Photo by AnyaLogic

Those of you with a weak stomach might want to skip this post.  Every three years, we have our cesspool serviced.  I know, thanks for sharing, Enrique.  We have a few thousand gallons of “stuff” pumped out, and about 25 gallons of sulfuric acid added to both cesspools, the main and the overflow.  This keeps us going for another three years through endless showers, laundry, etc.  It’s a hefty bill, between $500 and $600, for which I budget accordingly.

I usually “supervise” any work being done on my property, and this was no exception.  There’s some prep work on my part, such as finding the access pipes that are buried.  I also remove about a four foot square of grass around each access pipe, so that any acid that might splash won’t burn the grass.  Trust me, the acid WILL splash.  It’s not like they use a funnel for a precise pour.  After the work is done, I can easily piece the missing grass back together, and the lawn looks no worse for wear.

I was picking the cesspool guy’s brain, and he told me that I was on borrowed time.  The cesspools that I have are stacked concrete block, and are over 40 years old.  The correct replacement would include a septic tank and two precast overflows.  This sizing would allow me to add a second floor onto my house without having to rip up the lawn again.  I asked him what the price tag would be, and he figured between $7,000 to $9,000.  Yikes.  That doesn’t include the replacement of my lawn and sprinkler system.

My next question was “how long do they have, doc?” He couldn’t give me any guarantees, but thought I’d last at least one more cycle.  So that gives me a three year stay of execution.  One kid will be finished with college, but the second one will be starting.  How much is in my emergency fund?  He also recommended that I use Rid-X.  He said that it would keep the solids to a minimum (I told you this was a gross subject).

So, I’m off to the store to get some Rid-X.  Add that to a three-year maintenance schedule, and your cesspool should be in tip-top shape.  And make sure you remove the grass around the pipes BEFORE the cesspool guy pours the acid, or you’ll definitely be removing it AFTER it gets burned.

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