Ok We are looking a buying a house with an engineered mound septic system. Quick overview of the system. effluent leaves the septic tank and goes into a plastic holding tank. When this tank is full fluid gets pumped up to a sand filter. The sand filter is contained in a big plastic tub. Fluid makes it way though the sand filter and is gravity feed to a second plastic holding tank. When that tank is full fluid is pumped up to a leach field with laterals and is dispersed into the sand.

Now my questions:

Is there a reliable way to test this system to make sure it is working properly? Maybe by timing how long it takes fluid to flow through the sand trap?

Secondly, since this system is above ground so to speak can it freeze? If so how do I prevent this from happening? Cover it with hay? I gotta think heating it would be extremely expensive.

Thanks in advance for any advise

tim

 

Who explained this system to you ?

How often is this "sand filter" cleaned of the material it collects; how and by who ?

How often is this area subject to power outages ?

 

Need to be talking to the company that installed it.
It will be on record at the county office.

 

I have a drawing of the system. It came from the engineer. He explained the system and how it works. The sand filter is a large bed of sand that the effluent filter though. Maybe I am using the wrong word in effluent. That would be the fluid waste that would normally go to the leach field.

I have talked to the company that designed it. I will be talking to the company that actually built the system. I'm just not sure how something like this would be tested to make sure it is working properly. I have a small sketch the that was on file at the County Health Dept. I will scan it and post it.

Thanks Tim

 

My understanding is the sand filter is the same as the soil around the laterals in your leach field. The only difference is after the fluid passes though the sand filter the fluid returns to a tank to be pumped up to the actual leach field. The soil is heavy clay in the area that is why this type of system is used.

 

Also check with the municipality, Health or Inspections Dept about the systems. It is becoming more and more common that they require a professional maintenance contract for complex engineered systems. That might be an extra expense to consider.

If you are considering this property you should find a good, reputable company. They can inspect the system before you buy and it's the sort of thing I would want them working for me, the buyer. Not a company hired by the seller to say it's OK. A system like that is complex and expensive to replace and would make a new roof seem like a trivial expense so you want to make sure it's in good condition before you close. It would also be a good investment to have that reputable company give you a training session about how your system operates and how to treat it. You won't be able to simply flush things with no concern as to where it goes. You'll be the owner and operator your own mini sewage treatment plant right in your own yard.

 

Piulot Dane, I did contact the County HEalth Dept. they said there in no requiremant for a professional maintenance contract. I was quite surprised when they told me that the system is fairly reliable and with routine pumping of the tank and rinsing of the filter the system should last a long time. I talk quite a while with the engineer that designed it. That said, I want to have the system thoroughly checked out before we purchase the property. That were the problem comes in. I'm not sure who would be qualified to check it out and just how will they test it. If they just open the man holes and look inside I won't feel very comfortable with that. If there is a way they can do a test to see how well the system actually works I would be happy. I'm just not sure if there is a way to do that. I am calling the engineer tomorrow to see if there is any way to actually test the system.

Thanks everyone for your input
Tim