Possible Percolation Problem?

Lanshane

Hi there, I think I may have a problem with my percolation area. Our house was built in 2003 with me and the wife are in it for 7 years. Four years later we had twins so the house has 4 of us in it for the last three years. I went out to cut the grass the other day and noticed soggy grey water. I have a tank shaped like the number 8. Just after the tank is a manhole, with one pipe in from the tank and 4 out, 3 to the percolation area and the other to another manhole about 10 to the 15 ft to the right of that with three pipes coming from that to another percolation area. So, our 6 pipes coming out of the ground are full of water with one of the pipes actually overflowing causing the soggy ground! We have never noticed this before in the last 7 years. I emptied the tank last year, not that I needed to, just to see how it was operating and it seemed to be working fine. And still appears to be. I am at a loss as to what I may need to do? The 6 pipes protruding from the ground are just under 20 feet away from the tank itself. The tank takes everything, detergents etc, all of which I am aware hinders the proper performance of the tank, but as I said before we had no problems until now. So, could the problem be that the percolation pipes have become all blocked or 'sealed' with the detergent/grease over time? If so, would shoving a hose attached to a high pressure washer down each pipe dislodge things and maybe free the percolation holes and get things moving again? I'm just unsure as to what to do and want to avoid spending large amounts of money if this can be avoided. I'm really dreading having to dig up the garden as we have put a lot of effort into it but something has to be done as the kids are starting to splash around in it when we not looking
Thanks for taking the time to read this and any help greatly appreciated.

sydthebeat

Are all your percolation pipes full?

it sounds more like a water table problem than a percolation problem.
If the water in the pipes cannot percolate out, then the water shouldnt be reaching the surface. If the pipes are full and theres grey water on the ground, then it sounds like the water cannot percolate downwards.

do you have drains nearby?? whats the water level there?
can you dig a hole 400-500 mm deep approx imately 3-4 m away from the percolation area? do this and see if it fills with water. If it does then it sounds like you may have a high water table in the area, and the existing prcolation area may not be suitable.

There is an argument which could be made that maybe the septic tank isnt working properly since you cleaned it out. It works by anaerobic bacterial action and needs to be "kicked started" by introducing something like a chicken carcassor roadkill or something. Whether this could cause whats happening is debatable.

On the detergent side, normal domestic levels are supposed to be treatable by septic tanks. However, i normally recommed that the grey water from sinks / washing machines / dishwashers be directed to a grease trap befor eentering the foul system. You would be amazed to see the gunk that forms from these. This grease trap would then need regular cleaning, usually monthly or bi-monthly.

Lanshane

sydthebeat wrote: »

Are all your percolation pipes full?

it sounds more like a water table problem than a percolation problem.
If the water in the pipes cannot percolate out, then the water shouldnt be reaching the surface. If the pipes are full and theres grey water on the ground, then it sounds like the water cannot percolate downwards.

do you have drains nearby?? whats the water level there?
can you dig a hole 400-500 mm deep approx imately 3-4 m away from the percolation area? do this and see if it fills with water. If it does then it sounds like you may have a high water table in the area, and the existing prcolation area may not be suitable.

There is an argument which could be made that maybe the septic tank isnt working properly since you cleaned it out. It works by anaerobic bacterial action and needs to be "kicked started" by introducing something like a chicken carcassor roadkill or something. Whether this could cause whats happening is debatable.

On the detergent side, normal domestic levels are supposed to be treatable by septic tanks. However, i normally recommed that the grey water from sinks / washing machines / dishwashers be directed to a grease trap befor eentering the foul system. You would be amazed to see the gunk that forms from these. This grease trap would then need regular cleaning, usually monthly or bi-monthly.

I'm not sure of the water level but I will dig a hole 500 mm down and check it. Note a hole was dug prior to the build and filled with water and left and monitored for a few weeks. I remember it being fine. The only thing that has changed really in the last 7 seven years is that the tank was cleaned out!! The fact that I do not have a grease trap, could this have caused the pipes to be blocked or 'sealed' thus not allowing water to percolate out effectively?
Would it be worth a try trying to power wash down the pipes to see if it improves anything? I have a drain cleaner you attach onto a pressure washer.

