Restoring A Septic Drain Field: First Steps (Least Vs. Most Expensive) 

I am not saying the prices that he gave for a drain field are wrong, but they depend heavily on the the region and how much competition the industry has in the area. I own a septic company and I can tell you that drain fields go for around $15 per foot in South Carolina. So $1500 per 100'. Depending on the soil and residential water usage, a three bed room home can run on a 150' system. Check with your local small septic company's about what is the best option in your area. Just about every company that I have had dealings with including myself are very helpful and willing to give you sound advice. Most septic company's are ran by good old country folks. Most importantly, have regular maintenance performed every 3-5 years! Most drain field problems are caused by neglecting the system! At least open up the septic tank every so often and make sure that the outlet baffle is intact and not allowing solids to flow out into the drain field. lastly the only thing that should ever go into a septic tank is two ply toilet paper and what comes out of you! No grease or "flush-able wet wipes". Hope this helps!

Roebic is some great stuff. I've been using it for years, every four months I add two quarts. Cheap insurance ! keeps things flowing and my leach field draining. My system was installed in 1955 and still working great !

What has changed in the last couple of decades with septic systems? Back in the '70s I worked on a number of systems that were 30-70 years old that not only had fully functioning leach lines, but which had *never* been pumped and weren't more than a third full of solids. My personal guess is that all the anti-bacterial soaps and cleaners are killing the tank bacteria and creating the problem. I don't know, but reason would indicate that you shouldn't have to do any major work on a septic system for a very long time.

Just wanted to say thank you for providing what has turned into a forum. Dealing with a 30-year-old failed drainfield and exploring possible solutions in all the comments here. Thanks, everyone! Wow!

great info and your delivery/presentation is very informative, educational, and well thought out.. thanks again...

Thank you so much for the no-nonsense advice. I too was in the same situation and never did locate the distribution box. I added Roebic right into a toilet and voila! Worked like a charm!

Thank you so much for your guidance and help I truly appreciate getting the knowledge from listening to this video

Having the same problem. We've had so much rain this year its difficult to work on system. Thanks for the info.

I redid my own field lines 4-5 years ago... I had access to a larger version of a rubber tracked excavator, still smaller compared to a steel plate track hoe but probably a 5000lb+ machine... so all I had to buy was some diesel fuel, the necessary perforated 4" line, some non perforated 4" line, distribution box, a load of gravel (gravel pit 5 miles away so I get that cheap), geotextile fabric, and of course my labor for the project... Grand total was a tad under $700 which covered 4 50' runs for a total of 200' of field line complete under the dirt... Bear in mind I have contacts and get most everything fairly cheap, no equipment rental, and no labor cost doing everything myself. Also bear in mind... I live in the middle of nowhere BFE, and the compound is pretty much centered on a 180acre plot.... pretty much everything around here is legal for the homeowners to DIY, no building permits; just a certified perc test and casual eyeball by the county guy before you cover everything... In many more "city" areas many permits might be required, as well as an actual licensed & certified "septic" installation company.... check your local regulatory statutes before attempting a DIY septic drain field.

I am definitely going to use the product you showed in your video. Thanks for the info

Yeah man, subscribed and liked immediately. I'm trying this. Currently dealing with a full drain-field system failiure, and our local company went STRAIGHT to: We are going to help you get a loan for septic replacement, offered zero other options, and I'm learning now that there are quite a few available. THANK you, sir, for sharing this.

BTW, I also learned that the biomat forms when there is lack of oxygen, and disappears when there is sufficient oxygen flow. Therefore terraLift+pouring perforated ceramic beads+pouring in Reobic should remove the biomat. After that, keeping the dirt damp should greatly help as earthworm population grow and their activities will keep the air flowing inside the dirt.

I'll definitely be giving this a try

I went to my town building department and ask for my property folder. From there I made copies of my site plan which laid out all my septic lines, and tanks, with measurements from the house footprint. From there it was easy to find what I wanted.

Thank you..dump 8 boxs ..RID X..IT WORK..TOOK 6 MONTHS BEFORE IT FLOW WRIGHT..MADE UNDERSTAND HOW IT WORKS

Helpful video, I just ordered through your link.

Great advice, thank you

We live in rural interior Alaska. Our metal septic tank was starting to rust out and collapse after 30 years. We replaced the steel tank with a plastic septic tank. Now after 40 years, our leach field failed test and needs to be replaced in order to sell the house. With a soil temperature in the upper 30 degrees, bacterial decomposition is minimal here in Alaska where the mean annual temperature is just above freezing.

