Posted: 11/24/2011 11:53:05 AM EDT
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The septic system at my house is a 3 piece design that ends in gray water being sprayed on my clay yard. The guy who installed the septic told my wife the 3 piece set up was required by law. Is this correct?
What is the main advantage of the 3 piece system over a one piece system? We had the tank pumped once after the first year and the guy doing the pumping told my wife the tank was not bauried deep enough. It is also right in the middle of my back yard running perpendicular from the house. I can't do any landscaping to level the back yard because the tank set up is right in the middle. The dip in my back yard is where the asshat modular home installer dug a pit to build up the and level the spot the house sits on. There is about an 8 foot drop into the backyard and is very uneven. My house is 36'x70'. Any issues with moving the septic system to the side of the house or even the front yard area? |
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A septic tank and two seepage pits is the "three piece" septic system?
It's not required by code if the ground percolation test works out and you have space for the minimum 300 feet of lateral line. Also, the minimum distance it can be from your well used to be 50 feet and it had to be lower than the well head. Yeah, you can move it around front. Lateral lines in the front yard will give you green grass in August. ETA Look here for an explanation of septic systems: http://www.deq.state.ok.us/factsheets/local/booklet.pdf |
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I have no idea about the perk of my land. System was installed without our presence. For all I know it was never checked. They never notified us when they were going to install the system. Had they done so, it wouldn't be where it is now. The spray system sucks as it sprays year round. Creates a big ice sheet on the backyard when its freezing outside.
I want to level the backyard and install a privacy fence to keep my grand daughter in and the local varmits out. Can't do any construction now without crushing the septic tanks and the tank access and spray heads are right in the middle of the yard. Kills usable space and limits landscape design. I might even build a basement with an add on house secion but again the septic system is in the damn way. |
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Contact the original contractor that installed it and ask him how much it would cost to move it.
He should be able to use the same tanks/equipment. If you do put in a new septic system in a different place, you may have to dig up the original system anyway when you landscape. You'll crush them running earth moving equipment over them. If you have red clay, you're going to need lots of lateral lines if you go to a conventional system. Sounds to me like the system he installed was because your line is red clay and doesn't absorb water well. |
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Nothing but red clay. The original installer works for the company that I bought my house from. I'll try and contact him when I get home. Not sure I want him working on it again. He installed the electrical pump wires backwards and the guy that pumped out the tank said the system was buried deep enough and not to code.
Thought about changing the open spray head to one that sprays into a storage tank for future garden and lawn watering. |
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I was going to tell ya the same thing that Dan told ya , bitch to the original contractor get them to move it and fix's the yard too .
My daughter in law was poring grease down the drain and that burn the pump out , $ 960 later, she won`t do that again , but you know big kid are , got to learn the hard way. |
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the 1 year warranty on the new construction is over. Now they will only move it if I can show it's not to code or a design/installation flaw. None of which is the case. I'll look around and get a price for digging it up and moving it to the front yard.
On another note, what grass can I plant to stop the clay in my yard from becoming a slip and slide evertime it rains? |
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On red clay put some lime on it to break it up. You can buy a grass called Marshall Rye that you can just throw on the ground and it will take off.
I had a lot of red clay moved to build a pond and used it in February. It's come back every year since and spread quite a bit. |