Septic Fields and Tractor Weight

[webbmeister]

John: is there enough difference between a mound system and an at-grade system that riding over the at-grade system wouldn't be a problem? I have very little understanding of septic systems. (obviously!)

 

[PBMAX]

I just moved in to the new casa back in Feb...And I asked the same questions of the fellow doing the septick sys. He smiled and said that if a system is put in as mentioned at the proper depth and drainage is proper as other have already stated...I could drive a triple axel dumptruck over as long as the ground isnt to wet...Say after a long weeks rain...This after I pointed to my lil tc21d and asked about cutting the grass with a pull behind finish mower....I had the gravel and pipe type anstalled over that new fangeld stuff they have now.Mostly the guy that did the system(and others) recommeded it for the soil I have...It has lots of clay in it...And he said it would do better in the long run having more overall footage for good drainage...
AS an exsample of a well installed sys.My old house had never had the sys cleand untill we sold...The guy doing it was amazed at how great a shape the tank was in he said the diferrent levels of !@#!@#$!#@$ type stuff in the tank were perfect...(What ever perfect is for !@#$!@#)He couldn't beleive it hadn't been cleaned since it had been installed 22yrs earlier.

I'm sure the fellow was egg-zagerrrrrrrrrratin a bit but,Ya know, I never did ask that fellow if the dump truck was empty or full?????/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif!!!!

Laziness is the Father of invention.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Lil' Paul
Proud owner of TC21D

 

[John_Mc]

<font color=blue> John: is there enough difference between a mound system and an at-grade system that riding over the at-grade system wouldn't be a problem?</font color=blue>

I would think the biggest factors are how close to the surface you are, and your soil type (as others mentioned, staying off it when wet is a good idea). For most modern systems, the problem is soil compaction (and resulting ruduction in filtering capacity), not breakage of the pipes.

<font color=blue>I have very little understanding of septic systems. (obviously!)</font color=blue>

I'm not much better... in fact, it's been noted by some that septic systems and I are full of the same stuff. What I know is from talking to the engineer who designed and signed off on my system, and a bit of reading.

 

[Snowman9000]

"The main concern is soil compaction. "

Yes. You can do a lot of damage without collapsing any of the pipes. The more you compact the soil, the poorer your septic system's capacity will be.

But you gotta mow it so... My rule of thumb is you definitely do not want to be making ANY indentations in the surface, or you are too heavy. Of course, that's true of any lawn.

 

[webbmeister]

Does it help to periodically aerate the soil over the septic?

 

[JJT]

Treat it like an extension of your lawn. I lime and aerate mine drain field at the same time I do my front lawn.

The only maintenance it needs is to pump your tank every 3 - 5 years depending on the number of people in the house and what goes into the tank, (washer and/or disposal will require more frequent pumping).

 

[poman]

Or put in an aerobic system which treats the 'waste' and then waters my yard with the 'pottable' water. Works great. I live on lake front property and this method keeps from having lateral lines which put 'stuff' in the soil which could end up in the lake.

poman

 

[webbmeister]

Wow! What a great idea! Our house-to-be will be at the top of a very high hill, and the septic will be between us and the corner of the lake the hill slopes down to. I've attached a picture of the freshly cleared (yesterday) hill. (Somehow the cheap camera makes things look scrunched up - it is quite a ways down to the water.)

Anyway, I am a real softee when it comes to critters, and I've been fretting a lot about the result of putting a septic field in there (where the engineers say it *has* to go. I worry about how drainage and leaching will affect them over time. Your idea sounds fantastic! Where can I learn more for myself about an aerobic system before I start talking to contractors? I'm all ears!

Thanks,

Jim

 

[poman]

I found a good article about the aerobic septic systems at http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~epados/septics/septic/aerobic.htm
As far as getting local information about them, I would call some of the local septic people and ask them if they install aerobic systems. You might also check with local chamber of commerce or the like for references.

I think it will be worth your efforts.

poman

 

[webbmeister]

Thanks, A TON!