If this was me and the house is new, meaning you are the first person to live there, I think I would go to the town building department and check the permits for this house to see if they were finalized, (passed final inspection). Getting together with the building contractor is a good idea but not the end-all for the solution to your problem. This sounds to me by your description above that you may have a more serious problem that may need the powers to be (meaning the inspection department/building department) to deal with your contractor (plumbing/septic contractor) as they speak the same language. Just my thoughts here. Bob
New Septic System Troubles
- Thread starter jrdepew
- Start date
oosik
Super Star Member
Any jurisdiction that requires a permit to install a disposal system should require a final drawing of the system - an as-built drawing. As a new home owner you should have a signed copy of this as-built or, at the very least, access to the drawing on file with the government permitting/approval authority.
This will show the type & location of all components of the disposal system.
You should not be simply asking that the area around the hole have added backfill - you should be asking that this problem be corrected. As indicated by RHUNT - this could be more serious than just a lack of backfill. I would definitely involve the government permitting/approval authority in this matter.
As the home owner of a new home there should be a warrantee period - usually one year - for the house & disposal system. This situation needs to be inspected and corrected by individuals knowledgable with its design/installation.
This will show the type & location of all components of the disposal system.
You should not be simply asking that the area around the hole have added backfill - you should be asking that this problem be corrected. As indicated by RHUNT - this could be more serious than just a lack of backfill. I would definitely involve the government permitting/approval authority in this matter.
As the home owner of a new home there should be a warrantee period - usually one year - for the house & disposal system. This situation needs to be inspected and corrected by individuals knowledgable with its design/installation.
Thanks everyone, I am calling the building department first thing this morning to ensure that all the permits are finalized, and request a drawing of the septic system as installed.
Meeting with the builder and septic company this morning at the other work site assuming they don't get rained out.
I will post back with results from both.
-Joe
Meeting with the builder and septic company this morning at the other work site assuming they don't get rained out.
I will post back with results from both.
-Joe
Waiting for the Department of Health and Environmental Control to get back to me...they hold as-installed drawings for any septic system done after 1990.
Met with builder, he said one of the septic guys stopped by Tuesday (Not when I was home...which was all day except from 4:30 till 6:00). They told him that I may have been watering to grass too often and saturated the ground. :duh:
At most, we did 2x 20 minutes a day, one in the morning, and one in the late afternoon, until we had a large number of seedlings, then went to 1x 20 mins a day, unless it was supposed to rain or the soil was still moist.
I had a meeting to get to at 10AM, so I will check back with the builder later to see if the septic supervisor can come take a look. Builder admitted he doesn't have much knowledge of septic systems (less than me it seems) but he thinks that all gray and black water are plumbed together...we will see what the septic company says later.
-Joe
Met with builder, he said one of the septic guys stopped by Tuesday (Not when I was home...which was all day except from 4:30 till 6:00). They told him that I may have been watering to grass too often and saturated the ground. :duh:
At most, we did 2x 20 minutes a day, one in the morning, and one in the late afternoon, until we had a large number of seedlings, then went to 1x 20 mins a day, unless it was supposed to rain or the soil was still moist.
I had a meeting to get to at 10AM, so I will check back with the builder later to see if the septic supervisor can come take a look. Builder admitted he doesn't have much knowledge of septic systems (less than me it seems) but he thinks that all gray and black water are plumbed together...we will see what the septic company says later.
-Joe
jenkinsph
Super Star Member
I doubt that watering the new lawn too much would cause the drainage to rise at a single point as you described. More likely a separation of the pipe has occurred allowing a large volume of drainage water to rise to the surface at this point where the hole is.
Additionally two twenty minute run times a day would not saturate the ground either. When I am setting up for new seedlings I set the controllers for four cycles per day with ten minute run times to keep the seeds moist.
It would appear that the problem area will need to be dug up to fix the issues. The lawn and reseeding will need repairing afterwards and these expenses should be covered by the general contractor not you. How he deals with the sub contractor is up to him. Unless you hired the sub contractor and paid him directly.
This repair should be inspected by the DHEC to make sure it is corrected. The lawn area should be repaired too. None of this should be a large expense for the contractors involved and none of this should be on your nickel.
Additionally two twenty minute run times a day would not saturate the ground either. When I am setting up for new seedlings I set the controllers for four cycles per day with ten minute run times to keep the seeds moist.
It would appear that the problem area will need to be dug up to fix the issues. The lawn and reseeding will need repairing afterwards and these expenses should be covered by the general contractor not you. How he deals with the sub contractor is up to him. Unless you hired the sub contractor and paid him directly.
