My spetic tank is angry!!!

[Marc B.]

eddy,
You have septic tank/drain field issues.
Silver, chlorine bleach, and other things we dump down the drain do kill/inhibit digestive bacteria, (good bacteria and enzymes) in the septic tank.
The conditions you describe indicate that your septic tank is too full of solids, and/or your drain field is possibly obstructed, or inadequately sized.
Ask your father when last the septic tank was pumped. Five years or more last...pumping will probably be the cure.

You can introduce good bacteria and enzymes, two ways. Commercially available products like the aforementioned 'Rid-X,' or [free] yogurt.
Go to your local grocer/supermarket; ask if they will give you outdated, plain yogurt, or at least sell it at no more then 5-10 cents each.
Flush about half dozen, single serving yogurts a week, or at least twice a month.

[Vaughn]

...Flush about half dozen, single serving yogurts a week, or at least twice a month.

Take the yogurt out of the containers first...

[Fotch]

Old house? Usually a very small tank. The problem is more than just photo use. JMHO

[rdenney]

The reason septic tanks need to be pumped out from time to time is that not everything can be liquified by the bacteria, even when the silver doesn't kill them. Insoluable solids, called sludge, settle to the bottom of the tank. Depending on how much the system is used, it might need to be pumped every two years, or it might not fill up in 20 years. This is not related to occasional darkroom use, which produces no sludge. I'm not sure one photographer hobbyist could dump enough fixer to render a septic system ineffective, but wash water can back up just like everything else.

Rick "a civil engineer who notes that water treatment and sewage treatment are different disciplines" Denney

[Alan Curtis]

Your septic problem is most likely not photographically related. I've been using a septic system for over 40 years with many thousands of mostly useless negatives and prints with no damage to my septic system. The problem is too much fiber or maybe not enough, human related.

[jnantz]

pay the few hundred dollars to get pumped out, and have them look at the outlet pipe and inlet pipe.
sometimes they get plugged, sometimes tree roots grow into the pipes, or sometimes there is enough solid stuff
compacted at the bottom of the tank it reduces the volume the tank &c can hold. i asked if it backs up when showers, or washers run
because grey water fills the tank from those sorts of things faster than you doing darkroom work ...

[Louie Powell]

Two totally separate issues here.

First, as Vaughn says - use still water to wash negatives and prints. Six changes of water is sufficient to wash a set of negatives (I assume that you are using a hypo clear step in your process), and that translates into only a few gallons.

Second, the septic system problem is unrelated to your practice of washing negatives 3-4 times a day. Seriously, as twelve minute wash with the tap wide open is approximately equivalent to one person taking a shower. Even if you insist on a running water wash (in spite of Vaughn's great advice), three or four showers per day should not create a problem for a septic system. Instead, it sound to me like the septic system has simply advanced in age to the point where it needs to be pumped (depending on the number of people in the home and the percollation characteristics of the soil, that happens every 8-12 years). Another scenario is that you have a crack in the pipe from the house to the septic tank, and tree roots have now grown into the pipe. That will cost a few hundred bucks and cause you to have to replant/reseed the lawn immediately over the septic tank.

A more serious problem is that your drainfield has become clogged. That's a more expensive fix, and probably will require that you get a permit from the local authorities and undergoi one or more inspections as the work is done. You will also need to regrade and replant your entire lawn.

It is also possible that your system has failed, and because of soil conditions or local ordinances, you won't be able to install a replacement. Hopefully, in that case there is a town sewer option. What that sounds bad, there is some good news in that the solution is permanent and doesn't involve a septic system.

[Robert Bowring]

Sorry to hear about your septic problems. I also had a failing septic system last year. I think the drain field was really plugged up. A new system would have cost about $15000-$20000. Ouch! I checked out http://www.aero-stream.com/. They make a system to fix failing septic systems. I figured I would give it a try because it cost much less than a new system. I could not believe how well it worked almost immediately. It worked for me. Have not had a problem since I installed it. Don't know if it will solve your problem but you might want to take a look at it. Good luck.

[William McEwen]

Eddy, I'm not willing to automatically assume your darkroom activities are at fault...