Leach Field

[JJT]

Here's what I would do - Spread it and turn it over immediately. Don't spread it and wait for a neighbor to turn you into the health inspector.... If your leach field is ruined/plugged/saturated it's going to stink when you start digging it up.

 

[Inspector507]

Curtis,
In my area it has to be trucked to a hazardous waste facility that probably incinerates it.

 

[Darren]

Leach fields are french drains used in reverse. Like a french drain they stop working when the filter media is is blocked by solids. Leach fields are subject to infiltration from within and without. Many contractors don't build a leach field to resist infiltration from the surrounding soil. The same thing happens with french drains.

To maintain the effectiveness, the trench should be lined with filter fabric, geotextile, which minimizes soil infiltration. The geotextile should completely enclose the filter material surrounding the distribution pipes.
The other thing that has to be taken into consideration is the total amount of water dumped into the system.
It adds up to quite a lot when you think about not only the load from the bathrooms but also the laundry and any other graywater sources.

If someone does lots of laundry loads week after week, they're probably killing the septic system. A garbage disposal shouldn't be used in a household with a septic system. If you have a water softener and clay soil and you're routing the backflush water to the septic system, you're headed for trouble.

If the field is built to resist infiltration from without and the owner is careful not to overload the septic with water, solids and substances that are incompatible with the bacterial process, the leach field should last way beyond twenty years.

 

[MarkV]

Exeter Acres, can you relocate the new leach field? If the old field is causing problems it may be that the soil in that area is pretty clogged already. You would also have to bring in fill to backfill the new system.

MarkV

 

[exeter_acres]

I'm trying to figure that out.... a creek runs through the property so that limits it a bit. The majority of property is on the other side, but I can't pipe over it./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif Also have to stay a certain distance from the creek.
Looking at a couple long runs in a narrow area vs several short runs.../w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif
Thanks for all the input..

 

[JJT]

Several short runs is better than a couple of very long runs. I built mine 3 X the spec and put in 15 50 ft laterals.

 

[rozett]

You really need to become familiar with your local code. In New Hampshire, the system must be designed by a licensed designer and approved by both the state and your local building dept.

About 10 years ago, I was putting an addition on my house. I was required (by code) to expand my leach field because I was adding a bedroom (even though I was not adding any people to the house). The old field had to be trucked away as hazardous waste. In order to keep the new field in the same location, I had to truck in 600 yards of sand. Raised that portion of my backyard by 5 feet. The state inspected twice. First after the excavation and installation of crushed rock and then before closure. All were required by state and local code.

So go buy your building inspector a coffe and understand the local requirements.

 

[Darren]

Somewhere I've read of a technique that can recondition an existing leach field from the inside.

You could also construct the leach field on the other side of the creek. You could pump the black water under the creek to a point it could drain via gravity to a leach field. The inspector's eyebrows might go up but it would work.

If they don't want you to dig in the creek to lay a line because of environmental impacts, a contractor with a horizontal drill can pull both a guard pipe and the sewage line under the creek probably in a few hours if you don't have rock close to the surface. Even rock isn't a show stopper. It just gets much more expensive.

 

[JimMorrissey]

That's exactly what I'm wondering....What is "this"

 

[JJT]

"You really need to become familiar with your local code. "

I understood my local code and decided to build the system so I'd never have to replace it. Code said 250' of drain field, I put in 750'.