Question for septic/drain field experts

[NL5]

I am looking at purchasing a house on a fairly good slope in the back. It is also where the septic and drain field are. My question is, are there any general guidelines to backfilling over the drain field? I would like to add a retaining wall around the edge of the property, and fill in the back yard to where there was a lot less slope.

Thanks in advance!

 

[lxskllr]

Probably depends on local law. The wall will likely have to be outside the septic reserve area, but I think fill is ok.

 

[Jumpem]

The septic tank shouldn't be more than a few inches below ground so that the access hatch can be easily found and uncovered. It will need to be pumped every so often, and ours required access to replace the pump. That would be a difficult endeavor if it were many feet underground.

Also, for proper drainage the soil needs to be not too sandy and not too clay. I'm not sure of a percolation test would need to be performed for soil add above the leech field.

 

[NL5]

Wall would be outside of the septic reserve area, and the septic tank would not be filled over. It's just the drain field that needs extra fill.

 

[skyking]

If it is an old gravity system you will probably be OK. Be sure to leave some slope on the land so it can drain properly. Don't make a "bathtub" over your drainfield.

 

[kevman]

if you can, avoid buying a property with septic. it only has a life span of 15-20 years ( in terms of the life of the drain field) and you are looking at 30-40k to re-engineer it when the field is no longer viable.

 

[NL5]

if you can, avoid buying a property with septic. it only has a life span of 15-20 years ( in terms of the life of the drain field) and you are looking at 30-40k to re-engineer it when the field is no longer viable.

Yeah, I'm looking at property out a bit, so they are all on septic.

 

[DrPizza]

if you can, avoid buying a property with septic. it only has a life span of 15-20 years ( in terms of the life of the drain field) and you are looking at 30-40k to re-engineer it when the field is no longer viable.

Neither of your numbers sound accurate - more like a very worst case scenario.

 

[kevman]

Neither of your numbers sound accurate - more like a very worst case scenario.

True...but prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

 

[DrPizza]

True...but prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

In a lot of situations, the "worst" is impossible to happen. Unless they need to truck in 3 or 4 feet deep worth of suitable material for the entire leach field, $30k isn't happening. And, you don't necessarily always prepare for the worst - else people living at elevations where it has never flooded in the previous 1000 years would be wasting money on flood insurance.

 

[rxbg]

we are in florida and I am trying to build a case against the builder of the home for improper construction of field. to begin with the soil around here is all clay. one of my estimators came out and did a soil core 6ft deep. they state that after the drainfield was put in the original contractor topped it with clay topsoil. unfortunately nothing in the florida statutes specifies that clay should not be used as topsoil.

 

[railer]

In a lot of situations, the "worst" is impossible to happen. Unless they need to truck in 3 or 4 feet deep worth of suitable material for the entire leach field, $30k isn't happening. And, you don't necessarily always prepare for the worst - else people living at elevations where it has never flooded in the previous 1000 years would be wasting money on flood insurance.

^ This. I actually got an estimate to replace my entire leach field, and I think it was between 5 and 8k. Leach fields certainly don't "fail" within a few years unless someone did something very wrong. You might as well "plan on" your house completely collapsing due to bad nails within a few years if you're also going to allocate 30k for a leach field failing.

Around me, you either live in a village/city, and have municipal sewage, or you live out in the country and have a septic system. Obviously you pay for the municipal sewage, and even if that were not the case I would take living outside of town and away from the idiots 1000/1000 times.

As to the OP....well I have no idea. . I live in the sticks, and I could dump 5 feet of fill on top of my leach field and no one would know or care. I can't imagine why fill on top or a retaining wall would be an issue.......in the worst case if you did need to dig up the leachfield, you'd just have to dig up the fill and possibly remove portions of the retaining wall. It probably depends on how far out in the boondocks you are.