Our brand new septic system failed. It doesn't work in clay soil.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ก.ย. 2020
- When we built our house in the country we had a septic system installed. And it has never worked properly. The septic leach field has always leaked septic water out onto the ground making a swampy skinky area in our yard. Today it is finally fixed. They installed new septic system that is aerated and doesn't use a leach field.
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The guy was probably stalling you, hoping you'd go away, because that was an expensive mistake he made. I'm glad you persevered and finally got it fixed, on HIS dime, not yours. I hope the new system will be trouble free for many years.
2 years....... You, my friend, are EXTREMELY patient! I hope the new system works for you guys.
We put in a wet lands system twenty years ago. Still works. Only trouble we've had is when a squirrel went down a pipe and got caught in the T. With the wet lands ditch we also have a short leach field. I'm a gardener so we have plants in it. In the fall I cut all of the plants down. The ditch is full of gravel that I can walk on to maintain it. No smell, pretty garden. I like it.
Really glad to see that you got this fixed. A ceptic system is a thing that has to work
I’d love to hear a 5 year review on the new system that he installed for you(whenever that time comes)......I wish you and your family the best.
There is something called a "perc" test - that usually helps to avoid this problem ......
We call it, "hard pan" here in Florida. They had to dig down to where a backhoe was below ground level, to get to decent dirt in our yard. Actually, it took 20 loads of lake sand to make it work.
Usually, yes. We are one of the unlucky ones that had a perc test that passed just fine....during a very dry year. But we've exactly the same problems as he has in this video and will have to go with the same solution, an aerobic system.
@@stephenleach4485yep. It’s happening more and more. Our “inspector” is a 27 year old woman in my county. She has never installed a septic in her life. She didn’t even bring a level when “inspecting” my system. She just asked how big is the tank and how long the field to make sure it was the same as permit request. Shame.
@@jimmybob7364 Our inspector never got out of the truck.
Here in Wyoming it’s really difficult to get people too finish their work as well. I’m so sorry you guys had to go through this. Our roof was replaced last year after a hail storm damaged it and we still have a leaky gutter we’re waiting to be replaced. Happy for you now that’s been taken care of.👍🏻
YAY!!! It's nice when things finally work out. 👍😁
That type of leach field is supposed to be level all the runs are supposed to be at the same level. So if they run down hill then it was not done correct to begin with. Glad they fixed it well maybe?
It was also too deep, and too small. He should have had 1500 feet of laterals at 18 inches deep.
I'm quite surprised that a building permit to build was given prior to a "Perk-Test" of several sample areas to test the soil for a septic and leech field.
Like most things nowadays...the county probably sent out the cheap young "educated" kid for the perk test vs sending the experienced older expensive guy.
This was a really good video with great information and the comments were great also because we can all learn from this thank you everyone
I am glad it finally got fixed for you, and I am proud of you for not name shaming him. Shame on him for taking so long to fix it, but very good on you for being more respectful than he was.
You sir, are a good guy. Looked up the septic system in clay soil due to odors coming through my heating vents. Plumber coming tomorrow to eliminate causes then possible septic empty. Your you tube came up and I watched it. Impressed! God bless you and your wife, hope your new septic worked!
That certainly was a pain in the butt, glad it’s over and done. Let’s hope all is good and the aerator chamber works as designed. Thanks for the video
How much slope does that Leach line have that sure is a long ways from the house it looks like everything's downhill do you have anything running in the house at all times like one of your faucets Maybe leaking
Glad they finally made things right. I know that’s a pain to deal with.
Thank you for sharing and saving others from issues
Our 1500 gal concrete tank and leach field was installed in the 60's. It still works perfectly because the kitchen sink, dishwasher, washing machine and water softener water all go into gray water tile drain. Only the bathroom drains/toilets go into septic. I could probably go 50 years without pumping tank. They new better in the old days before EPA.
I hear ya but I don't wanna drink those chemicals
@@chrisE815 What chemicals??
Less than a minute into the video and I have to say, that is a beautiful cabin you've built yourself. Love the porch. Great pond too.
