DIY   home improvement   mountain living  

So I ordered one from the Home Depot and it arrived yesterday (much earlier than expected) so we were happily able to get it installed today and the septic tank lids re-covered.

I started by putting on disposable gloves, then using a cheap old trowel to remove gunk and grime from around the drain pipe.

 

Then I carefully hammered on the inner fitting from the filter housing to the drain pipe.  

 

I had hubby lower the filter with a strap to be sure it didn't slip and fall all the way into the tank as I got it placed and on the pipe fitting.  Tapped it into place with the dead-blow hammer and then drilled a pilot hole and screwed in a long stainless steel screw to be sure it doesn't slip off over time.

 

I am very sure this should have been done by draining the whole tank, cleaning it to sparkling clean and then gluing on the fitting with PVC glue and then probably gluing the filter to the fitting.  However, not having the time, the pump truck, or any other way of draining the tank... not to mention a complete lack of any directions at all with the filter... it will have to suffice to have a hammered on fitting and a stainless steel screw to be sure it stays in place.

And then it was time to re-fill the holes over the lids.  I previously used a half-barrel as a planter to mark and half-fill the holes, but the side with the rim was more trouble to dig up than benefit, so I decided to try some empty cat-litter buckets to partially fill the hole.  They will have enough dirt on top and below them to keep any sewer gasses from coming up, but be easy to pull out of the ground and reduce digging by a little more than half.  Only time will tell if it is a good idea, but since I can't afford septic tank risers at this time, I hope it will at least help a little on the next time we have to dig things up.