Drive equipment over septic drainfield?

[dmccarty]

I think it might depend on what type of leach field you have at your place. In my case the are Infilitrators(sp?) which are basically 6 foot long 3 feet wide half pipes that are laid in a trench which is back filled. The trench is my field can't be more than a foot or so below grade.

My septic installed told me TO DO NOT get my tractor in the septic field. He had a guy drive a skid steer in on of the leach fields he installed. The skid steer tore the field to pieces and the whole field had to be redone.

I mow the leach field with a DR Brushcutter.

When we timbered our land I told the forester and timber guys if they went into our flagged perc sites there would be h...ll to pay. Our Soil Scientist said to keep ALL heavy equipment out of there to prevent soil compaction. The soil was bad enough as is it did not need heavy equipment compacting things. Course the installer used a small bull dozer and a large backhoe to dig. But I guess that is better than a huge wheeled skidder towing huge logs.

If all they have to do is cross the field, why don't they just do what the timber guys do and put down matting to cross the trenches. Worse case a bunch of 6x6 on the ground could bridge the field. It would not be cheap but its better than replacing a leach field.

The line about the stabilizer breaking through plywood cracks me up. They cant use TIMBER under the stabilzers? I have to thow wood under my stabilzers all them time when I'm digging in wet conditions. Not real hard to do. If the Hatteras Light House can be moved on Oak timbers...

You likely lucked out with not using that contractor. And with my field, they would not be taking equipment into the area.

Later,
Dan

 

[jeffinsgf]

Is that pipe that appears to be a PVC type pipe, your leach pipe? (or what ever they're called)

If memory serves me, my leach pipe is 6" or 10" diamater and looks more like insulated "ductwork" that would be inside your home (if in error, realize this is 10 year memory of a 3 hour event while I was on site)

I'd not be worried about driving over 'hard' piping....it's this soft squishy kind of tubing that I'm worried about crushing

Now I'm beginning to wonder if my memory is correct on the type of pipe they put in the ground

I don't mind being a hiney head, but I don't want to be one when I'm in the wrong.

If you had flex pipe, hopefully is was for your gutter and storm drain runoff and not your septic leach field. I've never heard of using flex for a leach field, but then different techniques are used all over the country.

 

[flusher]

Is that pipe that appears to be a PVC type pipe, your leach pipe? (or what ever they're called)

If memory serves me, my leach pipe is 6" or 10" diamater and looks more like insulated "ductwork" that would be inside your home (if in error, realize this is 10 year memory of a 3 hour event while I was on site)

I'd not be worried about driving over 'hard' piping....it's this soft squishy kind of tubing that I'm worried about crushing

Now I'm beginning to wonder if my memory is correct on the type of pipe they put in the ground

I don't mind being a hiney head, but I don't want to be one when I'm in the wrong.

Are you thinking of these plastic septic chambers?

Quick4 ISI Chambers

If so, I'd check with the manufacturer to get the load capability numbers.

Even if your leach pipe is 6 inches or more in dia, I don't think there's a problem.

The culvert at the end of my driveway is a 14" dia corrugated plastic pipe about 20 feet long that's buried in the ditch and covered with about 4" of asphalt paving. I've had fully loaded concrete trucks run over that pipe with no problem.

 

[Richard]

Are you thinking of these plastic septic chambers?

Well...truth be told.... I don't know. I simply do not remember. It's possible they put in something like a flexpipe...then again....it's possible I'm crossing that memory with the ducting the A/C guys installed...

What I seem to also recall was the silly wrapper this (septic) stuff came in...maybe that's what is making me think it was like a flex pipe....

I simply do not remember. I DO remember my installer telling me to keep equipment off the field though.

I guess we'll see what they say tonight.

C'mon....can it REALLY be that hard to put down some pieces of plywood to drive across??

Would some plywood be "good enough" to protect a field from a wheeled machine?

Am I being reasonable that a tracked machine would indeed be ok?

The more this carries on, the more I fear that I'm being the hiney-head (iffen ya know what I mean )


The 'good' part of this is, I didn't spring this on my contractor late in the game. He knew of my concerns WELL prior to having his bid made out for me so regardless of what happens, this is not a surprise to him, being sprung at the last minute....

 

[crashz]

A good excavating contractor will not disagree with you. And they should have a plan of attack for installing the tank while not disturbing the field.

To do yourself and the contractor a favor, I would stake out the outer limits of the septic field and run caution tape around the perimeter. This leaves no guessing as to where it is. My father did this all the time as the excavation contractor, and we never had a problem. In fact we did that for all jobs that a customer had an area of concern.

