TBN friends,
Thanks for your responses both here and via PM. I thought I'd post this follow up message to let you know what happened. Also, this information might possibly help somebody else that may find this thread down the road. I'll cover at least three points:
1. Clarification: The recommended chemical treatment was an "oxidizer" not an "enzymatic" treatment (sorry - I used the wrong word).
2. I think I overpaid.
3. I doubt the solution I paid for is a long-term fix.
Before I get started, let me share a little background information. I bought and moved into this house just a few months ago. It was built in 1985. The house changed hands at least 3 times before I bought it, but I have substantial evidence that a lot of work was put into the house over the past 3 or 4 years. It has been well-maintained and is generally in excellent condition. The last seller disclosed that he had roots cleared away from the septic system within the past 2 years. He says he had it inspected at that time and that it was given a clean bill of health. I bought the house with a seller-paid home warranty that includes optional coverage for the septic tank and the septic "system". Also, full disclosure, I've never owned a house with a septic system before, so this is all new to me.
I first noticed a damp spot on the ground in front of the house 5 days ago, the day before Thanksgiving. It looked as if someone had dumped a few gallons of water on the ground a couple hours before I got there and I didn't think much of it. (At the time, I still thought the septic tank was located in the back yard, because my realtor had pointed out the spot where he thought it was located several months ago. It turns out that he was wrong.) On Thanksgiving day, I noticed standing water in the same spot. I dug up a few shovel-fulls of mud and found the ground very soft. There was no odor and there were no symptoms inside the house, but I knew I had a problem with either the water supply line or the septic system - probably the latter. Being Thanksgiving day with family in town and believing that the home warranty company and/or septic company probably weren't available on a holiday, I waited until Friday morning to make the call for a warranty repair.
It turns out that the septic company was having problems of their own. The dump stations they normally used to empty their trucks were reportedly closed for the long holiday weekend. It took them until Friday night to find a place to empty their trucks, and they didn't make it to my place until early Saturday afternoon (yesterday). By that time, I had discovered that my county keeps online records for all the septic systems in the area, and I was able to download the original sketch of my property showing the septic tank and drain field were definitely located in the front yard, very near the site of the seepage. Thankfully, all our company had left the day before and there were still no problems or symptoms inside the house. However, there was a noticeable sewage odor at the front of the house by Saturday morning. I knew it was only a matter of time before I had a backup inside the house.
The septic company located the tank by poking a long metal rod into the ground over and over until they found the concrete top. The top of the tank was only about 12-18 inches deep, and it was located about 8-10 feet from the site of the seepage, almost directly towards the house. They used a small backhoe to scrape away the earth and uncover the access port to the tank, which was about 2 feet square. They used a shovel to pry open the lid and, as expected, they found the 1000 gallon tank completely full. Incidentally, while it definitely smelled bad, the odor wasn't nearly as potent I expected. One small thing to be thankful for, I guess. Moving on, they pumped the tank about half way down to expose a 4 or 5 inch diameter plumbing "tee" made of ordinary-looking white plastic or poly. The tee was mounted diagonally and extended "high" and "low" about the same length of maybe 5 or 6 inches. The septic crew said that the tee was supposed to be mounted vertically and that the bottom should extend further than the top. I did my own research online later and that information seems accurate.
The crew continued to scrape away the earth towards the site of the seepage, following the white pipe which extends from the middle part of the tee through the side of the septic tank and away from the house towards the drain field. They were careful not to puncture or damage the pipe in the process. Finally, about 8 or 10 feet out, they found the spot where the white rigid pipe had apparently become detached from the black corrugated plastic pipe used in the drain field. They said this was the source of the problem. They went on to explain that mud had entered the drain field at the separation point, clogging the drain field and causing it to become completely full. They said the solution was to pump out the contents of the drain field, then to use an "oxidizer" chemical treatment to break up any remaining blockages, and to replace the white plastic tee and the white pipe that extended out to the black corrugated pipe.
