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Required Septic Tank Depth
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On this page we describe the depth at which septic tanks are installed and we explain the use of septic tank risers to make it easier to pump out, clean, or service deeply-buried septic tanks.
Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved
to the author. Technical review by industry experts has been performed and is ongoing - reviewers are listed at "References."
Comments and suggestions for content are welcome.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
SEPTIC TANK DEPTH - Notes on How Deep we Put the Septic Tank
This septic tank depth article is part of our septic system article series that summarizes guidelines on the required septic tank size based on anticipated level of daily gallons of sewage wastewater flow.
The typical residential septic tank size required for a given average daily sewage wastewater flow in gallons is provided in a table of septic tank sizes. Also see DRAIN LINE DEPTH where we describe the depth of sewer and septic system piping.
This chapter also explains how to calculate septic tank volume based on septic tank inside dimensions measured in feet,
and we discuss the sizing, installation, and functions of septic tank tees to prevent septic system clogging.
Links to related septic system testing and design information are given.
Septic tanks can be installed pretty much at any depth in the soil. Even in freezing climates, the septic tank serving an occupied home or even an unoccupied one is unlikely to freeze, partly because of latent heat the bottom of the septic tank receives from the earth and partly because of the heat generated by the bacterial action going on in the septic tank. (DO NOT add antifreeze to a septic system.)
Factors Determining Septic Tank Depth
The principal factors that determine the actual depth at which a septic tank is likely to be buried (and thus how deep you may have to dig to find the septic tank) at a particular site include:
- Sewer line depth: The depth at which the lowest sewer line leaves the building which the septic tank serves. Since usually we rely on gravity to move sewage from the building to the septic tank, the tank will be lower than the exiting waste line of the building it serves
- Site conditions of shape, rocks, obstructions: the location at which the contractor found site conditions suitable to bury the septic tank. If a site has bedrock or large boulders close to the surface, the tank may be located elsewhere; the further the tank is located from the building, if the system uses gravity to move sewage, the deeper the tank will be.
- Keep septic tanks high: we don't put the septic tank any deeper than necessary, since we are usually moving effluent from the septic tank to the drainfield also by gravity. Plumbers usually install sewer lines to slope down from inlet to outlet, at 1/8" per foot to 1/4" per foot of linear run of the waste pipe.
We don't want the septic drainfield to be buried at unnecessary depth since the absence of oxygen deep in the soil will prevent some wanted bacterial action that we need to break down and process septic effluent.
- If a sewage ejector pump or grinder pump system is used to move sewage from the building to the septic tank, of course we can place the septic tank anywhere, including uphill from the building.
- If a sewage effluent pump is used to move septic effluent from the septic tank to the drainfield, then of course we can place the tank "downhill" from the drainfield as well.
- Growing grass: if the septic tank is just 2 or 3 inches below ground surface you may as well have left the top of the tank exposed, since you won't get grass to grow in such thin soil. Adding backfill to 6" to 12" may be enough to get grass to grow over the septic system - this is only a cosmetic issue, not a functional one. See SEPTIC SYSTEMS, PLANTS OVER
What if the septic tank is buried deep below ground surface?
Indeed we've seen septic tanks partially above ground, and others buried more than six feet deep. It's not necessarily a mistake, and deep septic components may be required by site conditions, but here are some considerations when the septic tank is more than a foot below ground surface:
- Deep septic tanks should have a service riser installed. Septic risers are large-diameter "wells" that are placed over a septic tank inlet baffle access port (and possibly outlet) to permit easy access for septic tank pumping, inspection, and baffle repair.
- If the septic tank happens to be buried more than just a few inches below ground surface, good practice includes installing a septic riser, a large diameter pipe that gives good access to the septic tank for inspection and cleaning.
- A large diameter riser is 24" or more in diameter. Small septic pumping risers that are just 4" or 6" in diameter are easy to install and cheap, but they do not permit inspection of the tank baffles, and their small diameter makes it difficult for the septic pumper to actually clean out the floating scum layer and sludge layer when the tank is pumped.
- Deep drainfields mean poor septic effluent processing. If a deep septic tank means that the absorption area (leach field or drainfield are synonyms) is deep, such that the top of the soil trenches are more than a foot below ground surface, then the reduction in aerobic bacteria in the soil will limit the effectiveness of the drainfield in reducing pathogens and other environmental contaminants.
