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• How to find the septic drainfield or leach field or septic tank
• How & when to dig to find septic system components

This article and our accompanying septic system location videos explains how to find the leach field or drainfield portion of a septic system. We include sketches and photos that help you learn what to look for, and we describe several methods useful for finding buried drainfield components. (Septic drain fields are also called soil absorption systems or seepage beds.) Also see How to Find the Septic Tank. More videos on septic system location & maintenance are at SEPTIC VIDEOS.

Citation of this article by reference to this website and brief quotation for the sole purpose of review are permitted. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. Technical reviewers and content suggestions are welcome and are credited at "References."

This is a chapter of Inspecting, Testing, & Maintaining Residential Septic Systems an online book on septic systems.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

A Guide to Finding the Drainfield - Part 7

How to use Excavating to find Drainfield Trenches & Their Condition

Why we Like Digging by Hand First and Excavating by Backhoe Second

Most people prefer to use equipment to dig at building sites - it's faster, physically easier (to operate a machine than to wield a shovel), and it is probably more profitable. Certainly in many instances a backhoe is the only reasonable way to dig. But we prefer to try digging first by hand whenever possible. Hand excavation does the least damage to a building site when looking for septic components because:

• Hand excavation does the least damage to the site, yard, plants, etc.
• Hand excavation can begin gently, right by the building wall, without even waiting for equipment to show up
• Hand excavation can be done by an energetic owner or her friends (but see SEPTIC & CESSPOOL SAFETY first)
• Hand excavation avoids destroying steel septic tanks and covers (but see SEPTIC & CESSPOOL SAFETY first)
• Hand excavation (or a careful backhoe operator) won't leave you with a newly "explored" but now totally destroyed septic system - so you cannot use the building plumbing and are pressured to accept whatever repair bid the contractor offers. (Trying to get septic repair cost estimates before any excavating is tough because the contractor knows that there are too many unknowns - but press for upper reasonable limits on cost)

Where to Excavate to Look for Septic or Sewer Components

But eventually, it's time to excavate - because your hand digging was fruitless or because you've found that extensive exploration and septic repair are probably needed. Usually an experienced excavation contractor has a pretty good eye for guessing at where another excavator would have dug to place a drainfield trench, D-box, or other septic system component. Walking the site and ruling in or out probable areas can significantly reduce the extent of excavation necessary.

How to Think First and Dig Second - Narrowing the Search for the Drainfield

See  Where to Look ,   Areas Not Likely, and   Visual Clues to Location for details on narrowing down the search for septic components before you dig. Septic Excavation Case Illustrated - step by step excavation to replace a sewer line Our sewer line case study shows the steps in finding and excavating septic components in detail at Sewer Line Replacement Procedure - details of when, how, and why to replace a buried drain line between a house and septic tank

Digging up a Failed Drainfield

Of course, if the leach field already needs replacement, one can probably find the end of a leach line by noticing where effluent is breaking out to the surface.

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

SEPTIC DRAINFIELD LOCATION
  Why Look For the Drainfield?
  Using Septic System Records
  Where to Look
  Areas Not Likely
  Locate Piping Precisely
  Excavating to find Drainfield
  Surprising Leachfield Locations
  SEPTIC VIDEOS show how to find the drainfield and tank

Detailed Guide for Finding Other Septic System Components

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• The Septic System Information Website home page for septic system design, installation, maintenance, repair
• Buyer's Guide Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems Inspection & Testing - What to Do, Step by Step.
• Septic Drainfields, Leach beds, Drwells, Absorption Systems
  • Absorption Field Design size and specifications for leach fields, absorption beds, gravelless systems, seepage pits
  • How Big Should the Leach Field Be? - table of soil percolation rate vs. field size
  • Planting Over Septic Systems: trees, shrubs, groundcover over the septic system: what can you plant over or near septic system components without causing a problem?
  • Septic System Drainfield Absorption System Biomat Formation - what leads to drain field clogging and expensive drainfield repairs
  • Table of Required Septic Tank, Drainfield, & Well Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc
  • SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS
  • Septic System DESIGN ALTERNATIVES
• Septic Tank Location - How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location
• Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
• How to Measure the Distance From the House to the Septic Tank gives details of making a septic location sketch.
• Distribution Box design, inspection, testing, and maintenance of the septic system D-box
• Filters for Septic Tanks & Graywater to protect septic drainfields and reduce drainfield clogging
• Ten Steps to Keeping a Septic System Working, suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits and additions by DJF
• Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to domestic wastewater treatment systems include
  
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-161, Septic System Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-162, The Soil Media and the Percolation Test
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-l64, Mound Systems for Wastewater Treatment
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-165, Septic Tank-Soil Absorption Systems
• Document Sources used for this web page include but are not limited to: Agricultural Fact Sheet #SW-161 "Septic Tank Pumping," by Paul D. Robillard and Kelli S. Martin. Penn State College of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension, edited and annotated by Dan Friedman (Thanks: to Bob Mackey for proofreading the original source material.)

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