Septic System Vent Tube ?

Hello,

Just curious about this.

Seems like I see more and more homes in my area have the u shaped plastic pipe coming out of their lawn.

Sure does look horrible.

Obviously, it's a vent that is over the septic tank itself, or possibly over the leaching field. Anyone know which ?

Years ago, you never saw these. Is it a recent building code requirement (live in Mass.) ?

Why is it used, or required ? What if it isn't used ? etc. ?

Thanks, Bob

Reply to
Robert11
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Back in the good ol days, sewer pipe was cast iron or terra cotta. Very expensive and time consuming, not to mention fragile. Nowadays we use PVC which is cheap and easy.

After a few times of having to dig up the yard to find where the sewer line is clogged, you start putting in cleanouts everywhere. Add a few places to put in chemicals if you need them, too.

Reply to
Robert Allison

Robert Allison wrote;

I don't think he was referring to cleanouts. A lot of leach fields in my area have vent tubes. Mine does not. I don't know what they are needed for.

---MIKE---

Reply to
---MIKE---

on 9/24/2007 1:20 PM Robert11 said the following:

Aeration for certain bacteria that need oxygen.

Reply to
willshak

I live in Mass. too. When I bought my current house, the previous owner had to replace the septic system. It was replaced after we moved in, so I got to see the whole process.

The vent is at a corner of the leaching field. According to my installer, the vent pipe is required by code to vent gases from the leaching field. I believe he said it was required if the leaching field was more than twelve inches below ground.

Reply to
Seth Goodman

Yes. This is a code requirement to prevent your back yard from exploding. Until you have seen (or worse, witnessed) an exploded backyard...

Reply to
HeyBub

The vent stacks only last a few years around here. People seem to whack them off with their mowers and fail to replace them. But, wow, an exploding lawn... never heard of or saw one. Sounds pretty icky if not unlikely since I've been around in a septic field area all of my 50 odd years (some more odd than others!). No flame intended to HeyBub.

Reply to
C & E

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