Posted: 11/22/2016 10:42:22 AM EDT
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Alright guys. Having to have quite a bit of work on my house (taking Trump's advice and Building a Wall ... It will be YUUUGE) and there is going to be a lot of heavy equipment and dump trucks in my back yard. No way around it. No other way to get to what needs to be done to fix errors by the original builders. That's the backstory.
Now, I know there is a chance of septic line damage as they drive over the end of 4 lines. The tank itself is fine and they won't be near that. What should I look for to see if there is damage? I know possibly a sinking in the ground in the area of the pipes, but is there another way to tell if there has been damage that is not a clearly visible? I want to possibly fix now, after they are done, since my yard will already look like crap and figured they could possibly replace lines on their way out. They lines are sitting on gravel beds. Thanks! 
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open the D box and see if the water flowing in is absorbed. you can use a 5 gallon bucket to simulate pump. Fixing that shit is expensive and requires permits and inspection sign off (here at least). You should contact someone in your area who INSTALLS systems to get a true estimate. Pay the guy to come out and he may know a way to prevent having it get fucked up in the first place.
You can also get quotes BEFORE you have the system unusable and condemned. |
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Never ever, ever, EVER drive heavy equipment over drainfields. EVER............... +1, put stakes and tape around the drain field. They can use a tracked Bobcat to move material instead of bringing the truck closer. The tracks will lower the ground pressure. Kharn Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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No kidding. New septic would probably run over $10k these days. ETA Fellas, he's not asking to see if he has damage but rather to prevent it. Quoted:
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Never ever, ever, EVER drive heavy equipment over drainfields. EVER............... No kidding. New septic would probably run over $10k these days. ETA Fellas, he's not asking to see if he has damage but rather to prevent it. Was I not clear enough? Don't drive on it with heavy equipment or vehicles, EVER. It's thin perforated plastic, takes very little to deform or crush it. |
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+1, put stakes and tape around the drain field. They can use a tracked Bobcat to move material instead of bringing the truck closer. The tracks will lower the ground pressure. Kharn Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Quoted:
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Never ever, ever, EVER drive heavy equipment over drainfields. EVER............... +1, put stakes and tape around the drain field. They can use a tracked Bobcat to move material instead of bringing the truck closer. The tracks will lower the ground pressure. Kharn Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Yep. OP i am looking at 10 large for drainfield work. Plus, even if they fix it quick its a giant pain in the ass to live in a house with a condemned system. It may be worth asking neighbors to allow access and paying to have the damage done repaired by a landscaper. Keeps the man out of your life. |
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Was I not clear enough? Don't drive on it with heavy equipment or vehicles, EVER. It's thin perforated plastic, takes very little to deform or crush it. Quoted:
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Never ever, ever, EVER drive heavy equipment over drainfields. EVER............... No kidding. New septic would probably run over $10k these days. ETA Fellas, he's not asking to see if he has damage but rather to prevent it. Was I not clear enough? Don't drive on it with heavy equipment or vehicles, EVER. It's thin perforated plastic, takes very little to deform or crush it. No option. It is either drive over field or let the house have foundation damage from a land slide. So, thanks to the suggestions of never driving over the drain field, but there is no option. So the question again, is what to look for to see if any damage was done. I know it might not be immediately visible, so what can I look for? Thanks! |
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If they have to drive through that area I would find a way to cover the ground with heavy timbers or steel.
Can you buy or rent one of those 4X8 sheets of steel they use in cities to cover the road during construction? I am not sure what your soil conditions are but here in SW OK my ground is super hard and I drive over my lines all the time with no damage. |
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The problem is you may not see damage for quite some time. Unless you see a large failure at the time, it could bee weeks or months before you do see any.