Unfortunately, it turns out that the home warranty coverage applies only to the septic tank itself, a single instance of pumping, and anything that connects the septic system to the house. They do not cover the drain field or anything "below" the septic tank. While talking with the home warranty company, they told me that the septic company quoted them $1999 to fix the clogged drain field issue. Afterwards, the septic crew quoted me $1800. They claimed that the chemical "oxidizer" treatment was critical to the process and that it was also the most expensive part. That's when I came inside and posted my original post on TBN. I also did some very quick online searching and couldn't find any helpful information within five minutes or so.
So, I found myself in a predicament. It took me a day and a half on a holiday weekend to get somebody out to the house. At this point, the septic tank was disconnected from the drain field, so I basically couldn't use the plumbing in my house. The septic crew was apparently reputable enough to be used by the warranty company, so should I take them at their word and get me back up and running right away, or should I send them packing so I could call around looking for quotes and other opinions? I worried I might be without plumbing for a week and may still end up spending a couple thousand dollars or more. So, I tried to make the best decision possible with the information I had at the time. I offered them $1500 to proceed (quick math in my head was 3 guys at $75 per hour for 3.5 hours [my guess] ~ $800, plus $100 for pipe and an unknown amount for chemicals, plus the use of their backhoe, pump truck, and other tools = a total of around $1500, maybe). After an appropriate amount of grumbling, they accepted my offer and continued working.
Here are a couple pictures I took after the white pipe was replaced. I took them mostly so I could remember where the tank was located. The tree roots you see in the photos had already been cut when we got there - they were clearly left over from the work the previous owner had done and they were not interfering with anything when we uncovered them.
View attachment 290309
Here's a better picture of the access portal for the septic tank.
View attachment 290310
Did I get taken for a ride? Only time will tell for sure. But, I have a strong suspicion that I'll be dealing with drain field issues again much sooner than I'd like. I also think I overpaid for what I received. Here's why:
* I couldn't find any reputable source anywhere that suggests that chemical treatments are good for septic systems. In fact, quite the opposite. The only people that seem to think chemical treatments are a good idea are plumbers and chemical manufacturers.
* The septic company used powdered chemicals from just two 1-gallon containers to treat my drain field. I had walked inside for a minute before they started, so I can't even be sure the first container was full. Regardless, I don't see how 2 gallons of
anything could possibly make a difference in ~300-400 feet of 5" corrugated drain line, especially when delivered with a 10-minute douse of water from a garden hose.
* I saw the label on the chemical containers. It was Oxidizer Plus by Rooter Plus. An Internet search shows that's a
local company (but not the exact name of the company servicing my system). I couldn't find any reviews for the chemical online, but there are hundreds or even thousands of articles about drain field problems. Seems like there would be a lot more information available if the chemicals were widely distributed or generally recognized as effective.
* I found one document that contends that
hydrogen peroxide actually degrades drain fields. I don't know anything about the chemical composition of "Oxidizer Plus", but it foamed up like a hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mix when it was dropped into the corrugated pipe. Also, the common "oxide" part of the name makes me think it's probably very similar stuff.
* Responses here on TBN and Internet searches indicate that septic tank cleaning services typically run in the $200-300 range. Paying 5-7 times that for maybe 3 or 4 times the work seems
possibly excessive.
* I found several articles and documents from reputable sources that indicate that ground weeping, seepage, or pooling around a drain field are almost sure signs that the drain field has failed and will need to be repaired or replaced. Here's
one of the more thorough documents I found.
* Most sources seem to indicate that the lifespan of a good drain field is 20 to 30 years. Assuming that mine is original to the house (an idea supported by county records), it is approximately 27 years old today. All indications are that it's probably at or near the end of its useful life.
I'll try to remember to come back here to post updates if anything changes. In the meantime, thanks for reading this incredibly long post and, for those of you that provided comments and suggestions, a big THANK YOU for your help!
Matt
