Leach field not working?
#1
09-27-13, 08:17 AM
Leach field not working?
I just had my septic tank pumped out and the guy who did it said my leach filed was "toast". It is about 25 years old, last time I had it pumped it was doing the same thing, that was about 6 or 7 years ago. I had (black, smelly) water standing in a low place right at the end of my septic tank, so I'm pretty sure the overflow (effluent?) wasn't leaving my overflow tank properly. The way I understand my septic tank is that I have two compartments, one for solids, the second for liquid overflow, then out to the leach field. I do know that when the second part of the tank was pumped out, there were some solids, not very much in it that had probably come from the first part of the tank, he pumped these out. The first part of the tank had a huge block of dry, hard material in it that the guy had to break up to pump out.
My leach field is 4" pipe laterals (6 of them) across the back of my back yard surrounded by gravel. My soil is clay-like. I have dug up the main line, and when I did I found what I think was a crack in the elbow that leads to the last lateral. I think it was a crack because as soon as I exposed that elbow, black water started spewing out. My questions are as follows:
1. Should I put clean outs in my main line, and where. There are none now, also no d-box.
2. Should I put clean outs on the ends of my laterals, they seem to be open end pipe now with gravel (black, sticky gravel) surrounding them.
3. Septic seep or similar, anyone ever use it?
4. Oxi-clean or similar product pumped in the laterals?
Thanks In advance
My leach field is 4" pipe laterals (6 of them) across the back of my back yard surrounded by gravel. My soil is clay-like. I have dug up the main line, and when I did I found what I think was a crack in the elbow that leads to the last lateral. I think it was a crack because as soon as I exposed that elbow, black water started spewing out. My questions are as follows:
1. Should I put clean outs in my main line, and where. There are none now, also no d-box.
2. Should I put clean outs on the ends of my laterals, they seem to be open end pipe now with gravel (black, sticky gravel) surrounding them.
3. Septic seep or similar, anyone ever use it?
4. Oxi-clean or similar product pumped in the laterals?
Thanks In advance
#2
09-27-13, 08:35 AM
Super Moderator
also no d-box.
My advice would be to either..
A) dig a new field and leave that one intact if you have the room. Install and bull run valve so you can alternate between the two. You should get a d box on the current field.
B) Install D box on field, have the lines jetted, install a filter at the septic outlet, and aerate the 2nd tank to make an aerobic system.
Best stuff in any peroxide based stuff. liquid preferred... aid ox, cess flo, pool sanitizer thats 27% peroxide...
IMO septic seep is a waste of money...
Read here..
http://www.doityourself.com/forum/we...lp-advice.html
#3
09-27-13, 04:19 PM
Since a distribution box wasn't originally installed on my field, is this something I can add myself? I did all the plumbing to the home myself, however I may be putting it up for sale and I want it to pass inspection. maybe 25 years ago a d-box wasn't required in my area?
Pour the peroxide where? In the second tank or put in a clean-out coming off the tank and put it in there?
Thanks,
tom
Pour the peroxide where? In the second tank or put in a clean-out coming off the tank and put it in there?
Thanks,
tom
#4
09-28-13, 04:04 AM
Not all septic systems require a D box. My septic system when I lived in fla had one but the system I have now doesn't. It's a single run out of the tank that goes to the drain field located on the side of the hill. I used to have a couple of rental trailers and those spetic systems were installed the same way. The very end of the drain field see very little water.
#5
09-28-13, 06:19 PM
You want to pour the chemical directly into each leach field lateral, intoducing the chemical at the place where a D-box might have been put.
You want the chemical to go down each lateral, not back towards the septic tank.
Most likely reasons for the leach field not working:
1. Because you waited so long before pumping out the septic tank, much sludge accumulated leaving less working room for new incoming sewage. Then the undigested effluent going out had escessive grease that clogged the leach field.
2. There was nothing abnormal coming from the septic tank but a kind of algae like growth called biomat formed around the leach field laterals preventing absorption of the effluent into the ground.
Do not put leach field treatment down the drain or into the septic tank. By the time it gets to the leach field it will be too diluted.
You want the chemical to go down each lateral, not back towards the septic tank.
Most likely reasons for the leach field not working:
1. Because you waited so long before pumping out the septic tank, much sludge accumulated leaving less working room for new incoming sewage. Then the undigested effluent going out had escessive grease that clogged the leach field.
2. There was nothing abnormal coming from the septic tank but a kind of algae like growth called biomat formed around the leach field laterals preventing absorption of the effluent into the ground.
Do not put leach field treatment down the drain or into the septic tank. By the time it gets to the leach field it will be too diluted.
Last edited by AllanJ; 09-28-13 at 07:48 PM.
#6
09-28-13, 10:36 PM
So, I was thinking I might put a clean-out at the beginning of each lateral to pour the treatment in and maybe do every so often as needed. Is this a good idea or not? I also thought I could at the very least put a clean-out at the point where the main line comes out of the tank and pour the treatment in there hopefully it will find it's way to each lateral. Any other suggestions, short of adding a d-box (which I also don't mind doing, just don't know if it's necessary)?
