Septic System And Raiiiiin

mberryrfd · #1 08/01/06, 11:38 AM

How does a lot of RAIN and I do mean a lot.we have had about 8 inches in the last 2 weeks.It now appears that the drains are running slower.
Where the leach line goes out is under our corral ( I think ) there is a spot in the corner that has standing water in it after a rain.It will drain out but it is very slow at doing so.Lately it has rained every day last night was almost all night.Some of these have been very heavy slow moving monsoons so a inch a hour is common.Is it possible for this excess water to go back into the system, or is the ground just to wet for the absorbtion.
The tank was pumped out a 10 monthes ago and we have put ridex down the toilet a few times and it is time for it again.But if it is so wet would that even be able to do its job.

Hammer4 · #2 08/01/06, 01:19 PM

If the ground where your drain field is located is saturated from the rain, it may very well be keeping the septic tank from draining. I have also heard of ground water entering the drain field and flowing back into the septic tank....can you take the lid off your septic tank and see if it is full? It sounds like it is.

I think some tanks have a one way flap or valve to prevent ground water from flowing from the drain field back into the septic tank....

Shadow · #3 08/01/06, 03:32 PM

Sounds like a leech field problem. having it under the corral is not a real good thing. One of the neighbors put a above ground swimming pool above his leechfield and ended up having to replace the whole thing. He should not have listened to his wife when she wanted the pool right there and nowere else.

copperkid3 · #4 08/01/06, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mberryrfd

The tank was pumped out a 10 monthes ago and we have put ridex down the toilet a few times and it is time for it again.But if it is so wet would that even be able to do its job.

It (ridex) doesn't do it's job anyway.......just a waste of your time and money.
Everything that is needed to "do the job" is provided already everytime someone uses the toilet. You can find out a great deal on the subject by checking recent archives which have already addressed this in great detail.
Save your money that you save from NOT BUYING that product and Use it to either pump out the tank on a periodic basis or to eventually dig up and replace the leach lines when they become too clogged to perform their function!

goatlady · #5 08/01/06, 06:43 PM

sounds as if your leech field has had the ground compacted by the animal corral so the water cannot be absorbed properly anymore nor can the rain water be absorbed because of the compaction. You most probably need a new leech (drain) field.

insanity · #6 08/01/06, 07:10 PM

Do you have a clean out,in your drain line out side the house that runs to the septic.If so you can remove the three inch plug and have a look at the water running threw it and into the tank to see if its running fast or standing in the pipe.Id do it while emptying the bath tub after a bath,plus laundry.flush the toilets,every thing you can do to dump in a lot of water at once.

You might just have a plugged main line before it gets to the tank.Though that much rain might cause a problem to.Either way if you have a clean out you can check.

**Cabin Fever** · #7 08/01/06, 08:29 PM

8 inches in two weeks?

A rate of 1 inch per hour?

I doubt if the rain is causing your drainfield to back up. The only way this would happen is if your soil was completely saturated. Dig a hole next to your drainfield. If the hole fills with water, your soil is saturated and perhaps this is the problem. If the hole does not fill with water, water is moving thru the soil.

There are places in the eastern US that get a lot more rainfall than you do and their drainfields work just fine.

A corral is NO PLACE to have a drainfield. Either move the corral or move the drainfield.

P.S. Stop wasting your money on Ridex.

The Paw · #8 08/01/06, 11:03 PM

I live in heavy clay soil, and the water does not percolate down very fast at all. As a result, we often see leach fields get saturated and slow down. My septic tank is pumped to the field (not gravity flow) and you can hear the pump struggling when ground is saturated. If this situation lasts several weeks, the ground above the field is soggy and you leave footprints when you walk on it. occasionally it will spring a surface leak and run into the ditch until things dry up.

As others have suggested, you could try digging a test hole to see if the ground really is saturated.

Anything that compresses the soil, (corrals, swimming pools, or your mother in law) can cause a problem as well.

mberryrfd · #9 08/02/06, 12:12 AM

OK thank you all
I am going to double check the plans and see if that is where the leach line goes.
we didnt install either the system or the corral the previos owner did that.
There is a clean out near the house and it is quit a distance from the tank.
We even had a bit more rain today although not as much.
I will dig a hole after we dont get any rain for a day right now everything is saturated it has been a heavy monsoon season for us this year.Lots of low lying places are flooding and irrigation canals are flooding even a few have broken through and completly collapsed.
Who said all of NEW MEXICO was the desert