One thing less to worry about ! Now you can move on an get the fencing done ! God-bless Evan!!♡♡♡
I’m in SC and we have to go through DEHEC to have a septic system put in. I’m glad y’all were able to get it resolved.😊❤️
Oh my God!! I'm so glad I found your comment. This is good news! Thanks 😊
I'm in south Carolina.. and I need this info...so it's good to know that they will indeed have the records I need!!
Make sure they maintain it every year!! Yes it does need to be pumped!
Glad to hear you fixed it. With Covid and all it probably had some bearing on his staff available too. Glad you shared it can't wait to see the fence now. What a beautiful property. Hugs from Minnesota
The contractor was just trying to avoid doing anything. I would never have been that patient.
Patience paid off.
Well sure glad you finally got that fixed, we had a similar problem as we live out in the woods as well.
Good that they did it all for free!!
I hope everything is done and you have no more problems with your septic system. Once the water dry up you will be good to go with your fencing. Take care from Alabama
Thank you for sharing your story. I was about to install a leaching chamber system on my clayish soil and your video prevented that
Glad they fixed it for you! My husband and I redid our leach lines 20 yrs ago. The newer houses across the street have the type you now have. We live across the street from a river so our soil is different than yours, total sand soil. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Have them to give you a new diagram of the work they did and share that with the county.
Glad to hear it is over for you. During long dry periods, the greenest part of our yard is where our leech lines are located.
Hope this system works!
I had a bad sewage smell coming into my house this morning, then I spotted a portable loo truck, one which empties them and had two loos on it parked in front of my house. I thought that was the origin of the smell and felt really sorry for the driver,. Actually, the whole town stank, I think it was the sugar beet processing plant getting ready for the season.
Definitely should have done a perc test. They are required here as well. Easy to do and well worth it. Sounds like your septic guy is a handyman working out of his league.
Fingers crossed! Well done for being patient.
Good service is a thing of the past...... Promises made are promises at the convenience of the provider.😎
New septic tank here in PA this summer as the old one had deteriorated. This has water going to a sand mound. At least you got it fixed at no cost, but you'll have some money fixing your yard. Good video.
It’s a damn shame!!! It should have been done right from the very beginning!!! Look at the mess they left for you to clean up and repair a previously beautiful lawn. Ohhhh! This makes me so mad! You are a better person then I am and I consider myself a good person. God bless you my friend!
I watched your video of the original drainfield installation a while back, and you got the same chambered system that I got. Mine took a couple of years to fail, but my soil is not as high in clay as yours. Hope your new system works well. Make sure he got a permit for the new system.
We built our home in 2014, and they put in an aerator system with a sand mound. The mound failed 5 years later. Turned to Jello basically. the builder installed a new system , Coco system and moved the drain field to another Perc spot on the property. Shortly after this was installed following year it continued to push water from that drain field. been a headache ever since. I am at my wits end. We have terrible soil here in Northeast Wayne County PA.
I'm glad you finally got that taken care of. Be careful burning that brush pile at the end of the pipe. You wouldn't want to melt the end of the pipe and if there's are any sewer gases coming out of the pipe, burning near it could cause a much bigger problem
Hope it all works OK. The joys of home ownership.
One requirement of correct operation of a Leach Field is that the soil has to be sandy. Clay doesn't absorb liquid. Down side of the resolution is that you are going to have and maintain the aerator system where if the guy had back filled the leach field with sand so that the yard will be capable to evaporate the water.
Where I live you have to have a park test before installing a septic tank
Our land is installed in a shallow field, then covered with soil.
It looks like a small hill or mound
The only thing that will grow on it, is grass
Percolation test. It determines how much your native soil can absorb before addition of finely crushed stone etc to drain your sewage water. This site has a natural frangipan, a layer of dense clay preventing the sewage water from filtering down into the native soil. All of this should have been ascertained before installing any kind of system in the first place
Great video. I'm just surprised they allowed it so close to the pond.
