We just bought our first house last fall and for the first time I have a septic system. I live in New Hampshire and with the spring thaw the rains have come. My wife said that this morning the toilet drained slowly (after she did 3 loads of laundry yesterday ) When I was out in the yard this afternoon I noticed the my leach field was pretty wet. The rest of the ground around the house is wet as well but not as bad as the leach field, I don't see puddles but there is definitely a squishy feeling with water coming out when you step. I don't smell any odors from the low lying drains or in the field itself. I have officially begun to freak out.

We had a pretty deep snow (24''+) this year that only within the last week it melted from the field area. We still have snow in other parts of our yard. In addition we had a pretty good rain a couple of nights ago. For the time being we are restricting our water usage greatly.

We got the system inspected when we bought the house and the tank was in good shape but they mentioned the field was nearing end of life. From the inspectors report: "The leaching area was inspected which showed clean rocks, clean sand and the system was retaining effluent 3'' down from the top rock layer indicating the system was draining poorly." He did say he thought we would probably get a couple more years out of it but recommended budgeting for a new one and switching over to a high efficiency washer and low flow toilets which we did. So is this a product of overusage and the spring snow melt? Or is this an immediate I am screwed type situation? Is this normal?

The price of leach fields is quite scary especially for someone who just spent most of their money purchasing the house. I don't know where we would even get $10k+ for a repair, we were budgeting to save up for a replacement in a few years. Not 6 months later.

Please talk me off the ledge....

 

Is there a cover you can remove to see how full that tank is? Your waste water will go to the tank first and then to the drain field. Really, you can live without a drain field, you would just have to get the tank pumped when it gets full.

Find your tank and/or have somebody come out to pump it clean.

 

Thanks for the reply!

Yes there is a cover, I will need to dig it up though. The system was last pumped in Nov. 2012 and the baffle was replaced then as well.

What should I look for if I were to dig it up? The tanks is on higher ground than the field itself and the ground around the tank is about as wet as the rest of the yard that isn't the leach field. I checked the yard on the otherside of the house and it was similar.

Could this just be the snow melt & frost thaw? It is "mud season".....

Thanks again.

 

Your climate in NH I think is fairly close to ours (MN). All the ground here is wet and squishy so I have a feeling there is still frost in the ground.

When you dig up the access you can see how full it is. There will be water in it, but it shouldn't be up to the top of the tank. If it is, call the honey wagon.

 

Have the tank pumped anyway...

Once you pump the tank see if water comes back in from the feild...

Also find the d box and open that... You may just have blockage in there and working off one lateral.. You want to see if the d box is full...

Take pics and let us know..

Until you do that and locate the d box your just guessing...

If you have young children take precaution to block off access to the septic lid while the hole is openat all costs....You will die quickly if you fall in there..

Have a helper with you and always have a ladder nearby...





Last when you bought the house you should of got a survey showing where everything is.. If you dont go to the health department and get a copy.. When the septic went in it should of been documented...

Do not tell them anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just say you may want to install a pool or a fence.....

 

I know exactly where the tank, d-box and field are so I won't need to go to the town.

It does seem as if one the laterals is more saturated than the other. From L to R the last line on the R at the end of the run is the wettest point, the lines on the left and middle are nowhere near as wet.

If I call to get it pumped will they naturally check the d-box or do I have to pay extra for that (not a big deal, just need to know what to expect). Is this something I can do myself? What should I look for once I open the d-box?


Thanks again

 

Not a septic guy but I have lived with several systems [exclusively for the last 30+ yrs] When I lived in fla I had a D box, I'd dig it up and inspect it. It should distribute the fluid thru each outlet. I'm all for doing as much myself as possible .... but maybe I'm just cheap If the pumper has to dig up or do any work to the D box he'll likely charge extra.

 

They don't normally check the d box. It would be a cost for them to dig the lid..


Yes exposing the lids will save you money. You could inquire to the person that comes out about your feild. He may help you or he may not. The are some in the industry that could sell salt to a slug... so be careful..


Right know if you can find the d box before pumping that can tell you alot. Look for it being full of water or some blockage in there..

If its not full then the tank may be overflowing and there may be blockage from tank to d box..

Like I said get the tank emptied any way. It will give the field some time to dry up. If that is the issue..


If it is the field I would recommend finding the ends of the laterals and digging a hole, have the laterals jetted from the d box while sucking out the biomat at the ends, and treat the laterals with hydrogen peroxide...

That is yours only chance at some type of restoration...



Also a field is not that pricey if you find the right person. Do you have the room to put a field in next to the one you have?

Let me know that and I will suggest more...

in the mean time read my issues here. May give you an insite...I have a pit but the concept is the same..

