Septic problem, maybe

[mbosma]

Hi all,

Our house is about 30 years old. We bought it 2 years ago from a single guy. We have 4 kids and use a lot of water, etc. The leech field is a little undersized for our high usage, but not bad.

Our house is on a ridge, and the leech field is pretty close to the side of the hill in one spot (maybe 10-15' away). There is a wet spot on the side of the hill closest to the leech field.

The tank was pumped out last summer and everything looked good from what we could see.

My questions is, would you consider it a big deal? The liquid is filtered by at least 10' of earth, it's just overflowing a bit and instead of going down or up, it's going out. There is nothing but woods where it comes out. The wet spot goes down the hill about 3 feet then dries up or goes down into the soil again.

Should I look into expanding the field (there isn't much room) or just cover the area with lots of leaves every fall and pretend it's not there.

 

[Craig Clayton]

Dear mbosma
Could you please post a few pictures.
Craig Clayton

 

[mbosma]

I'll try to take some this weekend, but it's supposed to rain and you'll likely not be able to see much.

 

[tulenutn2o]

I personally, would not worry about it.Monitor it and go on. @#%! flows downhill.

 

[sal64]

u could put in a gray tank were the wet spot, its a big hole with rocks in it then cover with that black weed plastic then put dirt and grass makes water drain faster.

 

[dave1949]

I would try to co-exist with it. 30 year old system, if you have to repair it will probably require some very expensive upgrades since it will have to done to current code.

Maybe you could make a little gray water bed below the leak that will absorb it and not become an issue.
Dave.

 

[plowking]

Dig a hole at side of hill and see how close the leachfield stone is to the edge, they need a certain amount of material to keep edge from eroding away. Find your distribution box and see if all the lines are level and not plugged up. Unlevel lines can allow one side of field to take the most flow. If you had enough room on the other edges of field,you could dig up and make a header and add some stone and one or two vents. WE have uncoverd the end of some thirty year old systems,let them sit open for a few days,the air can breakup the blackness in the soil and stone,if they clear up we put the pipes back together and install vent to keep the air flow going into the system. Check the baffles in your tank,a bad or missing baffle will let solids flow out into the leachlines.We will also pump the tank,jet the leachlines and pump out or dewater the field to expose it to the air after we uncover it. If you have a water softener,the discharge is bad if it drains into the septic system. Front load washers are more efficient then top loaders. Don't wash clothes all in one day and space loads out during the day. A effluent[Zabel] filter installed in the outlet baffle can catch lint and other debris, clean filter every 6-12 months. plowking