Household Septic System
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The Suburban Farmer
Silver Member
Not to hijack the thread, but here's a question for the group. Our house is about 30 years old, and we just started noticing that when it rains, you can see the water standing in places where our leach field has settled. Looks like perfectly parallel stripes of water. Is this a sign that our field may be reaching it's "saturation point" and that we may need to dig a new field at some point soon?
I hope not -- we don't have any more flat area back there to dig a new one... Should I be doing something now to help keep this from becoming a problem?
I hope not -- we don't have any more flat area back there to dig a new one... Should I be doing something now to help keep this from becoming a problem?
OP
jlgurr
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Believe me, if there was an easy or low cost way of doign this on an existing home I would. I could be wrong but assuming all the waste water from the house goes to the septic in one line. If they are already separated outside of the house then I would want to make a separate tank, if nothing else, for recycling.
vtsnowedin
Elite Member
It is probably just differential settlement between whatever is around your pipes and what is between them. Being thirty years old you may have crushed stone around the pipes and sand between the stone trenches. The sand settles more then the stone. If the tank has ever been pumped out and things flush good it is probably not a problem. Just rake in some screened top soil in the low spots and let the grass come up through it. Better to have a smooth surface that drains the rain water away rather then let it soak in to the field and compete with the waste water from the house.
Billrog
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There are many opinions posted here on the subject & rather than offend I suggest looking up on line how to maintain septic systems on line. There has been many yrs. of research on the subject and plenty of good advice.
Billrog
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T S Farmer if your 30 yr. old field is compromised and the lines are 10' apart one option for a new field is running the new field lines in between the old ones. The recommended separation is 6' but in some cases there has to be compromise. Not knowing the type of soil,lay of the land or HLR it's difficult to give sound advice. If everything is working I would certainly fill in the hollows and plant some grass over the surface to ****** infiltration when it rains.
The Suburban Farmer
Silver Member
Billrog and vtsnowedin -- thanks for the comments. That's what I was planning to do this spring... just fill in the low spots to help with drainage and wait to see how it all works out. NO problems with the plumbing so far -- things are working well, just wondered if this was "settling" or "a clear sign of a problem." Fingers-crossed, it's just settling.
vtsnowedin
Elite Member
One thing you can do is find the distribution box where the out flow from the tank is split into the field pipes. Opening that cover will let you see if you have effluent from the tank flowing freely into the field pipes or that they are clogged and backed up. If the tank is full of solids and grease it can't do it's job and passes untreated water to the field pipes that can't handle the solids and it gets plugged up and fails. One look should tell the story.
Billrog
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Checking the D box is good advice.
roadhunter
Elite Member
And pay day is on Friday. All you need to know to be a plumber,.