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Why Drain-Fields Fail
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
95% of septic system failures are caused by biomat (slime)
buildup in the drain-rock and surrounding soil. It has
been my observation after 15 years in the on-site industry
that gravity drain-fields have a life expectancy of around 20
to 30 years. I have heard it said that pressure
distribution drain-fields have a much shorter lifespan and that mound
systems live from four to six years. There are always
exceptions, depending usually upon occupancy. The more
people in the home, the shorter the lifespan of the system.
Green Stripes indicate water is
coming up instead of down.
The cause is biomat slime in the pipes & drain-rock!
Green stripes do not always appear
before a failure. Your drain-field may not be covered
by your lawn, or it may be buried to deep to allow
green stripes. Other possible indicators of trouble
ahead:
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Need
for frequently pump-out of septic tank
-
Slowly draining
toilet
-
Sewage coming
up in a downstairs drain
-
Constant high water
alarms
-
When the tank is pumped,
water runs back into the tank from the drain-field
The other 5% of septic
failures are related to any of a number of things: A)
Faulty installation B) Broken pipe from vehicle
traffic C) Chemo-therapy or other medical related
issues D) Simple over-use of the system E) Roof
drains saturating the tank or drain-field area F)
Oddball things like flushing cat-litter or RV waste dumped
into the tank.
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