Bleach in Septic Drain Field?

Hiya, My septic drain field failed last year and I had to re-route it to a different location. The septic was approx. 13 years old with only moderate use (ie. no more than 2 people living in the house). I see most of the houses around me are having to redo theirs as well. The soil is a very sandy soil (we live in New Mexico). I have heard that adding bleach to the drain field (not the tank) will help to break up the field as it becomes saturated and thereby keep the field intact for some time. I don't really like the idea more so from an enviromental standpoint but was wondering if this is true? I've heard a lot of stories of how to keep a septic working well including throwing a dead rabbit into it once a year so naturally I'm skeptical about this latest "remedy". Any advice? Thanks much, jlc

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson
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Strictly superstition without any physical basis.

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

You couldn't possibly put enough bleach in that septic system to affect anything - at least without the EPA or the FBI taking notice.

Reply to
Eigenvector

I have heard of adding hydrogen peroxide in large amounts.

Reply to
Pat

messagenews:YbGdnfcp3Ze85rTbnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com...

Large amounts of bleach or peroxide in tank will kill bacteria and clog field. Large amounts of these chemicals on sandy soil over the field will turn it into a desert ;) Frank

Reply to
Frank

Septic fields fail over time because the suspended matter in the fluid eventually plugs up the field. Nothing is going to prevent that. The field size requirements have greatly increased over the years, so new fields will last longer than the smaller older ones.

The best thing to do to preserve a field is to make sure nothing besides toilet paper, body waste and water go into the septic system...

Reply to
Rick Blaine

You need to examine the evidence and see why it failed. My first guess was that it was improperly built with inferior parts and improperly constructed.

And while you are examining the evidence, you have already started the repair process. Grab your shovel and get busy.

Reply to
deke

There is something very wrong with your septic system. I can't imagine how a drain field could get plugged that fast, unless there are no baffles in your septic tank. If you haven't already done it, you need to have it pumped and inspected. Your drain field failed because solids somehow got pushed out of the tank into the lines. All solids are supposed to stay in the tank, where they can be pumped out periodically. The only thing that is supposed go into the drain field is liquid.

This makes it even more astonishing that your drain field failed. How often are you having the tank pumped? Two people on a 1500 gallon tank, no garbage disposal, should be good for 7 years between pumping. If you waited 13 years, that was obviously about 5 years too long.

Wait -- are you talking about a sand filter system? Those require regular user maintenance, including back flushing and annual sand replacement.

It should take many years for a drain field to become saturated. It should last at least 50 years. There is something wrong with your system. I have heard that air injection will open up a plugged drain field, but haven't ever seen it happen.

There are dozens of state-sponsored sites on the internet that give excellent directions for maintaining a septic system. Only throw dead animals in the septic system if you eat the animal first. My septic system is mostly treated with dead cow and chicken, with the occasional goose, turkey and sheep.

Reply to
Larry Caldwell

I had a septic field fail due to the output pipe breaking off inside the septic tank. When the output pipe broke, it allowed soid matter to fill up the field. We fixed the output pipe and replace the field with PVC pipe. The original field was about 45 years old at the time. We moved out of the house about 5 years ago and as far as I know, the field is still working fine. A good running septic tank and field is the most enviromentally safe system of waste disposal.

Reply to
Frank from Deeetroit

As I said, it wouldn't be going in the tank...only the lines out into the field. And I already live in the desert. :)

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson

As I said in my OP, the system has already been re-routed...about a year ago. When we opened it all up, all the install work was fine. It's just a matter of the soil solidifying way too fast. Most of the houses around me are having to dig their's up as well. Cheers, cc

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson

I have a baffle system in the tank and we pump it yearly. The folks that came out to inspect/quote replacement explained that with this soil, the effluent mixes and basically forms a concrete around the pipes. I agree,

13 years is way too soon to see a failure but most of the neighbors around me are having the very same issues.

Every year. In fact that is soon to be a village ordinance as well that tanks are pumped yearly.

Nope.

Thanks. I'll keep researching ways to extend it's life!

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson

don't know if gypsum will help but it does break up and soften clay and make it more porous. might be worth a try.

Reply to
Bud

Are your septic field lines buried in the sandy soil, in direct contact with the soil?

In my replacement field, I laid the field line on a one foot bed of pea gravel, then backfilled the top of the line with another foot of pea gravel. The trench was a foot wide, resulting in my 4" field line in the middle of a square foot of pea gravel. I topped off the bed of pea gravel with landscape fabric to allow any moisture to drain into the surrounding ground and not permit any soil to pass into the top of the pea gravel bed. The job was finished by backfilling the trench and planting grass on the surface.

Reply to
Frank from Deeetroit

the company that re-did the field did a number of things. One, they changed it to a two line field whereas before it was only a single line as far as I know (and even then, I'm not certain). It is certainly longer than the previous one. Two, they dug it with a backhoe, set the pvc lines (directly ON the soil), then put about 2ft of gravel over the top and sides of it. On top of the gravel, they laid rosen paper and then backfilled with soil. In retrospect, I probably should have asked them to put a layer of gravel UNDER the lines and then put fabric over the gravel vs. rosen paper. Cheers, cc

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson

This is one of those "you'd have to live here to know what I'm talking about" situations. NM soil is VERY sandy - I've poured a 5 gallon bucket of water on the ground and wet an area the size of a dinner plate. Plus it is very alkaline (similar to LOTS of lime). So what Cubby is saying is that all the ingredients for concretion (lime, sand, & water) are in his, and everyone elses, septic field. That being the case, I doubt anyone outside a similar area would be able to give good advice. My advise is to follow whatever the local "experts", who have lots of experience with the problem, recommend. Consider it a price you have to pay for living in the area of your choice.

-Red

Reply to
Red

Sounds like you guys need

  1. Drain pipe with holes all around
  2. Very Course Gravel under, around and over the drain pipe - at least
12 inches deep.

How could that ever clog?

Reply to
deke

That's what I figured. Poor construction. Septic fields shouldn't fail.

Reply to
deke

The pipes didn't clog. The ground became saturated/solidified and wouldn't let the effluent pass into the soil.

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson

I'd agree, for a "normal" type of soil. What we have here is far from normal.

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson

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