Placing fire ring on top of drain field

[Wayne02]

A couple years ago we had to have our 40 plus year old drain-field replaced with an effluent tank and corresponding low pressure distribution system. Examples of lateral line trenches in picture.

I would like to set/build a fire ring on top of the drain field area and wondered if this may present any problems with the area directly under the fire ring? I'm not talking about digging down for a fire pit, but rather putting an old split ring truck wheel or building up a fire ring with bricks. I do have the trenches marked and could possibly position the ring between the trenches as much as possible if that would help at all.



Thanks

[moopups]

Soils is an excellent insulator against heat, how deep is your pipe?

[Cabin Fever]

My concern would be from the extreme alkalinity that fire ashes can create. As you may know, the pioneers made lye from wood ashes. The alkalinity could have an impact on the soil bacteria which are responsible for cleansing the wastewater within and below the drainfield trench.

With that said, if you placed the ring between the trenches, I doubt if there would be much impact. If there was an impact it would be very localized to the area directly below the fire ring.

[Cabin Fever]

Originally Posted by moopups

Soils is an excellent insulator against heat, how deep is your pipe?

Ya know, the pipe in a drainfield trench is a facade. 99% of the water comes out of the first few holes at the beginning of the perforated distribution pipe. The remainder of the pipe never sees any water. The water exits at the beginning of the pipe, percolates thru the rock and then moves laterally down the drainfield trench at soil level. In all honesty, all a drainfield needs is about two feet of pipe even if the trench is 50 feet long.

If you think I'm crazy, take a short section of drainfield pipe and cap the end. Put your garden hose in the front end of the pipe and turn the water on full blast. The pipe will fill to the level of the holes and then all the water will exit the first few holes.

So, to alleviate the concern I believe Moopups has, don't put your fire ring near the begining of the drainfield run. Place the ring toward the end. Then, if the pipe does happen to melt, it will have no effect on the actual distribution of water in the trench.