To Flush or not to flush...

What's up with the price to get your septic system pumped out? As preventative matenance, I have our system pumped out every year because the alternative, a new septic system, would cost far more, or so I thought.

We've built our home about 8 years ago and at about year 5 I started having the septic pumped out once a year. I was motivated to do this because 3 of our neighbors had to have their systems replaced and I didn't want to have to pay that astronomical price.

I think last year was the most I'd ever paid and that was just over $100 to get the poop sucked out. Today I called 3 places for quotes and was blown away by the increase in cost. The first place I called quoted me $155 to $175 depending on the size of the tank. I asked if there had been a price increase and they attributed some of the cost to the price of gas. Ironic huh...."septic pumping prices increase because of gas"...I can see the headlines now.

On top of the charge to "pump out the poop" would be an additional charge of up to $55 charge to dig down to the lid if I didn't do that myself. Can you believe $55 to dig a circle 5 inches deep and a foot in diameter! Whats up with that!

Of course, last year (as all prior years that I've had this done) I opted to dig down to the lid myself. However, my frugal-ness added some additional stress to this process. In previous years I used a trowel to find the location of the lid under the ground and then would dig with a shovel or spade. Last year I figured I've done this enough, I know where the lid is and I'll just start with the shovel. Not such a smart move. As the second stab of the shovel went into the ground I hit something that didnt feel right. I pulled the shovel out and dropped to the ground to see what I'd hit. It was the cable for cable TV. And it was severed complete into two pieces.

I have some experience with splicing cable so I thought to myself, I can fix this. Not so much!

I hopped in the car and drove up to the local radio shack and bought a splicer and the connectors I thought I'd need. By the time I returned it was dark out but I was on a mission. My wife held the a flashlight why I attempted to perform 'cable surgery.' Good thing I'm not a doctor cuz the cable didn't live and we were without cable TV until the company could come out and repair it.

Like anything else that needs to be done, I'm at the mercy of those who are qualified to perform the task. I think I'll peruse the yellow pages and get a few more estimates before I commit. I never imagined a flush could cost so much....but a back up would be far worse! The joys of home ownership.