Advantages/disavantages of the newer cone style system vs the old rock and perferated pipe runs? Ton's of questions..
Cost
Longevity
Tree roots
Ease of installation, for starters.
Are you talking a brand new system or repairing an old one?
#1 don't drive over any type of drain field
#2 don't let trees grow on/near your drain field
#3 Make sure whatever you do is up to the DEQ specs or whatever authority you answer to.
#4 tie a rope or a marker to lids, tanks and distribution boxes and take pictures and measure everything to keep for future records.
I would check with a contractor and get a bid. Certain types may work better indifferent soils.
The "infiltrator" -if that is what the cone type is is easy to install but cost more and the perforated pipe needs more trenching if I am not mistaken. You will have to start doing some research and figure out what is best for your situation.
Are you talking a brand new system or repairing an old one?
#1 don't drive over any type of drain field
#2 don't let trees grow on/near your drain field
#3 Make sure whatever you do is up to the DEQ specs or whatever authority you answer to.
#4 tie a rope or a marker to lids, tanks and distribution boxes and take pictures and measure everything to keep for future records.
I would check with a contractor and get a bid. Certain types may work better indifferent soils.
The "infiltrator" -if that is what the cone type is is easy to install but cost more and the perforated pipe needs more trenching if I am not mistaken. You will have to start doing some research and figure out what is best for your situation.
Yep, familiar with all the above, just looking for hands on info on the Infiltrator vs old school gravel and perfs..
Old field is saturated, need to branch off a secondary..
If it's just a branch, I would do the classic gravel and pipe.
Pitch, perc, and soil fabric will all contribute to a sucessful installation.
I never installed a system without a transit or laser on the job...no matter how talented the excavator is, the instrument doesn't lie. Many times common failure is attributed to poorly or totally installed wrong, distribution boxes.
Once your line is in and your gravel is installed, properly cover the trench with filter cloth, to prevent soil from washing down and filling your line.
Brings lots of it's ok to pee in the trench to test for perc!
I think you need to excavate test holes in the leach field area for both types of system. A lot depends on the perc rate of your soil. My only experience has been with leach pipe and gravel. Neighbors used infiltrators and had to re-do system within 2 years of occupancy. My trench perc'd so fast that it wouldn't hardly even reach the minimum of the test times. Used almost 1000 gals in order to saturate a posthole once we reached lower trench grade.
Here you don't get credit for trench width when engineering the system but a wider trench with the proper amount of gravel is more surface area along with a generally longer run of pipe. Infiltrators are intalled using full trench surface area and generally a shorter run. This means you only get that much room to perc - substanially less "real world" absorption area than pipe and gravel in my opinion.
I think you need to excavate test holes in the leach field area for both types of system. A lot depends on the perc rate of your soil. My only experience has been with leach pipe and gravel. Neighbors used infiltrators and had to re-do system within 2 years of occupancy. My trench perc'd so fast that it wouldn't hardly even reach the minimum of the test times. Used almost 1000 gals in order to saturate a posthole once we reached lower trench grade.
Here you don't get credit for trench width when engineering the system but a wider trench with the proper amount of gravel is more surface area along with a generally longer run of pipe. Infiltrators are intalled using full trench surface area and generally a shorter run. This means you only get that much room to perc - substanially less "real world" absorption area than pipe and gravel in my opinion.
That is my my concerns, good point. Problem with engineers they have a tendency to look at the paper picture of a given area. We have caliche soils (hardpan) which can totally change whithin a matter of feet. Backhoe will prove which way to go when I jump on it next week.
That is my my concerns, good point. Problem with engineers they have a tendency to look at the paper picture of a given area. We have caliche soils (hardpan) which can totally change whithin a matter of feet. Backhoe will prove which way to go when I jump on it next week.
We have that to some extent but not textbook caliche, and then a pea gravel/sand strata for hundreds of feet. Once you are through the hardpan then the soil perc's like crazy.
The dumb thing is that the state req's here limit the depth of the pipe to 4' below grade at the lowest point.
We have that to some extent but not textbook caliche, and then a pea gravel/sand strata for hundreds of feet. Once you are through the hardpan then the soil perc's like crazy.
when I looked into them the biofilter used foam blocks and they were increasing the life expectancy to 25yrs plus. The EcoFlo - is virually identical but uses peat moss. .. both use good bacteria to break down pathogens producing very "clean" byproduct without a bed. You still need the septic tank and associated periodic pumping for the "chunky" parts. They are the only systems approved (apparently) in some areas with very little surface soil over bedrock - which we have enough of here in Canada..
I installed the system you are referring to a few years ago. I had the pipe and gravel but it was installed wrong. Also distribution box was crushed and tank output diverter broken.
One pipe section was full of roots and useless.
I went over a year on just half of my new system with no problems. Had to wait on the second section as we had torrential rains and it caved in so I had to redig by hand. Dig out one length, put in drain and then cover with dirt from next section. Mine was a bit harder to do as everything is deaper than norm as I live on a hill.
I agree take pics while it is still uncovered. Then measure and mark. Keep info in safe place
go with the cheapest option available, and run it to your neighbors property!!!! do it while they're on vacation. it'll be a nice suprise for them, tell em you like them so much you did some landscaping for them, then stay outta site for a long time.
Found the original field installed back in the 50's. Clay pipe was stubbed out of the back of the septic tank into two trenches of rock and boulders. No perferated pipe run unto the fields..
I think the infiltrator stuff is pretty good myself. I studied it alot, even called them, they were very helpful.
I installed just as they recommended with no gravel or anything else, just in the trench. I used the calculations my county recommends for a traditional field, then asked a local engineering outfit how they figure infiltrator, and they said they just cut in in half, calculation wise for the size.
So far, so good, looking at my field I have green grass on less than half of the total length of the trenches. I oversized it, but my leach rates were not very good. Had an average of 50.2 min/in leach rate. In reality, alot of the field fell in better leaching material than the three leach holes represented. Ended up doin 230 feet for a three bedroom home.
Here's pics, had to go with 6 foot trenches to get below the Caliche. After that it's a nice sandy layer that won't puddle a garden hose run at full blast. Because of the depth involved, room for the excavated material was tight to say the least.
Installing the locking domes was the easiest part of the whole job and somehow, the intake/end caps were level at both runs (lucky I guess).
This will be my first choice if I have to install a new field on my property..
it's ok to pee in the trench to test for perc!
