How to Keep Your Leach Field in Good Condition

Maintaining a regular tank cleaning and system inspection schedule is the most important factor in keeping your leach field in good condition.  If any solids from a dirty tank reach the leach field, it can cause it to fail.  Likewise, regular inspections can detect problems within the system before costly replacement is necessary.  Please see Tank Cleaning and Inspection under Services.

Seed the area of your field with a low-growing grass and keep the grass and weeds mowed to a height of 10".  If you mow the grass too short, then the grass will not help take moisture upwards.  If you allow the weeds to grow too tall and numerous, they will shade the ground and prevent evaporation through the warmed soil.  During the winter, the grass and roots provide a wicking action for upward movement of water.

Leach fields may be shallow - covered by perhaps 12"-18" of soil and the soil may be damp.  It is important that the soil stay as porous as possible to allow air into the bed.  For this reason, it is critical that the area not be compacted.  So, keep all vehicles, buildings, sheds, corrals for livestock, fences and trenches off the field.

If you have alternate (two or more) leach fields, an aerobic (Nutt Shell) system or a low pressure drip irrigation ("Bell-Pat") type field, these systems have a diverter valve, zone valves or a surge tank with risers and a plug, all of which require periodic switching of field usage in order to rest one field or zone.  Contact us for instructions on periodic valve changes for resting zones of your field, if you are not certain of the requirements and method.  Also see About Valve Switching under Troubleshooting.