Two pipes are full to the top with fluid leaking out from the top. This appears to be how the water is reaching the surface. The others are not leaking fluid but the level of fluid is roughly a foot down from the top. The area around these pipes is dry but for how long I wonder? My fear is that the blocked pipes may be causing all fluid to pass through 2 or three, which may not be able for that load of water? I'm not sure TBH! Thanks for the help.

sydthebeat

even if the pipes are full and seeping from the top, it should still be expected that this 'overflow' liquid should still percolate downwards and not upwards. As its going upwards it says two things to me, either the soil around the pipes is not suitable for good percolation or the soil is already saturated by a high water table level. The former is unlikely as the pipes have worked well for 7 years. The latter is more likely.

In order for anaerobic action to take place in your tank, there needs to be a hard crust of sludge formed over the liquid in the tank, does this exist? Is the water thats seeping upwards foul ie untreated effluent?

Lanshane

sydthebeat wrote: »

even if the pipes are full and seeping from the top, it should still be expected that this 'overflow' liquid should still percolate downwards and not upwards. As its going upwards it says two things to me, either the soil around the pipes is not suitable for good percolation or the soil is already saturated by a high water table level. The former is unlikely as the pipes have worked well for 7 years. The latter is more likely.

In order for anaerobic action to take place in your tank, there needs to be a hard crust of sludge formed over the liquid in the tank, does this exist? Is the water thats seeping upwards foul ie untreated effluent?

Yes what you are saying makes sense alright. The water that is seeping upwards does have a smell alright and is greyish in appearance. There is no signs of any solids whatsoever, just greyish water. In relation to the tank, no, there is not a hard crust at the top of the tank. There is a scum alright but I wouldn't describe it as a hard crust of sludge. TBH, there never was anytime I looked into the tank and I am not that surprised really when one thinks of what is going into the tank, i.e washine machine/showers etc it's easy to understand why bacteria cannot form 100% However it is working somewhat.

So is it possible that the water table has suddenly changed? If this is the case, do I need to extend the exixting percolation pipe further down the the back of the garden? I suppose I will dig the hole tonight and see what happens and let you know. Thanks again for your valuable advice.

sydthebeat

before you start thinking of a solution, we need to identify the problem.

it could be that the extra loading due to the fact that you are now 4 means that the septic tank is finding it harder o cope, extra loading with kids means extra detergent etc.
I still dont think this can account for the seepage upwards.

If its not a big deal to pressure pump the pipes then maybe id do it as the first course of action, but that may just be a temporary solution. We are at the time of year where water tables tend to be high... is there any reason it could have risen this yera?? filled in drains at lower level fields ditches??

Lanshane

sydthebeat wrote: »

before you start thinking of a solution, we need to identify the problem.

it could be that the extra loading due to the fact that you are now 4 means that the septic tank is finding it harder o cope, extra loading with kids means extra detergent etc.
I still dont think this can account for the seepage upwards.

If its not a big deal to pressure pump the pipes then maybe id do it as the first course of action, but that may just be a temporary solution. We are at the time of year where water tables tend to be high... is there any reason it could have risen this yera?? filled in drains at lower level fields ditches??

Sure there is a lot more detergent with the kids! I cannot think of any reason as to why this would happen. We are fairly elevated with a good run off from the back of our house down to the lawn and into the field. I will dig the hole first and see. TBH only for a fairly good March I decided to give the lawn a cut as the kids were very anxious to play. I don't recall cutting grass or being down that part of the garden in March any other year so maybe the same level of water exists this time every year? The weather was so good over the last week you see and the kids are at that age now where they have to be let run!

Lanshane

Well I gug a test hole, approx 3 metres to the left of the percolation area 500mm deep and bone dry. No evidence of water there. So, I then went and dug a little bit down just before where the pipe rises uup from the ground. I wanted to see one of these pipes. Sure enough I came to some stones around the pipe and all of a sudden I could see the water start to rise up as I dug! Straight away the water levels in the manholes (directl after the septic tank) all returned to normal. I have dug a little trench further down the garden after where this pipe comes up to the ground just to drain the fluid down the garden, and it is.

So, what could one conclude from this I wonder?
Coudl it be that the pipes are fine, but are maybe need to be extended taht bit further down the garden to be able to handle our increased water usage?
Garden not looking good now:mad:

sydthebeat

Lanshane wrote: »

Well I gug a test hole, approx 3 metres to the left of the percolation area 500mm deep and bone dry. No evidence of water there. So, I then went and dug a little bit down just before where the pipe rises uup from the ground. I wanted to see one of these pipes. Sure enough I came to some stones around the pipe and all of a sudden I could see the water start to rise up as I dug! Straight away the water levels in the manholes (directl after the septic tank) all returned to normal. I have dug a little trench further down the garden after where this pipe comes up to the ground just to drain the fluid down the garden, and it is.

