[arcticranger]

I bought some Hanes Geo drain field fabric for a leach field. The manufacturer has told me to lay the fabric in the bare trench, fill with gravel and of course the PVC, then fold the fabric sides over on top. Unfortunately my contractor jumped the gun and put the gravel in first, he was expecting the fabric to simply rest on top of it. They also recommended pea gravel over the #2 gravel I have bought.

Getting the gravel out without mixing it with trench dirt will be nearly impossible, though I would not have to remove down to the dirt. Still tricky. Another option is just using that gravel as fill elsewhere and getting clean replacement gravel.

Any opinions on this full encasing of gravel in the drainage fabric and also whether to ditch or try to salvage gravel already in trench?

 

[chandler48]

I wouldn't try to salvage any gravel already in the ditch. Just add more as the directions state, as long as it doesn't alter the original fall of the pipe. Then I would remove what is there and start over.

We are having to adapt dome systems in our location as opposed to pipe fields.

 

[arcticranger]

OK but do you think the fabric should go UNDER the gravel as well as on top? A lot of contractors just lay it on top.

 

[Nealtw]

Water is going into the dirt not out of it, I would just cover it and forget about it.

 

[arcticranger]

This is not about the dirt it's about the gravel. Manufacturer of this fabric states you should allow water and air into the gravel but not dirt. And dirt can enter from above, below, sides.

On the other hand the liquid from a septic outflow is not without particles, so I have concerns "wrapping" the gravel entirely would not allow those to escape into soil.

I'm open to all opinions but "forget about it" is not one of them.

 

[huesmann]

You need fabric between soil and gravel, or soil will migrate into the gravel and the area will settle (never mind clog).

 

[arcticranger]

The Hanes Geo firm just told me I should install the fabric to cover sides and top of gravel, leaving the bottom open.

 

[arcticranger]

But I think I'll backfill with fresh topsoil not the mucky dirt that I dug out.

 

[joed]

Sounds like a good idea to me. It will keep dirt from percolating down into the gravel and clogging it.

 

[arcticranger]

Well this is more or less done. As the gravel had already been laid into trenches it was really impossible to wrap the Hanes Geo fabric around it in any sense. So @Nealtw was correct, I had little choice but to just lay the fabric over the gravel. I laid some heavier stone alone the edges to keep it in place.

Biggest issue now it that my basement smells like sewage, I was going in and out wearing sewage covered boots and must have left quite a trail on the concrete floor. Poured bleach over it but smell has returned.

Wondering what's best way to kill this odor on concrete?

I'm planning to install a septic tank riser as well, I don't see the point of burying septic access under 3' of dirt again.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Aero-Stream-23-5-in-Dia-x-23-in-Septic-Tank-Riser-Kit-102577/302939704