So happy you kids got resolution 🍀
To be clear, Clay Soil Does Not Leach! However, in my state, you're not allowed to install a Drainage Area or Leaching Area within 200 feet of the shoreline. It certainly appears as though you've got a pond less than 200 feet away from where this Plastic Chamber Leaching Field was installed. It's simply not a good idea to put your Drainage Field near a pond or a lake, or even a brook or a stream. Ideally, you want be as far away from the waters edge or "shoreline" as possible. Obviously, near any body of water it's common to have a Higher Water Table, which means the elevation of the system is a big consideration as well. We all know the old saying "higher is drier" because it's true, and very often a Higher Water Table means you'll have to install a Pump-up System to make sure the wastewater or effluent, is properly treated before it can rejoin the ground water. This is to prevent ground water contamination, which is a Potential Environmental Hazard... especially near a lake, pond, or stream. With this in mind, you want an elevated leachfield or drainfield that uses CRUSHED STONE or AGGREGATE of some kind. I like to use 3/4 inch clean crush, but even larger aggregate works well... including 1 1/2 or even 2 inch stone. By the way, Plastic Chambers can be installed with crushed stone, and I strongly recommend it if you want the longest life possible from your Plastic Chamber System. Regarding the Aeration Treatment Unit (ATU) this homeowner had installed, it's just another piece of mechanical equipment that not only requires electricity but routine maintenance, and eventually it will fail and need replacing anyway. So, I prefer "passive ventilation" which does not require an Air Pump, and can be easily done with a 4 inch PVC Plastic Pipe commonly known as a Candy Cane Vent or Goose Neck Vent. Proper Airflow is essential to all types of Septic Systems, and Passive Venting increases oxygenation or "oxygen transfer" which aids in the evaporation of excess water, and can also help to promote a more active bacterial environment. Always remember, any Leaching Field or Drainage Field should function better with increased oxygenation.
You are very patient and God bless
So sorry for all your worry and trouble. I had a feeling something was going on with you. You seemed troubled. But why do you have to finish cleaning up ? Or maybe you want to . I’m glad it’s over for you . And yes you can get on with your dreams for your homestead. Take care and may the Lord bless you and Rebecca as you continue with your plans. The house looks really good. Sure hope you don’t have to do that any more for a long time.
I am glad you got the septic system problem fixed and I think the guy finally came because he was scared you might sue him and replacing the septic tank and new line would be cheaper than a lawsuit, but either way, the new system looks like it will work better. We have the same problem in south Alabama with the red clay soil.
Glad you got it fix
Good to see he has fixed his mistake even if he did take a long time.
You're a better man than I! If I had the channel and followers you do I would have put this guy on blast a long time ago. As someone else has already mentioned, be prepared if this fails as well, and make sure you document document document. Good luck!
Interesting, I’ve worked on a farm in the UK where the dairy parlour runoff/silage heap runoff/winter shed runoff goes into a local water course, but is met by a set of settling ponds and reed beds (gravity helped with aeration with little water falls). Reed beds seem the final cleanup if you have space, also natural UV exposure during the process before it finally met the ocean.
This is one thing that I am wondering about in terms of the composition of his new system ; he never showed the actual discharge method/point for the new system , and how is that really operating (possible problems which might develop , etc )?????
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Good luck Evan. We are in the process of building a new home on a farm we bought in Missouri. Unfortunately we have lots of clay also. Great for pond building but lousy for a septic. We only have two options. Drip system or a lagoon! Unfortunately drips are very expensive and very high maintenance. We are going with a 1500 gallon take and the a lagoon for the effluent. Feel your pain!
What a patient guy.
How stressful that whole septic situation must have been for you. Hopefully it's truly fixed now and you can destress a bit.
