What Are the Effects of Improper Design or Installation?
Some soils provide excellent wastewater treatment; others don’t. For this reason, the design of the drainfield of a septic system is based on the results of soil analysis. Homeowners and system designers sometimes underestimate the significance of good soils or believe soils can handle any volume of wastewater applied to them. Many failures can be attributed to having an undersized drainfield or high seasonal groundwater table. Undersized septic tanks—another design failure—allow solids to clog the drainfield and result in system failure.
If a septic tank isn’t watertight, water can leak into and out of the system. Usually, water from the environment leaking into the system causes hydraulic overloading, taxing the system beyond its capabilities and causing inadequate treatment and sometimes sewage to flow up to the ground surface. Water leaking out of the septic tank is a significant health hazard because the leaking wastewater has not yet been treated.
Even when systems are properly designed, failures due to poor installation practices can occur. If the drainfield is not properly leveled, wastewater can overload the system. Heavy equipment can damage the drainfield during installation which can lead to soil compaction and reduce the wastewater infiltration rate. And if surface drainage isn’t diverted away from the field, it can flow into and saturate the drainfield.

Show All Answers

1. What is a Septic Tank?
2. What is a Drainfield?
3. What is a 100% Expansion Area?
4. What is an “Engineered” Septic System?
5. How Do I Find My System?
6. Why Should I Maintain My Septic System?
7. How Often Should I Inspect and Pump my standard Septic System?
8. What Shouldn’t I Flush Down My Toilet?
9. How Do I Take Care of My Drainfield?
10. What Are the Effects of Improper Design or Installation?