Liquid rising to the surface, ponding, etc. would be one sure sign along with it backing up in your house. Also, depending on where you live and local health laws, you may not be able to just make any old repair or correction to a damaged system. Once the local health department gets involved, open up your wallet. My advice would be to have it inspected and have lots of video/picture evidence prior to construction and add verbiage to the contract with the construction company protecting you and any future problems related to,the heavy equipment. You do have a contact don't you??????? |
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No option. It is either drive over field or let the house have foundation damage from a land slide. So, thanks to the suggestions of never driving over the drain field, but there is no option. So the question again, is what to look for to see if any damage was done. I know it might not be immediately visible, so what can I look for? Thanks! Quoted:
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Never ever, ever, EVER drive heavy equipment over drainfields. EVER............... No kidding. New septic would probably run over $10k these days. ETA Fellas, he's not asking to see if he has damage but rather to prevent it. Was I not clear enough? Don't drive on it with heavy equipment or vehicles, EVER. It's thin perforated plastic, takes very little to deform or crush it. No option. It is either drive over field or let the house have foundation damage from a land slide. So, thanks to the suggestions of never driving over the drain field, but there is no option. So the question again, is what to look for to see if any damage was done. I know it might not be immediately visible, so what can I look for? Thanks! Odor/Septic stench. Back ups in the system. Ground is wet and never dries. Problem is, damage can occur and part of the leachfield can become ''inactive'' and the rest of it can handle blackwater for awhile until it becomes saturated and useless. It may take several years, less if there are a couple of wetter then normal seasons. |
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Use a probe rod to locate the limits of the drain field and stake it off... Establish a clear (in writing) "you break it you buy it” agreement with the contractor. If any heavy equipment rolls over the drain field then it will be assumed that damage was done and the contractor will incur the cost to have a professional septic system contractor repair / replace the drain field. |
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Use a probe rod to locate the limits ofthe drain field and stake it off... Establish a clear (in writing) "youbreak it you buy it” agreement with the contractor. If any heavy equipment rolls over thedrain field then it will be assumed that damage was done and thecontractor will incur the cost to have a professional septic systemcontractor repair / replace the drain field. If the owner says driving over it was necessary why would the contractor be at fault? If the contractor did it when told not to then they'd be liable. |
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I am not trying to put damage off on the contractor. I understood and understand now that damage is possible. No way around it. My lot is funky in the way it is laid and everyone knows that damage is possible. There has been extra dirt piled on top of field now. It has not rained in my area in over a month. The ground is so hard right now, it is like concrete. I had to move plants/trees to make way for the equipment to get in. I could not use a shovel to dig new holes. I had to use a mattock to break it up for each hole and it was about some of the hardest "labor" I had done in a long time.
Hopefully, I will be OK. If not, I've budgeted money to repair if necessary. I'm basically just wanting to know what to look for in regard to damage. I wonder if we should drop our water use down as much as possible to keep water from going into the field. Either way, thanks for the suggestions. |
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Redistribution of weight is your only hope to mitigate soil compaction.
Normally we did this with sheets of overlapping heavy duty plywood laid down on the projected path of the vehicles. For a one time thing it can be costly depending on length or protection. The plywood is not your cheap normal stuff , you want heavy duty shit. Around here if you use heavy equipment in coastal or swampy or environmentally sensitive areas it's par for the course. Works great. |
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If they have to drive through that area I would find a way to cover the ground with heavy timbers or steel. Can you buy or rent one of those 4X8 sheets of steel they use in cities to cover the road during construction? I am not sure what your soil conditions are but here in SW OK my ground is super hard and I drive over my lines all the time with no damage. This, or railroad ties or landscape timbers. |
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Quoted: Never ever, ever, EVER drive heavy equipment over drainfields. EVER............... +1 If you do it WILL crush those pipes and they will need to be fixed. I installed septic and worked in underground utilities for years and it happened every single time we had tight spaces on residential jobs and heavy equipment running around. If there is absolutely no way around it then mark off an egress and limit all vehicles to that area and just plan on digging up that leg and fixing it. |
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No kidding. New septic would probably run over $10k these days. ETA Fellas, he's not asking to see if he has damage but rather to prevent it. Quoted:
Quoted:
Never ever, ever, EVER drive heavy equipment over drainfields. EVER............... No kidding. New septic would probably run over $10k these days. ETA Fellas, he's not asking to see if he has damage but rather to prevent it. Had to replace our drainfield earlier this year........around 10K plus another 10K replacing/repairing sprinkler system and resod (required to get final inspection done), so around 20K completed. Make sure the equipment stays the hell away from the septic system!!! |
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Never ever, ever, EVER drive heavy equipment over drainfields. EVER............... This cannot be stressed enough. Its not like "oh, ho-hum, the line is busted" No, you'll have to get someone out there with heavy equipment and dig down 36" or better to fix that shit. I cant prove it but when we were buying the home we got the current owners to have some foundation work done. The fuck monkeys who did the work drove their tractor right up and over the drain field and busted the line and a distribution box bigger than hell. We dealt with the bad draining for a couple years till it became unworkable. I finally dug down there and patched about 20' of collapsed line myself. Had I called a septic repair company to do that work theyd have had to come in and install a whole new system because the old "leach field" systems arent code anymore. I was quoted anywhere from $8,000-10,000 Dont fucking EVER let someone drive over the lines. The pipes are so incredibly paper thin its shocking. Leave them in the ground for 10, 20, 30 years and they become nearly as brittle as Lays potato chip. Im not exagerating by much. |
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Quoted:
No kidding. New septic would probably run over $10k these days. ETA Fellas, he's not asking to see if he has damage but rather to prevent it. Quoted:
Quoted:
Never ever, ever, EVER drive heavy equipment over drainfields. EVER............... No kidding. New septic would probably run over $10k these days. ETA Fellas, he's not asking to see if he has damage but rather to prevent it. Had my drain field inspected tonight, was quoted between $6 and 8k |