Lesson 0. You need to fill in the abandoned tank. Lesson 1. Approval from the building department does not guarantee that the system will meet national building code. Lesson 2. if you build your own home, you must be an expert in every system. Anyway, an aeration system is state of the art. You should be very happy with it, and you are lucky that the contractor upgraded your system for free
Is aeration really??? So much maintenance and what did people do before that years ago??? Also you lose land space usage because of the spraying. Not good
@@saltlife1834 if the septic system fails a percolation test. The homeowner has few choices. In my opinion aeration is the best. If properly sterilized the water can be used on grass without any problems. Sterilization takes several forms chlorine and or ozone. If you don't put chemicals in your septic system, the aerobic bacteria will produce good compost, and the effluent should result in a nice green lawn. Kevin should install a grey water system for laundry and showers (if allowed in his area). You are right that the system takes power and maintenance. But worth it
As I get older I have learned that many people who install anything when it has a problem they don't know you . Therefore I have concluded there are many more horses butts than there are horses. It is such a shame what we have sunk to. I remember in my younger days I sold wholesale tv parts to tv shops. Anything that failed we jumped through ourselves to correct it. Any of the tv repairmen did the same. Their customers knew they had backup form them and they knew they had backup from us. This was in southwest Oklahoma and people then were different than I see now. More than half the add calls I get on my phone alert as scam calls. Such a shame.
You seem like a nice person. Sometimes we can be too nice. next time call a lawyer and have him do the talking.
I'm glad the Contractor fixed this issue for free
Perseverance. By the By, beautiful compound.
The air pump bubbles system can be really successful, we have had system working for 12 years . Excellent if installed correctly, we are close to small river , and our Local authority is very strict about discharge from septic tanks. Hope it works as efficiently for you. 🏴
SUCCESSFUL AT WHAT??
I am going through the same situation now. Almost 4 months old and the whole leach field is waterlogged and sewage is backed up in the tank. My property passed two perc test, was inspected during installation, and still failed. I am really unhappy with this situation and hope that it will be resolved shortly at no cost to me.
Threaten legal action and publicity in the local area. The publicity could destroy the company as no-one will want to use them.
Other than the Perc issues others have mentioned, I am amazed they let you do a septic system that close to a body of water / pond.
Why? With proper bacteria in the system and correct maintenance the water in the leach field is safer than chlorinated water from any treatment plant.
You can do septic systems close to body of water. Typically you use a more active system then a traditional septic system. There are tons of septic systems in swampy places where the ground water is only a couple of feet below the service at most. I see that is what they ended up with in the end.
@@Dougs-Ear-Hole-Entertainment This is simply not true. The leach field is the secondary treatment from a septic system. The process of it interacting with ground bacteria is the secondary treatment process. A treatment plant produces significantly cleaner effluent, but even this can still present both an environmental and health hazard.
@@martinwhite7340 I read what "D.B." wrote and shook my head, too. A water table is a water table; there's no magic. Picture it with the soil removed - that pond is where their effluent is going. It is far too close for the bacteria and soil filtering to naturally occur. It's like people I see who put in swimming pools with high water tables and don't know why they fail as well. Water will always find it's level; pump more in and it will rise. Whoever thought a passive system would ever work was amazingly naive - this always would require an active system. You'd need VERY sandy soil and very quick perc to think otherwise.
My thoughts exactly! Usually State guidelines usually issue permits and at that time will also request a soil map or perc test depending on what they write up in detail. Many home owners want the septic system here not there. Just fyi! It causes nightmares for the installer. Customer service is key, but I feel like some facts were left out of the video.
In CT they would require “septic sand”. Be trucked in for the entire septic field. I sure hope your your new system works.
Sorry for your troubles, but hey, you said: "There's always something going on".
Take that as a blessing for what it's worth.
Aerobic system should have 3 chambers. The third chamber should have a lid you can put chlorine tablets in, when that tank gets to a certain level it pumps the water to some sprinklers and tha takes care of the water. Chlorine keeps the odor down and acts as a a purifiers.
Chlorine destroys lawns and gardens.
WOW, what a literal pain in the butt!!! Hope your pond is ok!!! TY
🤞🤞🤞🤞Sure hope this works out for you folks ???🤞🤞🤞🤞 Guessing you’ll know in a year if it’s working ! Got my fingers crossed for you 😃. Thanks for sharing with us.
