Marc LaBossiere / Winnipeg Free Press
Had the old concrete tank not been removed prior to the deck build, the entire lower tier including the pergola would have required demolition to gain access to install the new poly tank.
After the first year at my current property, during interior renovations and upgrades in several rooms throughout the house, my attention slowly began to creep outside. I wanted a big deck in the backyard, adjacent to a higher tier surrounding an above-ground pool.
Had it not been for a comment inadvertently overheard while in line at the local grocery store and the ensuing steps taken as a result — my backyard oasis would have suffered an early and heartbreaking demise.
While waiting to pay for groceries at the local store one afternoon, I overheard a gentleman talking about his septic tank. I suppose this is a common topic in rural communities. Although not a discussion I would have paid much attention to as an urbanite, it seemed relevant now — so I kept listening. Looking back, that discussion saved me from a world of grief. The gent was complaining to his neighbour how the inside of his concrete tank had deteriorated — the walls were literally chipping away and falling into the tank and it would likely require replacement.
It dawned on me during the trek home that when my property was inspected before the purchase, it was noted the septic tank was also concrete and listed in ‘fair’ condition. Since this was already a few years back, my concrete septic tank was inspected again and sure enough the walls were also deteriorating.
This was not good news, but I did breathe a sigh of relief — the rear deck was to be built directly above the septic tank the following spring. Yikes! Replacement of the concrete septic tank became priority and installing a poly septic tank would eliminate this sort of tank deterioration in the future.
Septic tank swap day was quite the ordeal. The old concrete tank was first disconnected from the house, crushed into chunks, and each piece was carefully removed with a backhoe. The opening in the ground was tailored to meet the slightly wider shape of the poly tank, which was then lowered into position by chain using the backhoe. Once in place, the tank was reconnected to the house and tested before the entire area was backfilled. The earth would then be allowed to settle for several months before the entire rear area of the house could be prepped for the eventual rear deck build.
Can you imagine how incredibly devastating it would have been to replace the failing concrete septic tank after the new deck was built, directly above it? This thought continues to haunt me, and it was so close to occurring. I suppose due diligence is only truly effective if you know precisely what questions to ask.
Being within earshot of that chat between neighbours that day in the grocery store was meant to be and the septic tank crisis was averted.
BossEnterprise@outlook.com