So, what could one conclude from this I wonder?
Coudl it be that the pipes are fine, but are maybe need to be extended taht bit further down the garden to be able to handle our increased water usage?
Garden not looking good now:mad:

your percolation area is clogged up with junk..... its not doing its job properly.
power blasting the pipes would help to de-sluge the little pin holes in the perc pipes, but you need to take further action to stop this happening again. This is only a temporary fix as the soil around is saturate and cant drain properly.

Theres a few solutions
1. try to direct all grease causing pipes to a grease trap before entering the septic tank. This may be possible with little impact if teh configuration of your pipes suits... does your kitchen sink, washing machine and dishwasher all drain to the same pipe?? if so you can incorporate a grease trap on this pipe. Cost is minimal, hassle isnt too bad, impact can be significant.

2. extend the percolation area. seeing as you already have what sounds like six pipes, you could look at extending bny another two pipe runs. remember that these pipes generally shouldnt extend more than 15 meters. If possible id add the two to the three that existing already from the septic tank. Your existing arrangement is a bit strange in that the septic tank drains to three pipes before entering another distribution box with another 3 pipes off... so in theory the first 3 pipes are draining 25% each, and the last 3 are only draining about 8.5% each. Cost is minimal here two, hassle is significant, impact is not certain.

3. completely augment your percolation area. dig up everything thats there, dig down about 1.0 m into the earth, remove the compromised soil and import propoer drainage soil (t Value 20-40). Lay 6 new percolation pipes all off the one distribution box.... cover with 300mm topsoil. Cost significant, hassle very significant and impact very significant.

Lanshane

sydthebeat wrote: »

your percolation area is clogged up with junk..... its not doing its job properly.
power blasting the pipes would help to de-sluge the little pin holes in the perc pipes, but you need to take further action to stop this happening again. This is only a temporary fix as the soil around is saturate and cant drain properly.

Theres a few solutions
1. try to direct all grease causing pipes to a grease trap before entering the septic tank. This may be possible with little impact if teh configuration of your pipes suits... does your kitchen sink, washing machine and dishwasher all drain to the same pipe?? if so you can incorporate a grease trap on this pipe. Cost is minimal, hassle isnt too bad, impact can be significant.

2. extend the percolation area. seeing as you already have what sounds like six pipes, you could look at extending bny another two pipe runs. remember that these pipes generally shouldnt extend more than 15 meters. If possible id add the two to the three that existing already from the septic tank. Your existing arrangement is a bit strange in that the septic tank drains to three pipes before entering another distribution box with another 3 pipes off... so in theory the first 3 pipes are draining 25% each, and the last 3 are only draining about 8.5% each. Cost is minimal here two, hassle is significant, impact is not certain.

3. completely augment your percolation area. dig up everything thats there, dig down about 1.0 m into the earth, remove the compromised soil and import propoer drainage soil (t Value 20-40). Lay 6 new percolation pipes all off the one distribution box.... cover with 300mm topsoil. Cost significant, hassle very significant and impact very significant.

I' m thinking of going with option 2, to start. I might also install grease traps to help the tank work better. I would have to install them on different pipes unfortunately as washing machines etc are on different pipes.

In relation to option 2:

The three pipes coming from the septic tank extend roughly 17 to 20 ft each to the end of the percolation area. Are you suggesting that I extend two of these pipes a further 17ft (end of garden) by digging and attaching a seperate percolation pipe to each if them?

Would you advise that while I am at it I powerwash the inside of the existing six pipes to dislodge/clean any gunk that might be there.

Also, since I emptied the tank last year, should I introduce to the tank a roadkill to try and kickstart the bacterial process that will hopefully result in a crusty sludge on the surface of the tank which you also mentioned earlier?

Option 3 is by far the best but not able to do this unfortunately. Hopefully by mixing Option 2 and 3 we might solve the problem.

Once again Thanks!

The Clone

<snip> I just came across this outfit this morning. does anybody know anything about the product or service?

Poor Uncle Tom

The Clone wrote: »

<snip> I just came across this outfit this morning. does anybody know anything about the product or service?

That's just bold.
Read the charter please, next time I will ban you.