I feel your pain. I'm using the Roebic K-570-Q for leach and drain fields which is also a concentrate and dr. pooper. accelerator. We're hoping between the two, we can dry up our leach field.

I'm having the same problem, only I keep noticing the smell of the septic tank occasionally in the guest bathroom that never gets used much. I have replaced the flange, etc.. but I still notice it. I'm going to try both of these products you suggest and hope it will help. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with those of us always trying to diy to save money. :)

My system is doing the same thing and is probably 30yrs old as well, I had the tank cleaned when I moved in 12yrs ago, and again a year or so before now. I've never used the enzymes but I will be now.

Where was this video last week ! 🤦🏾‍♂️ I had a septic company come out and said my system is failing and that I should consider changing it out , steering at 12k ! Thanks for this video ! God bless you !

Thank you so much for your video. It helps me. God bless you

Omg that dog!🤩

Good advice my field has 3 lines. I have two overloaded and the 3rd line just blew out and is sending the effluent onto the neighbours paddock ffs. Great vid thank yoy

My house was built in 1972. I bought the house in August 2001. I have a leach field septic system. As far as I know, it is the original septic system. I use the green gobbler brand product. I had the system hydro blasted a few years ago on the advice of the septic company that I use. I should probably replace the tank. I was going to do that several years ago, but the contractor I was using kept putting off the work until the job fell by the wayside for both him and me. Knock on wood, the system can keep going without any major problems. I will have to get some of the Roebic product and use it.

You can get this stuff at Tractor supply& I dumped mine in my septic tank. My drain field is in the neighbors farm land

If it is not draining well, do not open the distribution box, it will be under the water table and a slight head pressure in the tank will create a nasty outflow. You need a pump out first. Whatever you find, take pictures and make maps and measurements to known landmarks. Swingties are useful. These are measurements to two different locations from a located item. The interesction of two arcs locates the item. Often the exit baffle wears away letting grease into the septic field. After a pump out this can be repaired either by repairing the concrete on the baffle or putting in a pvc baffle. My distribution box was located/found with a thin steel rod pushed into the ground until it hit concrete.

You may want to consider putting a marker stone or benchmark over your distribution box once you find it. It couldn't hoit! Edit: you might also think of drawing up a "master plan" (aka survey) of where things are on the property. Less chance of breaking a water line or something from randomly digging holes to find something.

Thank you!

I have a septic system that is 44 years old. I pump it every two years. I add Roebic K37 monthly. I add Roebic K57 annually, substituting for the K37 one month a year. So far, all good.

I have done tons of hydro jetting on all different pipes. All you have to do is regulate your pressure.

Thanks for the video (from one channel to another)! We are having the exact same problem. Our field is about 34 years old, started bubbling out at the top, had it pumped out, and... bubbling up again! We are all about trying the cheapest first too so we will give that product a try! Thanks for the video!

I appreciate this vide thank you very mech. My pumps being probably 20 years old finally failed. I temporary dropped in a sump pump to move gray eater to the drain field distribution pump tube, which was WRONG. Reviewing my AS BUILT I realized the engineer drew it WRONG, leaving put the all important SAND FILTER. I very likely fouled the tubes/orifices in the drain/leach field so tge effluent would not drain properly filling the sand field/pump tube with excess water. I dropped in a couple packets of the green gobbler (why not?) And the Roedic K-57 Septic System Cleaner and within a couple days the drainfield accepting water and my Septic system was cleared. I ordered the K-570 but it hasn't arrived yet. Thing about bio mass or anything slowing down your system is yoy need to be patient. The good bacteria NEEDS TIME TO WORK. Give it a couple days, we tend to want instant results and it just DOESN'T WORK that way. Let the clog get chewed up, it works.

Thanks for the insight

Skip to 4:49 [roebic. You're testing it first then moving up the price ladder of more expensive options so if the roebic works then you wont be able to test the next product / solution]

The county permit for the septic should have a drawing of where the pipes are buried and hopefully with distances from the house. My parents house had the same problem and the county permit had a basic drawing to help locate the septic tank while also showing leach field line location.

Have you tried using a septic system metal poking rod to find the distribution box? Maybe start with finding the pipe exiting the holding tank, following it with the poker should lead you to the distribution box.