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/we...lp-advice.html

 

When you dig up your distribution box put a level on the top of it. They work by gravity and it's critical that it be level to evenly distribute effluent to the laterals. Often the box settles and one end becomes lower than the other and ends up sending most of the waste to on or two laterals, overloading them while the others go under utilized.

 

As I have stated in this forum previously, check for a grease trap some where past the outlet of the tank. We had problems with our septic system and found that the grease trap was plugged. If that is the case, remove the stone in the box and replace.

 

Thanks for all the replies. We went all day yesterday and maybe put a gallon of water into the system. We are going to do the same today as we had a heavy rain last night.

Re: the toilet being slow...I checked this morning and it was clogged...used a plunger and that resolved it. It drained normally after that. I didn't want to keep flushing it in just in-case. This slow toilet is what originally set off the alarms for me, so maybe we are ok but it doesn't change the fact the field esp on one side is spongy. At least there are no odors...

I'll see if I can get to the d-box tonight, if not tonight then tomorrow I will try for it. I know the location, just not how deep it is buried. Assuming I find it, take of the lid and put a level on it? If it's not level do I try to force it level or do I dig out around it? When it is open if it is functioning normally I should see effluent in the whole thing like a tub of water correct?

Should I look to see if there are plugs on any of the lines (some sites seem to suggest you should plug lines to minimize wear on some of the laterals and then switch which lines are in use in a few months.) or is that just bad internet advice?

Re: Jetting the laterals, what type of equipment would I need to do that?

There isn't enough space next to the existing field for another one, I am not sure where a new field would go except maybe part of the front yard.

Thanks again you guys are great!

 

NO!!!! Bad advice.................



A high pressure jetter and a pump truck on site...


When you find the d box you will see the pipe from the tank..( On right in this video) and the lateral lines...

The water level in the box should be below the lateral lines, and/or flowing into them slowly as shown.

There may be adjusters on yours to altter the flow rate..

We need to know what you find when you uncover this box. That will tell us the next course of action...


What??? Dont know what you been reading... Do the above and let us know...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TFfsceGLnc

 

As far as I know it doesn't need to be perfectly level but if one side has dropped a good bit, I'd gently lift it and stuff dirt/rock under it to better support it. The main thing is for the fluid to go to all the laterals, you don't want to drown one while another is mostly dry.

 

Jetting can be done from the d box. You need a pump truck on site.

Here in this vid it shows the line being jetted. This is from the septic tank, but you would do it from the d box. Ideally you want to find the end of the laterals to suck the crap out..

See the jetter and the black bio mat coming out? Note to then have a sump pump.. Dont know where they are pumping it too but you need a pump truck on site..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeDLakR1k2M


Yes as others stated about the level of the D box, it could have settled.. Dig it up and let us know...

 

Yes, distribution boxes need to be perfectly level. Any bit off of level and the flow is not evenly distributed and some laterals get overloaded while others are under utilized. Here is an article that explains in more detail.

 

Thanks for the link PD!

just when I thought I was a know it all

 

I don't want to pretend to be an expert here; I'm just Real Estate Broker who looks at these things from a slightly different perspective . . . . and I've also lived with my own On-Site Waste Water Disposal System in a neighboring State for over 25 yeas.

My experience with other people's Septic Systems and Cess Pools, is that they're most likely to fail shortly after the transfer of ownership and new utilization patterns are employed. Shortly after new occupants move in, they have a tendency (for a few weeks) to use more cleaning compounds, bleaches, ammonias and other caustic chemicals . . . . many of which are detrimental to the beneficial bacteria that need to be kept active inside the Septic Tank. Once they're killed off, it's difficult to re-establish the colony.

And I also know that some new owners will often dispose of kitchen and cooking scraps in their Septic Systems, just as they used to do when they were hooked up to a Municipal Sewage Treatment facility. Some people look at me strangely when I tell them that disposing of old bacon grease down the kitchen drain will ultimately cause problems. There ought to be a law that prohibits kitchen sink garbage disposals from co-existing on the same property as where a Septic System is used for waste disposal.

Also, new Owners may not consciously distribute their usage of water and, consequently, the load placed on the leach field; especially during the spring thaw. Nobody educates "new" or first time Septic System owners on how to properly treat this important part of the their investment.

The Leach Field that successfully served the little old couple who previously lived in the same house for 40 years may now suddenly develop problems that seem like they must have also been there before, and the previous owners "should" have known about them . . . . when the real culprit is just a mis-understanding of how to manage the sewage system to keep it both healthy and functional.