Additional septic effluent treatment methods can correct these conditions, but it's useful to keep in mind that there is a difference between successful septic effluent disposal and successful septic effluent treatment. A deep septic tank does not necessarily mean that the absorption area is also deep, since site conditions and use of septic effluent pumps may change the required depth of a drainfield.
Safety warning: Be sure that the septic tank riser and all septic tank covers are sound and secure since falling into a septic tank can be fatal. See SEPTIC & CESSPOOL SAFETY .
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- Septic Tank Capacity vs Usage in Daily Gallons of Wastewater Flow, calculating required septic tank size, calculating septic tank volume from size measurements
- Septic Tank/Soil-Absorption Systems: How to Operate & Maintain [ copy on file as /septic/Septic_Operation_USDA.pdf ] - , Equipment Tips, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 8271 1302, 7100 Engineering, 2300 Recreation, September 1982, web search 08/28/2010, original source: http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfimage/82711302.pdf.JF
- 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.)
- ...
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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- Inspecting Septic Systems: Online Book, Inspection, Test, Diagnosis, Repair, & Maintenance: our Online Septic Book: Septic Testing, Loading & Dye Tests, Septic Tank Pumping, Clearances, details of onsite waste disposal system inspection, testing, repair procedures.
- Advanced Onsite Wastewater Systems Technologies, Anish R. Jantrania, Mark A. Gross. Anish Jantrania, Ph.D., P.E., M.B.A., is a Consulting Engineer, in Mechanicsville VA, 804-550-0389 (2006). Outstanding technical reference especially on alternative septic system design alternatives. Written for designers and engineers, this book is not at all easy going for homeowners but is a text I recommend for professionals--DF.
- Builder's Guide to Wells and Septic Systems, Woodson, R. Dodge: $ 24.95; MCGRAW HILL B; TP;
Quoting from Amazon's description: For the homebuilder, one mistake in estimating or installing wells and septic systems can cost thousands of dollars. This comprehensive guide filled with case studies can prevent that. Master plumber R. Dodge Woodson packs this reader-friendly guide with guidance and information, including details on new techniques and materials that can economize and expedite jobs and advice on how to avoid mistakes in both estimating and construction. Chapters cover virtually every aspect of wells and septic systems, including on-site evaluations; site limitations; bidding; soil studies, septic designs, and code-related issues; drilled and dug wells, gravel and pipe, chamber-type, and gravity septic systems; pump stations; common problems with well installation; and remedies for poor septic situations. Woodson also discusses ways to increase profits by avoiding cost overruns.
- Country Plumbing: Living with a Septic System, Hartigan, Gerry: $ 9.95; ALAN C HOOD & TP;
Quoting an Amazon reviewer's comment, with which we agree--DF:This book is informative as far as it goes and might be most useful for someone with an older system. But it was written in the early 1980s. A lot has changed since then. In particular, the book doesn't cover any of the newer systems that are used more and more nowadays in some parts of the country -- sand mounds, aeration systems, lagoons, etc.
Design Manuals for Septic Systems
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US EPA Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Manual [online copy, free] Top Reference: US EPA's Design Manual for Onsite Wastewater Treatment and Disposal, 1980, available from the US EPA, the US GPO Superintendent of Documents (Pueblo CO), and from the National Small Flows Clearinghouse. Original source http://www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/Pubs/625R00008/625R00008.htm Onsite wastewater treatment and disposal systems,
Richard J Otis, published by the US EPA. Although it's more than 20 years old, this book remains a useful reference for septic system designers.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water Program Operations; Office of Research and Development, Municipal Environmental Research Laboratory; (1980)
- Eco John® Innovative Toilet Solutions, Global Inventive Industries, Fountain Valley CA, PDF, product brochure
- "International Private Sewage Disposal Code," 1995, BOCA-708-799-2300, ICBO-310-699-0541, SBCCI 205-591-1853, available from those code associations.
- "Manual of Policy, Procedures, and Guidelines for Onsite Sewage Systems," Ontario Reg. 374/81, Part VII of the Environmental
Protection Act (Canada), ISBN 0-7743-7303-2, Ministry of the Environment,135 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto Ontario M4V 1P5 Canada $24. CDN.
- Manual of Septic Tank Practice, US Public Health Service's 1959.
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