We use jetting all the time on septic lines never have had an issue unless the system has already failed and needs replaced. Been doing this for 20 years +

I have no plan available for my septic system. I'm assuming that I have a leach field but no idea where the d-box might be. I agree that the best place to add k-570 is in the d-box. As an alternative, I know where my tank is and have a very good guess where the outlet pipe is coming out of the tank. I dug a hole about 2 feet from the end of the tank and luckily found the outlet pipe. I had some extra 1" pvc pipe, so I drilled a hole in the top of the outlet pipe. I glued a short piece of pipe into a coupling and made a bead of JB weld WaterWeld putty around the bottom of the coupling. I glued another piece of pipe long enough to reach the surface into the other end of the coupling and forced the short piece into the hole in the outlet pipe which is sealed by the putty. I put a removable end cap at the surface so I can add K-570 every 6 months. My leach field hadn't failed, but it's 38 years old. Some preventative maintenance sure won't hurt.

Any opinions appreciated: I have a 1000 gallon 2 compartment traditional system NO D box just the mainline with leech lines off to one side. No problems regular service until recently. Had it pumped then 3 weeks later water pooled up to the lids. Pumped again had the camera inspection and show no blockage on the mainline. Going to hydroblast it and hopefully that works. Never had it done in 20 years. Confused as to why the backup started AFTER the service and not until then. Best guess is leech lines dried up and hardened with heat? Hoping hydro blast solves the problem. Help!

That 🐕 fast as hell 🤣🤣💯 nice video my guy u jus helped me

Go to a farm store and buy a tile probe (big pointy metal rod with T handle) and have fun getting a workout trying to find your tank, d-box, and leach lines/bed. Mark these with flags (color coding helps). Take care to record the depths and locations of these on a homemade map. Most failing septic systems are the result of incorrect installation, driving over the system with heavy equipment while the soil is wet (traditional rock and pipe systems are superior in terms of durability and lifespan, but you still don't want to drive over them during a wet winter or spring), installing the system when it's wet (the excavator bucket will smear the sides of the trenches/bed, effectively turning the area excavated into a big bathtub. When the soil is dry it is crumbly when broken apart, and so the holes and fissures in the soil structure will still be open to receive water from the system), installing the system in a wet area (in which case the system should have a perimeter drain installed around it which is drained into a ditch or field tile), or abuse by owner (putting too many harmful chemicals into the system, putting too much grease down the drain, not the getting the tank pumped every few years, not cleaning the filter if it has one, etc.) A lot of old rural houses don't even have a proper septic system, it's just a tank with a line that carries all the waste water to a gully or a creek or a farmer's field tile lol. In sandy country, people seldom have septic complaints even if their system is in really bad shape just because it drains so well (probably not the best thing for their water table though).

Tell you what I did . My leach bed was wet and had a bad smell . I had my tank pumped. Ran an old hose down the pipe going to the leach field . From the tank at the clean out lid . Made a support for the end of the hose . To hold it up . Taped a funnel to it . Mixed oxi-clean in a five gallon bucket. Two or three cups . Warm water works better . About five buckets at a time . Wait about six hours then repeat . Did that for about a week . No problems since . I was told it would revive the bacteria in the lech bed . I believe it did .

That's the fastest dog I've ever seen.

Good stuff. Pooper is full. I use both products. You must use some treatment every single month. Or pooper will get full. Alot of problems with septics is poor contractors who took shortcuts and Leach lines are not properly buried 36inches below. I usually get a pump once a year. The ground gets so saturated with water it has no where to go but to back up.

Just had my tank pumped. The man told me the top layer was almost 2 feet of toilet paper!! He said to use cheaper paper, as it is more friendly to septic systems. In other words, stay away from the more expensive quilted type, but don’t go too cheap either. My field is failing also. He took the time and dug down into the gravel bed, and sure enough, he dug up black gunk. Immediately we could see water in the hole. My field has been green and lush since it was installed. I live in good sandy soil. I thought this was normal. Nope! He said it should be more dry. I’m looking at around 4K he guessed for a second field. I’ll hook a “Y” in the line with a valve so hopefully the old field will recover, and then I can rotate between the two fields every couple of years. He mentioned the other methods you talked about, but did say to stay away from the aeration type system, as the pumps seem to wear out within five years or so.

