Options for repairing a sewage leach field.
 

I have a 40 year old leach field that has stopped leaching grey water. It is either frozen or plugged. Looking for advice on how to get the leach field going or should I just go to a surface discharge. Also recommendations for someone in the county of Strathcona with experience in this matter. Thanks Wapiti11

you may have to use your septic tank as a holding tank till summer and have a honey wagon to empty it out till then . just pumping out on surface may get you in hot water in strathcona county .

If you have a leech field that is 4 parallel underground pipes it can be cleaned by opening up the ends of the pipes and blowing out the crud, recover the ends and your good to go again. We were told this by a company in Red Deer that empties septic tanks.

If you can discharge it above ground where it won't bother neighbours then do that until middle summer to give the field a break. Giving it a rest for a while might get you by. Chances are though, after 40 years it might be time for a new field.

I have had 3 acreages in the past 12 months stop leaching and leaving pools of ugly brown water on the ground. Rather than installing new runs I found an outfit that pumps air into the system. All three fields are now working well. Cost was $1500 FOR THE SYSTEM AND $1500 FOR THE INSTALLATION. Saved me many $$$. PM for a phone #.

Do careful research, knowledge is required.
Google will find lots of general information.

Have you recently inspected the sludge level in the septic tank?
When was it last pumped out?
Do you have original installation permit and inspection paperwork?
Do you know how many laterals and their lengths?
Do you know the location of the lateral outer ends and distribution box?
Do you know how deep they are?
Are there any trees growing near the field?

I suspect you will need to dig to expose and inspect the outer ends of all field laterals, and probably also the distribution box.
Do you have access to digging equipment?

Digging and inspection is not easy winter work, and maintenance and/or repair will be worse.

I caution you to be discrete about who you consult, government is not your friend, and contractors may provide and/or share information to their own advantage.

Good Luck, YMMV.

If your plan is to stay in your home for many years, have lots of teenagers in family, lots of relatives visiting, did not pump out tank sludge each year, I would recommend install a totally new field. I know Sherwood Park has lots of clay with poor purcollation rates, I believe need to install a sophisticated sewage treatment system now.

Probably stuck with having it pumped out till spring, I doubt you are allowed to go with a surface discharge for non emergent situations.

There is an additive that one can flush down the toilet, supposed to help break down sludge, that worked well for us. Don't have the name handy, I can check later. have also heard good reports about the air system that Dona posted about.

Hi Donna,
Interested in the air system you mentioned in your post. Can you provide me with a contact and number?
Thanks so very much.
Wapiti11

could you give us more info or pm me a number ? i am curious about this . i had been led to believe that a septic field worked because of anaerobic bacteria . injecting air into the system would kill such bacteria .

I took the septics course a while back, but didn't move into the field. There is a lot of misinformation about fields. Most old (traditional) style fields will fail because of biofilm (that stuff in your toilet tank if you are on non-chlorinated water). This isn't unexpected, and a part of the reason they have moved to the new style of pumped fields. I had to reevaluate my perception on septic fields. I had always just assumed pumped fields were a way to make money rather than an effective way of treating the water. My next field will be a little higher tech, but I know why now.

At 40 yrs your doing pretty good. Did it fail suddenly or slow down over the last couple years? Have you had water percolating to surface anywear in the yard ? Ice field? Multi runs or 1 deep trench?

If it failed suddenly then yes it is either frozen or plugged. Plugged you can run a roto rooter in from the end if the pipes come to surface. Frozen you can steam it. You would be surprised how packed in the lines get. If no pipes in the end then you have to dig up the ends to root them out. If you do this put risers on. Be warned that when your excavation breaches the field it will fill with water.

But why is it plugged?
1) Baffle collapsed in tank. Allows solids into field side and plugs lines. Pretty common. To check pump out house side and watch that the water level in field side stays up. If field side drains a lot then the baffle is collapsed and you are looking at a new tank and may as well put new field in at that time as well as you are on borrowed time.

2) Plugged, Grease and oil build up over time as well as other hygiene and family planning products that get flushed but shouldnt. They eventually plug off lines. As lines plug tank fills and solids overflow the baffle further plugging lines until eventually it closes off. To fix you need to roto router out the lines and you are good to go.

Pump solids side at leat every 2 years and preferably every year.

Slowed down over time? Slow lushing toilets on lower levels. Gurgling noises from sinkd when toilets or diswashers used? Water puddling in yard? Ice field?
What happens on older fields is that a black layer of anaerobic slime forms on the outsides of the trench and slows the abilty for water to percolate through. This happens over time and you will usually notice your field getting slower over time. The air pumps marketed to fix this are a temp fix at best and you are better to put the 3K towards a new tank and field. Some people in the US have found that buying a shop vac and extending the hose into the downstream side of tank and using it to aerate to be just as effective at a cost of a couple hundred bucks. But in the end you have ran the life of your field by a good 15 years. If it is a single run and your tank is good you may be able to extend the run for a lot less money. While it is exposed do a good clean out of the lines but this is a band aid to hopefully get you another few years to save up to replace the system entirely. In some jurisdictions you can pull a permit and rent a hoe and do the install yourself and save a tonne. It aint rocket science. PM me if you need more info

Contact Number
 

What is the number for the contact for the pumps?

40 year leach field
 

There is no such thing as repairing a 40 year leach field. Firstly;
1) Most leach fields will usually fail long before 40 years even if tank sludge pumped out every 1-2 years.
2) Many leach fields should probably not have been built on poor perculation soils in first place.
3) Most people overload their fields with too many people residing in home for the capability of field.
Bite the bullet and install a new field with a competent contractor, then take care of your total plumbing/sewage system with regular maintenance.
Hope this helps.

It's a two and a half year old thread... I hope he has it sorted by now :-)

ARG