This repair should be inspected by the DHEC to make sure it is corrected. The lawn area should be repaired too. None of this should be a large expense for the contractors involved and none of this should be on your nickel.
joeyd
Platinum Member
I had a similar problem when I had my house built. The septic field had been in place approx. 7 years before I built and the plumbers just connected to the existing never used system. After a year or so I noticed the issue and I had a septic guy tell me that my clay soil was not absorbing the water well and he advised me to add about a foot of top soil to help disperse the standing water on top of the clay. I had a friend who was an excavator add the soil, grade it and I even hydro seeded the area to let the grass help absorb the water. A few months later the same issue in the same area. I then had my friend come back and we dug up the field according to the as built drawings. We found out that not only were the drawings inaccurate but the type of system described was incorrect. They had designated a perf pipe and leach field system and what we found was a infiltrator system. Since the system had been installed so long before construction I had no one to go back to, the original installers had retired.
It had 3 legs, 85, 65 and 40 foot with the 85 foot leg running to the 65 then to the 40. We found out that the 85 foot leg was totally filled with dirt after 12 feet. The water had no where to go! I abandoned the 85 leg and reconnected the discharge line to the 65 foot leg then to the 40. We have had no problems for 3 years. If trouble comes back I can re construct the 85 leg and re connect to it. I believe that during construction heavy equipment ran over the field and compressed the leg causing it to get compacted with soil.
Based on your pictures and my experiences I would think you have a blocked leg or a broken line in that area. Good luck, it is a matter of who has the final responsibility. I would think it is up to the contractor to make sure it gets repaired either on his $$ or the septic sub contractor.
It had 3 legs, 85, 65 and 40 foot with the 85 foot leg running to the 65 then to the 40. We found out that the 85 foot leg was totally filled with dirt after 12 feet. The water had no where to go! I abandoned the 85 leg and reconnected the discharge line to the 65 foot leg then to the 40. We have had no problems for 3 years. If trouble comes back I can re construct the 85 leg and re connect to it. I believe that during construction heavy equipment ran over the field and compressed the leg causing it to get compacted with soil.
Based on your pictures and my experiences I would think you have a blocked leg or a broken line in that area. Good luck, it is a matter of who has the final responsibility. I would think it is up to the contractor to make sure it gets repaired either on his $$ or the septic sub contractor.
tractorshopper
Veteran Member
I think Jenkinsph is on the right track. Septics may differ by county, but in Oconee, gray and black are together, they cannot be separated (at least you don't tell anyone later if you did separate them yourself, but all new construction is one tank for all waste).
I believe you probably have a tank settling issue due to the fill you mentioned earlier. If the house is brand new, your drain field should not be full already to the point that water is seeping up. The tank has probably shifted as it settled allowing the entry or discharge piping to be pulled away from the tank, thereby the effluent is bypassing your leach field. Either that, or someone drove a bulldozer over loose fill where the hard pipe sections are and it broke as it settled.
My best guess. I'm not an expert, but have had enough problems that I've paid for a decent education about them. ;-)
I believe you probably have a tank settling issue due to the fill you mentioned earlier. If the house is brand new, your drain field should not be full already to the point that water is seeping up. The tank has probably shifted as it settled allowing the entry or discharge piping to be pulled away from the tank, thereby the effluent is bypassing your leach field. Either that, or someone drove a bulldozer over loose fill where the hard pipe sections are and it broke as it settled.
My best guess. I'm not an expert, but have had enough problems that I've paid for a decent education about them. ;-)
TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark
Veteran Member
This times 1000!!!
Do NOT tell them to "do this particular thing" or "do that particular thing". Tell them to find the problem and fix it right whatever it takes. The minute you start telling them how to fix it, you have destroyed any legal standing you have to get them to make it right. They can just do exactly what you say, and then when it doesn't work, they have the perfect comeback, "We did exactly what you wanted us to do. Anything more is on your dime."
Do NOT do that!
Exactly. Keep it polite, keep it friendly, but keep it serious business.
It IS serious.
Wagtail
Super Star Member
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Well, if that's the case, therein lies my confusion. Over here, septic and grey water is separate... or maybe that was the method 20+ years ago and 'times have changed'. My septic is a two chamber concrete tank that leads to a french drain... I had it pumped for the first time a couple of months ago, it still wasn't full and the tank/system was 'healthy'. My grey water goes out to a different location and has never been a problem other than the odd tree root invasion.
Having the two systems separate decreases the flow-on to the drain fields so they're not overwhelmed.
muddstopper
Veteran Member
My septic system was installed in 1984. No problems with drainage or seeping ever. A couple of years ago, there was a brush fire that got close to my house. The fire department decided to take a short cut thru my yard instead of driving on the road about 15feet away. Anyways, there truck fell into my septic tank. They paid for having the tank replaced and we hooked back to the original drain lines. A few months ago, I noticed my toilet wasnt flushing properly and then not at all. At no time was there ever any water perculating out of the ground. Well, I started checking the lines and found that the tank had settled in the hole and the line had been sheared off about 2 ft from the tank, we repaired the broken line and now all is well. Your problem could be caused by the tank settling and the line separating which would be a easy fix, except for the digging and mess associated with the repair.