The first thing you did wrong was wait 3 yrs to pump a 500 gallon tank. Second, jetting is absolutely fine for leach lines, but you need to have a vac truck on site to pull all the water and sludge out while jetting. Third, you are not only wasting your money but potentially causing more trouble for your lines by using a monthly additive. Some of those products suspend your solids instead of letting them settle and thus sending them out to your drain field. And as far as liquid bacteria, yes it does work but again, you need to drain the flooded field out first. Otherwise it will never penetrate and break down the bio mat. 500 gallon tank with a family of four needs pumped out no more then every 2 years. 2 people in the house/4 yrs. also keep anti bacterial soaps out of septic.

So if u dig down to distribution box and find other unused outlets. Then dig a couple leach lines about ten ft long. Buy some stone and sewer pipe with holes in it. Make sure the new lines are a bit lower at the far end then at box. Problem fixed for a good number of years

Hello thanks for sharing. I was looking for an update to this video. Well did the project work? What was the outcome? Please let us know, thanks.

Had to do the Terra lift, just under $4K in 2017. Worked great though, used for selling the home. Did not know we had a sand drain and it wasn't working for at least 8 years! I fixed that but the damage was done. Don't know how the Inspector missed it when WE bought. He missed a lot though.

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Eric, Sorry you’re going through this man. We had our tanks pumped last year (our house was finished being built in 19). A few weeks ago my wife noticed that our ground settling more so a pipe that goes from the house to the tanks shifted and broke. Of course it was on a weekend so we had to pay emergency prices. 4 hours later and $2600 it was fixed. We put 3 pkgs of Live Yeast down our toilets every month to break down the solids. Our plumber did recommend a concentrate to put directly into where the filter is, so we did. The solution needs to be put into the system every week for 6 weeks. Years ago my dad’s septic system failed. It was very expensive and we did as much work as we could to cut the price down. I hope y’all don’t have to replace your drain field.

It looks like your water table is less than 3' down. In Minnesota, it is required to have the bottom of the system 3' above the water table or an indication of the high water table also called redoximorpic soil to properly treat the effluent.

How is the system holding up? I am in a similar situation and looking for ideas. Thanks for all your great vids! Very helpful!

Quick Question? I have an aerated system with the aerator pump made by Jet,what type of bacteria is good for this system?

Just watched this video, good information. Is there a follow up video on what the final solution was to fix the drain field?

I just saw this video. I’m wandering if this worked. What r u calling your distribution box. We have a septic tank and leech field. We just bought a house and the septic passed but the leech field did not. A lot if rain before the inspection and the water was filling up the septic tank as soon as it was pumped out. Ty

My old farmhouse septic system is over 50 years old. Nothing goes into tank but toilet and bath drains. Wash machine, dishwasher, kitchen sink, water softener all go into grey water tile. Very slight scum in tank. Without wash machine settling time and decomposition is greatly increased. The effluent filters give false sense of security. They don't remove the really small stuff. If they did you'd have to clean filter every month. The secret is to buy the biggest tank and keep water volume as low as possible.

Hey! Great video! How has this product worked out for you? Update video?

We had to replace our drain field last year. It cost seven thousand dollars (we got a great price) and it completely tore up our yard. Don't let it get to that point. We were gonna get a generac because of how often we lose power but we weren't able to because of the drain field repair.

3:52. The dog executed an excellent photo bomb

I got 2 units of this product I poured one into distribution box and one in the toilet one week after no results water still seating inside pipes I’m having the Ceptic getting pumped I ordered to more this time and I’ll try again after 2 days being pumped and hopefully it works

I was able to hydro jet the laterals with a set up for my pressure washer, replaced d box cover (had collapsed) and added an effluent filter this is the original set up using orangeburg pipes in a area of fair drainage certainly not great drainage, gonna keep it until I have to replace it

I saw in a below comment that you ended up replacing your leach field. If my home is on a quarter acre, can the new leach field be installed in close proximity to the old leach field? I don't believe sand mound is an option for me either so I guess I'm wondering how pervasive biomass is under the existing leach field, so how much of an offset do you need when installing new? Thank you for your video.

You can use hydro jetter process. Adjust the pressure, don't use it at high pressure, he is right about that. So if your lines are holding water in the distribution box then how do you get the product into each of the line? That's what I want to know from him

Mines over 40 and one of them isn't draining. No water in the yard though. I'm going to dig down and follow the exit pipe from the tank and see if there's a clean out at a junction box before getting a new drainfield installed. It went 2 years between pumpings so it must be draining somewhat. I was told $5-6k here in florida, we are high and dry where i live so no raised mound. Oh, i dug a dry well for our washer 1 year ago so that may help. dumping the washer into your septic tank is so stupid. I dug a 6 foot hole, filled the bottom with 2 foot of gravel and dropped a 50 gallon rain barrel in the hole with hundreds of 1/2 inch holes drilled in the sides/bottom. It's been working like a charm. My wife has done 3 loads of laundry and can't fill that barrel before it drains into the ground. Water drains quickly here which helps.

