How do I know if my septic tank has a drainage field?

How to tell if my drain field is failing

Water Backup. One of the main signs of drain field failure is when water backs up in your drains.
Odour. If a septic odour is hanging around your backyard, or rising from your drains, it is a clear sign you might have drain field failure.
Puddles.
Noise.
Sludge or slime.

Do septic tanks need to be drained?

As a general rule, you should only need to empty your septic tank once every three to five years. A septic tank that is not working properly can pose serious problems for your home, including sewage back up in the drains in your home, or sewage bubbling up from the ground around your tank outside.

What do you need to know about a septic tank?

Every septic tank needs a drain field. This is where the excess water ends up after it’s been filtered. It’s an integral part to the system. In fact, you can tell a great deal about the health of your septic tank based on the condition of your drain field.

How can you tell if your septic tank drain field is failing?

Returning Flow Reverse flow is one of the first signs of a failing drain field. This is only noticeable when your septic tank is being pumped. Instead of the flow being outward (that is towards the drain field), service technicians are likely to spot a reversal.

What does a septic tank drain field do?

Septic Tank. Your septic tank drain field (sometimes called a leach field) is a key component of a septic system. It serves to remove contaminants from the liquid wastewater coming from your septic tank.

What does it mean when your septic tank is leaking?

The term malfunctioning refers to a septic tank that’s not getting the needed care and having a lot of issues. Some of the likely problems a septic system might have included the leakage or escape of sludge to the drain field. This leakage is bound to result in drain field problems too.

What should you know about a septic tank drain field?

1. The Drain Field Must Never Be Covered Your septic drain field is designed to help all the wastewater flowing from your septic tank dissipate into the surrounding environment. Much of the water drains down through the topsoil and is eventually filtered into the groundwater.

Where does the water come from in a septic tank?

Also known as leach fields or leach drains, the drain field is a disposal area just under the ground where contaminants are removed from the water coming from the septic tank. Microorganisms perform a more complex anaerobic digestion of the biodegradable materials that come from the tank before sending the clean water out through several drains.

Is there a problem with the septic tank behind my house?

We have had no odor, no problem with slow drains, no green grass around the septic field despite very dry weather, no wetness in the yard. The septic tank is behind our house, and the area around it is sloping.