If all else fails ... there's always the small claims court !
I have a septic leech field that's made of black clay. It's been around for more than 20 years, never had a problem. It's probably because the septic was designed for a family of 7, but is used by a family of 1, and also because Austin, Texas, is bone dry most of the year. An aerobic system would require a maintenance contract that costs several hundred dollars a year. It would be nice if the treated water could be used to water the foundation.
Never seen an aeration system with just one tank. Usually they have 3 tanks including a trash settlement tank, aeration tank, and pump tank. It would make more sense if they didn't bypass your original tank and are using it as the trash settlement tank in the new system?
Yea with sprinkles.
The new septic tank is cone shaped and has multiple chambers inside. It is a Nayadic septic treatment system.
Great advice!!!
Many domestic aeration systems nowadays can do all the treatment in a single tank. They usually contain a primary treatment chamber (septic tank), aeration chamber, clarification chamber and a disinfection/pump chamber. In the case of a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) system, the primary treatment, aeration and clarification all occurs in a single chamber before decanting into the disinfection/pump chamber. Commercial-sized systems may contain multiple tanks, and some domestic systems still require a septic tank prior to the aeration system unit if it doesn't have a primary treatment chamber.
He does not need a pump tank. He has gravity flow.
Never time to do it right the 1st time, but always time to redo it the 2nd go.
Those pumps are expensive and dont last to long. I use one of the pumps for air in my pond and have to rebuild it every few years. Good luck, hope it works out. Sewerage problems are a pain.
Time for an aerobic septic system. Almost all septic systems in Oklahoma are Aerobic. I'm lucky that I have sandy soil so I don't have any issues with my leach field. Good luck.
Glad it all worked out. I was wondering if there'd be perking issues with that pond nearby. That clay might be kind of saturated from the pond and won't take on any more water. Out here in Eastern Oklahoma, the soil perks fine but it's not really deep. There's a hard clay and shale barrier about the 5 foot level underground, give or take. When the soil gets saturated from a lot of rain, the water goes into any empty space, so the leech lines will fill with water and there's no place for the leech water to go so it surfaces at the lowest point in the yard. This is usually an issue in winter because the soil can stay more saturated for a long time.
Excessive allege in the pond, fertilised by the leach off from your septic system... Must be a connection? Just a thought from Wales....🤣
Nope, you can see where the brown water is coming out of the ground and it's nowhere near the pond to cause algae. Algae occurs on every pond, everywhere, every year, forever. It's due to the lack of movement, aeration and not from the leach field.
the Aeration system is great for septic systems !!! congrats . I sold them for grease traps for restaurants years ago. just set a calendar reminder to clean the air filter on the bubble unit. buy a few backup filters. you can buy them and any future replacement pumps from manufactures or ebay . monitor the air bubble by eye ball inspections on a regular bases. congrats on the fix and sharing the honesty. sad you had a slow fix .
We have heavy clay soil as well -- they only allow 'at grade' systems around here with three tanks. I also add gypsum to the ground on and around the mound yearly to break up the clay, and we dump our gray water from the washer on the ground as the micro fibers from plastic clothes will plug up the soil. In Wisconsin you need perk test and a septic permit to build! Add gypsum to the area. You wont regret it!
Where is your county inspector? He approved the system. It is not your problem, it is his. Get him out there and have him make the contractor get it fixed.,
You are one patient guy. I went through something similar with a leak we had on a new roof we had installed. We found the Company at a reputable hm improvement show. They were licensed & insured as well. Long story short I had to hire another roofer @ $10,000 additional. So glad you got it fixed with no new fees. Though I have to wonder what kind of rating you'd give that company now.😏
I would say leak on a new roof, needs fixed ASAP. At least my house wasn't damaged while waiting for it to get fixed. I probably wouldn't be patient with a roof leak.
Nothing worse than that kind of long ongoing drama. It's the source of many grey hairs on my head. Glad you got over it and can clear that out of your mind.