I have a seepage pit that is no longer working and im assuming its do to the biomat buildup. Have anybody used the AeroStream? And would I install that into my seepage pit or into my septic tank?

I would have put a Bio filter in and that would probably help your problem a lot. If you can prevent the problem by having on before it happened you will save a lot.

Just ordered. I just had my septic pumped bc we were smelling sewage/having pooling right by the tank. She said everything looked good but didnt do a full inspection (just pumped it and ran). We are still having the same issues though.... do you think this will work or does it sound like a different issue??

Ty

Would you say putting that stuff in my distribution box would be good preventative maintenance? As far as I can tell my septic system is around 14yrs old and is working great. Just wanna keep it that way as long as possible.

Don't know how true this is but a friend had septic system for years and he swore by flushing 5 pounds of baking yeast every other month said it ate all crud out of system. Don't know if brewers yeast would work better ..Not advising anyone to do this but just passing this on just in case anyone would want to try. One caveat, however, he did this from start.

I smelled a raw smell in my back yard. The plumber said my septic tank backed up and I may need big work. The moral is not to forget to pump!

Anytime that you have ground that is saturated with rainwater and the ground is not leaching and allowing the moisture to settle in do with the farmers do they add a spray adjuvant in with other chemicals when they spray and do stuff instead of water beading it makes water sheet as well that way it's not a drop of chemical on the plant it sheets over the plant to protect it and it makes the dirt hurt and absorb moisture so if you ever have a swampy place if you spray some spray adjuvant and around that moisture area that won't take long the ground will perk it'll aerate and it'll absorb water and drain off a swampy area

I can vouch for this had the same problem with my septic system pumped it 2 times in a year and they said drained field was bad.....decided to buy the Roebic from Lowes and dumped it every 2 weeks in the john for 2 months......I have had no more back up or slow drain issues and the grass it green again in the drain field area of my . The cost is $13 for the 2 dose bottle ....I dumped it all in there.....there is also a Roebic grease and sludge digester I use every 3 months to stay on top the short cuts my teens might take in kitchen duties.....the price of the bottles beat the quote of $15,000 to fix my sewer system.....Now I watch watch LS swaps on youtube since I still that fun money........

You can locate a d-box and determine it's depth below the surface with an inspection camera. 95 per cent of the bacteria action in a septic system takes place in the soil. a 1500 gallon compartment makes a great tank for a system. I put two of these tanks in row. If you run two outlet pipes out going into two seperate d boxes--put a good outlet tee filter in one, and a plug in the other--and switch them every year--the system could last until the end of time as long as you pump the tank(s) every one to three years based on your usage. the biomat will clean itself out in a year if nothing is going into it. I was in the business for 50 years. In someareas of the contry they have banned terralift, but it can stikk be used for other purposes-like I did. Look for my upcoming book-How to turn crap into a million dollar retirement fund--like I did. Coming out in 2024,

I’m at 26 years. Going to try

In California the prices are very high for Leitchfield’s you need to be 2 feet above the water table for the new code

Lol zuzax or being told to dig some holes for tomatoes, use the tractor augur. So I got to thinking, "If I hit something Dad will be extremely upset." I walk into their home and ask him to please mark at least the starting point. He does and I start the tractor. Lower for first hole, dig it and have nailed electric and gas line. Proceed to 2nd and hit phone line. I'm swearing as I hop off the tractor, turn it off and hear questions in the house about power, water and what the hell did Marty do? That was in 76. Fast forward to 1996 or later when Mom decided the septic needed pumping. 3 honey buckets later I was still laughing in disbelief. Well over20 years and you NEVER had it pumped? Then we had to put a new leach line in... Now I'm living in the hills and found the single tank septic setup is completely choked at output opening that grew from the leach line(s) inwards. Houses don't deal well after being empty for 70+ years.

3:51 SURPRISE DOGY

We had a saturated leach field cause us big problems along with tons of other people. I'm looking at grey water diversion to reduce the load on our septic. Diverting one tub, laundry, dishwasher, and kitchen sink should still leave plenty of grey water to help work the black through my system, agreed?

good info thank u

My brother in law and myself located an accessory septic tank serving a detached garage with only a bathroom. The septic tank (500 gallons) was emptied three weeks ago and it was noted that the water from the drainfield came back into the tank. Today we followed the exit pipe from the septic tank until we reached the first drain field unit. No distribution box. Thoughts? Also, I have been using Ridex monthly and feedback on this product.

