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Septic Heater Gives Peace Of Mind
My wife and I have a small lake cabin in northern Minnesota where we spend weekends during the summer but rarely visit during winter months. That means there's not much "activity" in the septic tank during the coldest months so it's susceptible to freezing.
In the past, we piled straw on the ground over the tan
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Septic Heater Gives Peace Of Mind FARM HOME Bathroom 31-1-5 My wife and I have a small lake cabin in northern Minnesota where we spend weekends during the summer but rarely visit during winter months. That means there's not much "activity" in the septic tank during the coldest months so it's susceptible to freezing.
In the past, we piled straw on the ground over the tank so it wouldn't freeze. Two years ago we heard about Chris Norgaard's Septic System Heater (Vol. 28, No. 5). Chris is a Minnesota native who invented the heater after a cold snap several years ago that managed to put many septic systems out of commission. It consists of a large "candy cane"-shaped piece of pvc pipe with a small heater built into it and electronic controls hanging from the side in a weatherproof box.
You simply slip the pipe over one of the vent pipes from the septic tank or drainfield, and plug it into a 110-volt outlet. The heater blows warm air down into the septic system, turning on and off automatically to keep the system above freezing.
I obtained a unit from Chris last fall and installed it. It literally took 1 minute to take the cap off the vent pipe and slip the Septic Heater on. A small thermocouple hangs down into the septic pipe to monitor temperature. I ran an ordinary extension cord out from the house. A green light on the side of the box indicates when the heater is running. A red light blinks if there's a problem.
When we first installed it, the red light was blinking. Chris came down right away and checked it out. Turned out I had a faulty unit, which he replaced no questions asked. The new unit has been working flawlessly so far this winter. It draws very little power, since the heater runs intermittently. And it's great knowing I won't have to clear a big pile of straw off the yard come spring.
Chris said the heater is built to last for at least 20 years, and maybe more. But it's not cheap Our fully automatic model cost $1,395. A model equipped with a timer, which you can set to run periodically, sells for $995.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Septic Heater Company, 4129 û 310th St. S.E., Gully, Minn. 56646 (ph 888 417-3784 or visit www.septicheater.com).
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