Having your own pool at home is a wonderful experience that allows you to swim anytime you want and enjoy the summer in your own garden.
Installing a pool, on the other hand, is a huge process that requires time, effort, and energy. It also requires a permit.
Installing a swimming pool in a random area within your home isn’t a good idea. You must be mindful of subterranean construction, like septic tanks.
We’ve put together a nifty guide that covers everything you need to know about moving septic tanks for pools. Let’s get started!
How Does a Septic Tank Work?
Everything that goes down your home’s toilets ends up in the septic system. Waste gets divided into three layers:
- Scum
- Liquid
- Sludge
Natural microbes in the tanks begin to chew away the sludge and degrade it. Then, the excess water drains through the baffle into the second chamber, in which the microbes continue the treatment. The treated water is then released into the earth through pipelines.
Why You Shouldn’t Build a Pool on Top of a Septic Tank
Your septic tank will fill up at some point and you’ll need to empty it. Because the entry to the tank is on the top, it’s difficult to access one with a swimming pool on top without draining, dismantling, and removing the pool.
Another reason a swimming pool shouldn’t be built on top of a septic tank is that the water weight can actually break the tank.
Placing a pool on top of a drain field might cause the pipes to break or collapse.
How to Move a Septic Tank for Pool
Many homeowners have no idea where their septic tanks are, which is why they might assume that moving a septic tank is almost impossible. It’s not, though; there are actually many service providers that specialize in relocating septic systems.
Here’s how you should go about moving a septic tank:
Locating the Tank
The first step in relocating your septic tank is to contact a maintenance company to help you locate and move your tank. Based on the features of your property, professionals will decide where to install the system. Once they find the right place, they’ll start moving right away.
Before lifting the tank from the soil, workers must first remove the manhole covers. Then, they use an excavator to remove the dirt covering the tank.
To avoid damaging the tank’s surface, workers use a standard hand-shovel as they approach the top of the device. Finally, they detach any pipes connected to the tank.
Once all of this is done, the tank will be ready to be moved.
Lifting the Tank
To lift the tank, workers place a bar into the tank. Then, they use cables to slowly lift the tank up and out of the hole.
The key is to lift the tank in tiny steps, not all at once. If it’s lifted too fast, it can be damaged. It’s worth noting that the tank is usually put in a flatbed truck while a new hole is being dug for it.
Placing the Tank
As soon as the tank is lifted out of its place, workers will measure its dimensions to determine the appropriate size of the hole. All the pipes will be reconnected once the tank is placed in its new position. It will also be covered in the soil again.
We recommend you remain far away from the workers throughout the entire relocation process. It’s unsafe to be too close to a septic tank because it’s an incredibly large and heavy unit.
Costs of Moving a Septic Tank for Pool
For better budget planning, it’s crucial to know how much moving a septic tank will cost. Like all other services, contracting jobs have upper and lower pricing ranges influenced by the following factors:
Inspection and Design Fees
The specialist must inspect the location before starting the moving process. The state of the current tank, the location you want to move it to, and the drain field are all aspects that should be thoroughly evaluated. This costs around $500-$1,000.
Note that the new location must be prepared before the transfer, which begins with evaluating if the location is capable of supporting a tank.
It’s also necessary to determine the drain field’s properties. Workers will also perform a soil test, which costs anywhere from $100 to $2,000.
Getting the Required Permits
Getting the required permit costs anywhere from $200 to $500, including the cost of multiple government inspection visits. They need to see the building site before, during, and after it’s completed.
Emptying the Septic Tank
To relocate a septic tank, the first thing workers do is make sure it’s completely drained. This is called septic tank pumping, and it’s a common process that’s usually done once every three years. This phase might cost anything between $250 and $600.
The Excavation Process
This stage includes several steps. Firstly, workers will manually remove the soil until they reach the tank. Then, comes the heavy machinery to remove the soil from the tank’s perimeter.
Obviously, this is a time-consuming process that needs a lot of manpower, machinery, and patience. This is why it can be a bit pricey, costing between $1,000-$4,000.
New Pipe Installation
If the old pipes are still in good condition, they’ll probably be reused for the new location. If they’re not, new pipes will need to be installed.
Pipe installation costs between $700 and $1,200.
The Drain Field
The allocated drain field should be ready to take over once the septic tank has been relocated. If you’re going to keep the original drain field, then you need to assess its functionality.
Drain field upgrades range in price from $3,500 to $11,000.
Wrapping Up
It’s always a good idea to have your own personal pool, but you need to be mindful of septic systems and other subterranean structures before you attempt to build one.
A septic system collects everything that goes down your home’s toilets. Having a pool on top of a septic tank can break it. This is why it’s best to move the septic tank to another location.