My brother decided I should till up a garden over my drain field. I’m apprehensive about that. What is your recommendation. (It is the flattest and sunniest part of my yard.

Take the washer water off your system, it’s easy to take off. Just connect some pvc to the discharge and run it out to your plants.

If a customer calls me to hydro-scrub the leach field, my only concern is the condition of the distribution box. However, if the distribution box is in good shape, I call a pump truck, when it arrives, I jet the lines while the pump truck is there to collect the bio-mat. The leach lines never blow apart. However, I will say, orangeberg pipe will not stand up to hydroscrubbing

If you can't find or your system doesn't have a distribution box, can you just simply pour it in the clean out pipe next to your septic tank?

I just had my concrete septic pumped since we lived here. It was full and thick he had me run water he opened one lid pumped gone 15 min. $275. My question was the other lid same pump area and where is this do I have a filter anywhere or does all this just go to the drain field . I have used ridex for years. Now I don't know my status one good thing dry grass so hope drain field ok. I need to look up the name of that product.

In old systems it's more commonly roots clogging up the systems.

Down John works for us!

I just had a problem; had to have my tank pumped after only 3 years, when the prior pumpouts were 7 and 8 years apart. (Tank holds 1500 gallons & fully fills the pumper truck!) They told my my leach field had failed, and that all I have now is a holding tank. However, I don't see how that product could work in this situation, because the leach lines aren't at the bottom of the tank, but closer to the top, so it seems to me that the tank needs to be fairly near full before water will start exiting into the leach pipes. What about mixing the product with water, and pouring it directly into the soil where the leach field is? Might that not help better when the tank is actually still basically empty? Otherwise, all we can do, and have been doing, is extreme water conservation, as when we had our severe 5-year drought. Waiting for water to get hot--run it into a bucket & use on plants; toilet--"if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down"; washing machine--small loads only (High efficiencly machine that 'measures' how much water for the load); large load--blankets, etc...go to laundromat....and so forth. It's all I can do, being on social security as my only income, and that's less than $2K/month...and the quoted price for a new septic system is low end $20K--up to as much as $45K!! No way I can do that!

As a Septic Professional with over 20 years of experience, I can assure you that you've got both Anaerobic and Aerobic bacteria in all Septic Systems... both types of bacteria exist in every system regardless of age or size, and that's an absolute fact. Regarding jetting the Distribution Pipes or Lateral Lines in the Leaching Field, it's perfectly fine as long as the pipes are made of PVC Plastic... especially Schedule 35 or Schedule 40 PVC Plastic. Lastly, if the grass is lush and green over the Leaching Area or Drainage Area of the yard, that's a bad sign, because the grass SHOULD NOT be greener over the Leachfield/Drainfield if it's functioning properly. In fact, lush green grass is usually an indication of a failed or failing system, so always pay attention to the lawn, and how the grass grows or is growing over your Septic System. It will be fairly obvious if you've got a problem.

This works!

Another method is a constantly running small air compressor that aerates the sewage in you’re holding tank via a small perforated hose. It creates a bacteria that goes out into the field to eat biomass. Our tank system has two sides. The first holding all the solids and the grey water spills over a wear ready for pump out. I learned about this system from America. Our system will be 41 years old and the field is still active. Thank God 🙏 I have been thinking of uncovering the ends of the outlet pipes to install clean outs. When we moved in 12 years ago The previous owner had planted willow trees and they sucked up water like nobody’s business. But we took them out they where so big. One root was right inside the pipe and almost as fat as the inside diameter. It took an awfully long time to get it out without destroying the line. Now I think it’s going to need a grease clean out. Fields aren’t allowed anymore in my county up here in Canada. We have to put in Minnesota mounds. They cost on average $35K CDN

Can you use Rid-x treatment on a performance based septic tank system?

have you consider adding drain lines for the surface rain water. It can not hurt. just a thought.

Invest in WORMS! Dig a little trench over your leach field and let them aerate their new home. Also cheap. There are YT vids on how to do it. Various species do different things, and you can buy a "variety pack" Each worm can process tons of dirt each year.

I've had my septic pumped a lot of times. I only ever see the intake pipe. Do all systems have a drain field? I don't think mine does.

A put in filter with new pipe !