# here we go... flooded leach field



## thegogetter222 (Jan 21, 2013)

Gents,
I need some non-biased advise.  I have home that was built in 1995 that I  bought on a foreclosure basis.  I know the previous family was only 2 parents and maybe 2 kids at the most and even that, the wife and kids were only there for a few years. I purchased the home just shy of 2 years ago and had the tank pumped prior to moving in for inspection purposes.  The Septic company passed the tank and said everything looked great.  So... here we are a family of 6.  Dad, mom, 13yr old, 7yr old twins, and a 4yr old little dude : )  Now, I know that this is a very high demand on any septic system and even a question I asked to the Septic company.  They said after pumping it, that to stick to a cleaning schedule of 2yrs at first just to gauge the overall system.  $10 per month budget over 2 years gets it cleaned, no big deal.

*Heres the problem:* 
Oct 2012, 3 people came to visit.  About 5 days in and after 3 days of rain, the toilet wouldn't flush and the tub backed up.  Tell tale sign of a flooded septic tank/field.  I immediately called the Septic company and they were there within the hour.  Pumped it out and we have had no further problems till now - Jan 2013.  The toilet wouldn't flush and I immediately looked out the window and saw the lid of the tank under about 3 inches of water/sewage.  I ran out and checked the outlet pipe, sure enough, it was full.  Additionally, the snow just melted.  Leading me to believe we have another flooded leach field.

What are my honest options here?  We are now on stringent water restrictions, but realistically cannot go on like this.  Is it possible to dig up and extend the leach lines?  They are in the rear of my property and only my garden tractor has ever driven over the downslope area.  The actual field is behind the tree-line.  Which is mostly weeds and a few small dead trees.  Are their any tests I can do to test the field?  Can i "clean" the field somehow?

I've scoured this forum reading everything relevant that came under a "septic" search.

thanks in advance for any advice,
gg


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## nealtw (Jan 21, 2013)

Your out let pipe should go to a distrabution tank, you want to find that and see if you have a blockage. If that is also full of water you will likely need to replace the field. The perk test is used to determan if the soil is good enough for a field to work. Where I am the people that install systems are supposed to be quallifide and certify there own work. Have an engineer design and check the job and certify the work.
http://www.landreport.com/2008/04/how-to-take-a-percolation-test/


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## thegogetter222 (Jan 21, 2013)

ah ha!  the distribution box!  Not too sure why i didn't think of that, but that is the next obvious place to look!  Before I recreate the movie holes, whats the general distance from the outlet access to the dist box?   

Thanks again.  I'll keep my journal entries coming on this one... grrr....


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## nealtw (Jan 21, 2013)

Your system will have been certified, some one has a set of plans for it. Start with the city permit dept.


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## thegogetter222 (Jan 24, 2013)

Neal/friends, ever heard of this product: 

http://www.septic-tank-maintenance.net 

Its called New Tech Bio or NT-MAX and from what the reviews say its supposedly be the best and its 100% guaranteed to clean the lines AND field.

let me know your thoughts.  Thanks guys


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## nealtw (Jan 24, 2013)

I have no experience with it.


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