Our family and a family friend built a hand hewn log cabin from logs off my fathers land (50'x25') back in '80-'82, which is when the onsite sewer system was installed.?ÿ It has been seeping out on the down slope where the field resides.?ÿ My sister had the county agent come out to grant a repair permit, and then had the sewer man come out to find and pump the tank. She warned me that the tank might need to be replaced but I was an admitted scoffer.?ÿ But the sewer guy said that the concrete tank and distribution box have been transformed into a sort of chalky constitution from the sewer gases and would need to be replaced.?ÿ I have never heard of this sort of situation with concrete turning chalky, but evidently I now owe my sister an admission of scoffery, as they are out there today doing just that.
I've eaten my share of crow. It's hydrogen sulfide gas that does the concrete in....
Concrete can disintegrate for a variety of reasons including the chemistry of field your water supply. My septic recently failed and it was built in 1974 so I got twice the life out of it that I should have. I attempted some repairs that didn't work and updated my tank to current code but will be reusing my existing tank instead of replacing it. The price I got to replace the system was $13K with an extra $7K to fille in my inground pool with the excavation spoils.
Yes, we had to have our field replaced recently at our home and it cost right at that same amount. 12K. Instead of the perforated pipe they used a half round pipe about 2' dia., open at the bottom, with no gravel.
@gordon-svedberg that's interesting. I've never heard open bottom pipe being used.
https://www.infiltratorwater.com/products/chambers/.
Some guys put stone under them, but I don't think it's required.
@sergeant-schultz my county requires stone and at least four feet of a sand fill. The total excavation depth 7' and run of the mill schedule 40 perforated PVC pipe is being used.
If those chambers are laid in a properly graded flat bed of dirt, would that make them bedchambers?
I know a guy who is a PLS and a licensed septic installer. Not many around with that skill set.
Also, I heartily reccommend NOT using Rid-X or the like. Turns the solids to jelly and they go out of the ST and clog the soil pores in the absorption field.
@tom-bushelman there is not much to being an installer if you know how to run equipment and grade properly. The approved plans have all of the details that are needed.
Just had a new system put in last fall for new house. 164’ of the plastic tunnel set on dirt, distribution box for 2 lines, 1000 gal concrete septic tank, all installed and connected for $6000.
Many years ago a co-worker who lived in a nearly new house told us of his weekend adventure. His wife had looked out the window into the backyard and noticed a significant low spot had appeared. He checks it out and decides to find a source of top soil, find a way to haul it to his place, means to get it into the backyard and enough energy to do all of this. Sevral hours later he was totally exhausted but was proud of the level surface with some grass seed sprinkled on it. He had even made a point to jump up and down on the fill as it was placed to ensure it was firmly packed so as to not sink again.
The next day his wife looks at the same window and sees a big hole in their backyard. He goes out and discovers an ancient septic tank from some house that must have existed prior to the creation of his subdivision. The lid had collapsed.
We were rolling on the floor as he described jumping up and down on the fill, so we were totally wasted when he described how lucky he felt that the lid had not collapsed while he was jumping up and down on it on the first day. All that work for no gain. Plus, he needed a heck of a lot more fill dirt after the collapse.
