The Sunday Sanitation Incident

If your septic professional has recently informed you that your septic leach field has started to fail, then you may have a problem with compressed soil around the area or saturated earth that can no longer deal with the effluent from your septic system. If an inspection reveals that these are the reasons for the failure or if there is something else that requires you to start with a brand new drainage system, then it is wise to invest in a septic mound system. This type of drainage system will include the installation of a dosing tank where water will be held after it moves through the main containment part of your septic system. This tank is connected to a series of pipes and a pump that will force the waste water into a created mound.

While it is wise to ask your septic professional to install the dosing tank, pump, and the necessary drainage pipes, you can build up the drainage mound yourself. If you choose to do this, consider the following.

The mound that is attached to your septic system will absorb the waste water that is released. This water will drain through the mound and down into the soil underneath. This will allow the water to move away from your house and into the water table much like a trench system. However, the mound system will drain much slower and this will keep the earth around the drainage field, as well as the water table, from becoming completed saturated with water. This will help to reduce flooding concerns on your property.

Sand is the best material to build up your drainage mound, and concrete sand that is typically used as a base layer for patios and other constructions is wise. If possible, pick a medium texture or sand coarseness. This will help to prevent compaction so that water can drain away when the water table and the soil underneath the mound allows.

Many people will decide to place stumps, leaves, soil, and other debris along the base of the mound, since land clearing will also be needed when the drainage system is built. While this may build the mound to a much higher level, you will be compromising the ability of the mound to hold and drain water. The amount of sand contained within the mound is what assists with this, not the mound's overall height.

If you want to assist drainage without increasing your costs, then make sure that there is about two feet of natural earth or soil across the base of the mound. This will help water to dissipate over a space where the water table is high, the ground is compressed, or where there is a hard layer of bedrock near the surface. You can take some of the earth from your property in an area that is far from your new mound. Place your sand directly over this soil. 

Once you have constructed your drainage mound, you will want to make sure that you do not do anything to compromise the drainage ability of the sand. This means not driving over the mound or compressing it in any way. You also will need to plant the right type of cover over the area. Some people will plant trees on the mound or choose to add flowers or other greenery that will help to remove water from the mound area. While this may help to release some of the water from the space, most trees and water-loving plants will have aggressive root systems. These systems can reach the pipes that release water into the mound and clog them. Instead, plant grass seed alone over the mound. 

To learn more about this process, contact companies like Rob's Septic Tanks Inc.