 6 hours or more with 3-4 guys

[mikedean]

We use septic. Keep spraying water in there. We hooked our air up to a long PVC Pipe like an Ur gun and shoot air and water in while they are sucking. They spray it over their farmers field. Good for crops.

Some guys won't take it cause marble slurry is a designated substance.

[VThartzog]

Good to know. They don't need to take it, we're just pumping it into our granite dumpster. Sure the trash guys will looooove that load of slurry.

[clhilde]

Watch the weight

We rent a little backhoe and drain all the water off of it.Takes about an hour to clean out a 10X8X6

[DavidL]

It will leak all over outside of your dumpster... ask me how I know!!!

[tim farr]

it will also stick inside your dumpster.....ask me how i know

[VThartzog]

Eh, as long as its out of the pit is fine with me. We have roll off service so they bring a different dumpster every time.

[Angel]

you might want to pay a little closer attention. We caught our garbage guys using the same 2 dumpsters when exchanging. There was a foot of muck and stone that wouldnt be easy to dump.
We do use a septic company to clean out our pits and haul away last time it was 1200.00 we have 2 8x8x8 pits that get filed to the rim every year.

[Matt Lansing]

Take the plastic sheeting that comes between the bundles of slabs and line your dumpster with that. Then once you pump the muck into the dumpster let it sit for a few days to dry out otherwise it will make a horrible mess when they try to haul it.

I once had to follow the route that our dumpster driver drove from our facility to the landfill and clean the slurry off of the road with a squeegee and a broom. It was 10 miles long! Luckily the biggest piles were only at the 10 or so stop signs along the way.

We hire a company that specializes in cleaning out the waste traps in service garages to pump out our waterjet tanks and grey water tanks. They haul everything away too but its not cheap. Couple grand but only takes an hour as they have a full semi truck with a ridiculous high horsepower vacuum pump.

[Joe Durfee]

We use a service that is like a septic truck on steroids. They clean out car wash pits/catch basins/etc. It generally cost about $2000 or so to suck out the waterjet tanks (2 at Great Lakes and 1 here).

We had to do the whole environmental check before they could take it, but it was as simple as me reaching into the tank to collect a sample of mud and water.

We didn't have them do our pits because it becomes an OSHA confined space thing and they would have had to send more than one guy, therefore increasing the cost.

[Matt Lansing]

A couple of our guys have the confined space certification so they are the lucky ones who get to go in the pit!

[Rick George]

We have septic company clean our pits out about every 6 months and they haul away.

At my old company they dug a pit outside in their yard and would dump all the wet sludge into it and let the sun dry it out and then use end loader to dig it out and put into the dumpsters dry.

[GbD]

I have a three tank system. Water fills then over flows into the next tank, then the next. This created a situation where the heaviest dust settles in the first tank, and lighter in the next,and even lighter in the next.

I bet the first tank wont work with a septic pump, but the other two would be very easy to do. Gonna have to try it.

[Todd B]

Yep me too.

If its really hard then a water blaster with a fine jet nozzle (like a water pistol stream) will chop it up like butter.

[Rick George]

Wayne, that is exactly how my tanks are set up and they can still get the sludge out of the first tank. The people that do ours sends 2 guys, one uses hose and stirs sludge while the other sucks it all out.

[VThartzog]

Had the guy come at 2 to pump out the pit. It was bad, about three feet if not more of muck. The best part? A hydraulic line busting on the truck with ten minutes left at 5. About 30sqft of hydraulic fluid on the floor and flowing right into the trough that feeds the pit.....doesn't this stuff supposed to happen on Mondays? Two hours of clean up and hopefully a discount, it is finally done.