Septic Systems have to be treated gently and thought of as living things . . . . they are. I know I might sound like some kind of hippy tree-hugging do-gooder; but my thoughts here are just based upon the observation of what often happens with First-Time Septic System Owners in my area . . . . and also, my own limited experience here, which includes replacing an entire Septic System in 1987, and arranging to have the tank pumped in about 1997. The man pumping the tank at that time remarked that from his point of view, " it looked like we could have waited 20 years before having to pump that tank" . . . . it's all a question of how you manage it.

I hope that in this instance, the bacteria in the Septic Tank can be re-established and the Leach Field cleared or un-clogged so as to absorb future effluent without a big expense. With an understanding of what is going on inside the System, it may slowly resolve itself !

Remember, no harsh Cleaning Agents, no Pampers, no Feminine Hygeine products, no Condoms . . . . and NO Bacon Grease !

 

Unfortunately, the only law that covers that is common sense - which seems to be in short supply these days

 

While I am new to septic systems, I did read up on them quite a bit. We don't use any anti-bacterial products or bleach and to clean my wife uses a vinegar/baking soda formula. We don't have a garbage disposal but we do use grease jars and throw any grease in the jar for the garbage. We also don't have a dishwasher, so occasionally somethings do go down the drain when washing dishes like a few grains of rice or a pea we are pretty good at scraping the scraps into a garbage.


I went out tonight and dug up the cover of the tank. What I thought was the distro box was actually the outlet from the tank. Captions and descriptions are below each photo.



This is the view inside the tank with the pipe coming from the house the fluid level is about 8-12 inches from the top of the tank. I had my wife flush a toilet and watched the water go into the tank.


This is the view out of the septic (yes I did fish those leaves out that fell in when I opened the lid). I'd say 4/5ths of the pipe is open and only a bit of water in the last 1/5th.


This is the view of the septic and leach field looking away from the house. You will see the right side has water. The leach field slightly sits in a bowl and where that water the low spot.


This is the view of the leach field and septic looking towards the house, you can see some of the slope and snow in the back yard.


This is a photo of an area of the yard closer to the house before the septic and not near the lines, just to show the amount of water on the ground from snow-melt & rain. I am 100% certain this water has nothing to do with the septic.


I tried following the pipe out of the septic by probing for the D box, but each time I thought I hit it I was hitting only hitting rocks (only tearing up the yard in a few spots in the process). So I think if there is a D box it is lower in the ground to explain the elevation drop between the septic and the field. But no idea where, unless there isn't one.

I probed the leach field in a dozen places on each side and in the middle with the probe and pulled the probe to my nose but never smelled sewage. The only time I smelled sewage was when I had the lids open on the septic.

I am not sure how to proceed from here, I am starting to convince myself I am worried about nothing. The slow toilet had a clog and has run fine the other two times I have tested it and we have no sewage smells at the low drains in the house or in the yard. We had a lot of snow melt and in the past week rain, other yards have puddles in them. Am I deluding myself?

Thanks again for all the advice and time you guys are giving me.

 

Cigarette butts are a no-no as well. We had our tank replaced when we bought our current house (It was a leaching pit, no longer allowed around here) and when the opened the old one it hand many floating on the of the water!

I would put things in a holding pattern right now. You have done some research and checked some things out and IMO things look OK. I would wait and see how things progress and keep an eye on it. While you wait, you should call around and get some prices for pumping, just to have on hand.

FYI - Around here we do not have accessible distribution boxes.

 

The tank is supposed to be almost full of fluid. The sewage sits in the tank, decomposes and then the excess liquid goes to the drain field. A D box is used when there are multiple laterals [individual runs] My system doesn't have a D box, my drain field is one continuous run.

I agree with waiting and see what happens. Hopefully you've worried for nothing but it's always good to learn more about anything connected to your home

 

After further review of your pics, you may have just had a clogg..

Not saying that your field can or cannot be bad though... But since the tanks elevation is much higher then the field, if the field did have an issue it would just bubble up out of the ground and not back up in the home..

( Water seeps its level)

While you have the outlet hole open anyway get two gallons of pequa cessflo from the home store and pour that down the outlet pipe toward the field. Use a funnel and small piece of house if need be,,, Cost about $50 bucks....

Dont flush with water. If you have a d box it will distribute from there...

IMO you should try and locate your d box anyway..( Get a probe and follow the exit pipe)

Also looks like you have plenty of room for another field if one ever needed to be added...

 

Thanks to everyone for the help. It's been two days and the field has dried up considerably. It's still a little bit squishy, but the next few days will hopefully dry it up. I think I rushed to full-blown freak out.

Is that Cess-Flo stuff safe for the septic? It's a small space and I am bit worried that I will have trouble getting it into the outlet pipe and wind up getting some of it in the tank.

Thanks for all the know-how and help.

 

Use an old hose and a funnel to add the cess flow...

 

With all that digging, maybe you've now laid out the location for a new garden down there, above the absorption area ?