 

[skipro3]

Are you thinking of these plastic septic chambers?

Quick4 ISI Chambers

If so, I'd check with the manufacturer to get the load capability numbers.

Even if your leach pipe is 6 inches or more in dia, I don't think there's a problem.

The culvert at the end of my driveway is a 14" dia corrugated plastic pipe about 20 feet long that's buried in the ditch and covered with about 4" of asphalt paving. I've had fully loaded concrete trucks run over that pipe with no problem.

That's what I have. From their site, "chambers can support wheel loads of 16,000 lbs / axle with only 12 inches of cover. "

I don't think any tractor or rubber tired TLB is gonna reach anywhere near that.

Just remember Richard, it's your money, you are the boss and you get to say how the job is to proceed. Don't let a contractor or sub do anything you aren't comfortable with.

 

[dmccarty]

The Quick4 ISI chambers looks to be what we have installed. And the web page does say Infiltrator.

Our installed said dont drive the tractor on the field. My tractor does not weigh 16,000 pounds but I'll follow his advice.

Having said that I think it would be hard to hurt the system given that it looks just like the plastic culvert we have just bigger. But I don't take the tractor in there even though it would be easier than mowing with the DR. Just not worth the risk to save a little time.

Later,
Dan

 

[Dirthog]

when the inspector is telling you to stay off the field or it will fail that is before it is put in especialy with what they use around here a sand mound you are not even alowed on it to level the sand and stone once it is covered in dirt and seeded you cannot hurt it by runnung most small equipment on it as far as crushing the pipe under ground there is no way that could happen unless like I said before the ground was real wet. most systems the pipe will be buried at least 30" and bedded with stone it is next to imposible to crush the pipe in those conditions. look some time at the mane sewer lines in town alot of those are buried no deeper that that and have more traffic on them than you would ever have in your yard. The other thing with a plastic tank you cannot pump it empty or it will float in a hard rain. Be more concerned with the pipes going in and comming out of the tank I have had to fix more of those that anything in the last 20 or so years

 

[atgreene]

I do septics for a living. I would never suggest putting rubber tired machine across a field, unless: It's a concrete chamber system, a Envirotech system propely installed at least 2' deep with fabric and gravel or a standard stone bed with fabric and 2' of fill, and even then you are damaging the system, albeit slightly.

Driving over a stone bed pushes the fill layer above the stone down into the stone, making it less effective. Further, your system does breath through the soil, when compacted it can no longer pull the minute amount of oxygen it need to function properly, unless you have a vent.

Plastic chambers "Infiltrators" are another whole ball of wax. If properly intsalled, you may get by driving across them, but since they make a heavy duty model for driving across, I wouldn't do it. Just MHO.

Either way, if your contractor is bucking you on this, you need a new contractor.

Also, why is he spending money on concrete to fill your old tank? What's wrong with sand or gravel? Much cheaper and works just as well. You'd be better off pumping the tank and reseting it anyway. Sounds like you may have more issues than a septic to deal with anyway.

 

[plowking]

I do septics for a living. I would never suggest putting rubber tired machine across a field, unless: It's a concrete chamber system, a Envirotech system propely installed at least 2' deep with fabric and gravel or a standard stone bed with fabric and 2' of fill, and even then you are damaging the system, albeit slightly.

Driving over a stone bed pushes the fill layer above the stone down into the stone, making it less effective. Further, your system does breath through the soil, when compacted it can no longer pull the minute amount of oxygen it need to function properly, unless you have a vent.

Plastic chambers "Infiltrators" are another whole ball of wax. If properly intsalled, you may get by driving across them, but since they make a heavy duty model for driving across, I wouldn't do it. Just MHO.

Either way, if your contractor is bucking you on this, you need a new contractor.

Also, why is he spending money on concrete to fill your old tank? What's wrong with sand or gravel? Much cheaper and works just as well. You'd be better off pumping the tank and reseting it anyway. Sounds like you may have more issues than a septic to deal with anyway.

The way he described it, the new foundation is being poured over the old tank,the contractor is afraid the old tank will settle if not filed with concrete for support. The pipe that is 6-10 inches around and has a membrane[ sock] sewn around it is a Enviro or Geoflow system. Theses should really have a vent. I have the membrane clogging on systems 2-5 years old, from softener discharge or medications taken by family members,especially if used constantly. I have driven my M/F1531[4600 lbs.] on to leachfields for dist. box repairs,replacements ,these fields are over ten years old. I don't drive back and forth alot on them. plowking