I'm surprised that they didn't require your septic guys to build up a mound using top soil for the leach field. We had to go through this process last year for a second construction and that was the only way to pass inspection (and make it work). Even though we have about a couple of feet of topsoil we still had to build it up. Clay is definitely not a good thing. I hope they take care of this for you.
Also from what septic guy said was they had to crush the old tank for safety reasons and fill it with rock you should look and see if the old tank is just sitting hollow
Good that he finally fixed it. Absolutely inexcusable he took that long to fix it tho.
Nobody wants to work for free, the reason it took so long.
Remember me asking if there was a source of nutrients getting into the pond? That upper leach branch line looks like it might make it into it. Especially if there was a mole tunnel or old root channel pointing that way. Watch the pond going forward to see if the algae problem gets better.
is the treated effluent from the aerobic septic system being applied on the surface of the ground through spray heads?
Man, what a shitty situation! I don't know if would have been that patient with this guy. I'm glad it has been fixed now. You can see the relief in your face in this video, must have been hard to deal with, since you like to do things near perfect:), and then to have this problem and there is nothing you can do yourself to fix it. Anyway, as you said, now you can move on and finish your property.
If you run your gray water a different way, it won't overwhelm the septic system & thus, the ground. Happened at our house, and when my husband replumbed and routed the gray water out a different way, that solved the problem! No more saturated ground or unpleasant odor!
Check out Red Bank, NJ named for the banks of the Navesink River clay... Lots of lime got the septic working for us in Little Silver. There is a very high water table with little soil on top of the clay and many homes did not have basements. It was the least expensive thing to try for us. BTW, it worked quickly, killed the surface slime, got rid of the stink, and never came back! Let me know.
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
We had the same prob happen we had to have a airation system that ran us about 13,000
But no issues since
If that original tank goes dry it can float out of the ground. Check and make sure water is in it to hold it down. Hope this works for you.
Wow! Two years.....hope this fix provides you with a "clean" solution to the problem.
From a septic installer I've seen leachefeilds blow out many times and one out of ten fix themselves over a years time but the other nine is because either it has collapsed or because of the ground just not taking water
Had the septic installer and county inspector bothered doing do diligence they would have discovered the "clay" shelf. IE below your leach field. Hence stopping the field from operating, as it should have.They then should have excavated that clay, removed it , filled the leach field area with good sandy soil, that tube leach field (itself is a very good system) would have lasted YEARS! What you experienced is truly a tragedy, but there is something to be said for Caveat Emptor. I will say that not all septic installers are crooks, the majority are very reputable folks. Just an FYI if you haven't already done so, install a separate private gray water drain field for your clothes washer, thus keeping water out of the current field.
I would have cut out that backyard,built a sand mantel,laid out 4"pipe for the field,cover in washed gravel,geotextile,topsoil,done.Does'nt have to be that complicated.Anything with pumps,power,alarms is a pain in the butt.Conventional beds are the easiest and cheapest with a good shelf life if taken care of.Good luck.
That is a terrible situation to have arise on you. I do not know if you need periodic maintenance on the aerated system tank to remove and solids build up that may occur, so you may want to check into that. Hopefully the new system will get you all straightened out.
Have you drilled a test hole to see what is under the clay? Very few places are just clay and will often have layers of sand/gravel under the clay.
Just curious, how deep does your layer of clay soil go? Can you install the leach lines below the clay? Art in Calif.
You cannot put leach lines under clay. There is no point, it won't drain. At all.
Having called the BBB might have helped, or having your lawyer send a threatening letter would have motivated him. But, a silver lining to your wait, you now have a system that has 2 year newer technology, so maybe it’s better than what he may have installed 2 years ago had he responded promptly. 👍
JudithB Good grief!!! I would have asked neighbors what system they have. I wonder if you can use lime to eliminate the stench Maybe this fall if that grass dries you can burn that spot. I am having trouble with my pipes under the house draining properly, but its a long shallow slope. The other bathroom works fine so its not the tank or field. and not clay dirt!! Hopefully I can get a plumber in next year, its a nuisance!!!!