[md2lgyk]

Just bought a home built in the 70's for rental. Lady that bought the house new is moving due to health reasons. Never any problems with the septic, but three field lines running out in back yard have settled over the years. Nothing major, but maybe 3-5(max) inches settling, and the depressions are probably 2.5-3 feet wide.. Will it hurt anything to fill the depressions with fresh dirt and sew grass seed, or should i just leave it alone? Looks to me like these depressions would actually gather rainwater and hold it, rather than letting it run off.

Or do i just worry too much?

I don't think what you want to do would be a problem. But you could have other issues with a system that old. Might want to get it inspected.

 

[Mike Swearingen]

I've lived in homes with septic systems for 35 years. You can fill those depression with sandy, loamy fill dirt (not clay) so that the lines can still "breathe" and it will be just fine. You just don't want to compact the soil.
If there are a lot of nearby plants, bushes, trees, etc., you might want to flush down a cup or two of copper sulphate crystals to keep rootballs from forming in the lines. I do that about three times a year.
The only "maintenance" that a normal septic system needs is to pump out the tank at least every five years. I always have it done in every year that ends in a 0 or 5 to keep it idiot proof. Had it done last year for instance.
By the way, all of those "additives" are a waste of money. Normal usage will keep plenty of bacteria in the system.
I built this home in 1977 and my system works just fine.
Good Luck!
Mike

 

[Lightfoot]

I've lived in homes with septic systems for 35 years. You can fill those depression with sandy, loamy fill dirt (not clay) so that the lines can still "breathe" and it will be just fine. You just don't want to compact the soil.
If there are a lot of nearby plants, bushes, trees, etc., you might want to flush down a cup or two of copper sulphate crystals to keep rootballs from forming in the lines. I do that about three times a year.
The only "maintenance" that a normal septic system needs is to pump out the tank at least every five years. I always have it done in every year that ends in a 0 or 5 to keep it idiot proof. Had it done last year for instance.
By the way, all of those "additives" are a waste of money. Normal usage will keep plenty of bacteria in the system.
I built this home in 1977 and my system works just fine.
Good Luck!
Mike

:thumbsup: Just what i was looking for. Thanks a bunch!

 

[md2lgyk]

I agree that septic systems are pretty much zero maintenance other than pumping the tank. But things still fail. My parents built a house with a septic system in 1960 in central California. About five years ago my father had an issue with "stuff" seeping up in the lawn. Turned out the pipe from the tank to the leach field was almost completely gone (eaten away).

 

[AllanJ]

Put copper sulphate in the distribution box at the leach field, not down a toilet or drain, to kill roots in the leach field. In the latter case it will be too dilute (mixed with 1000 odd gallons of liquid in the tank) by the time it gets to the leach field.

You'll have to find and dig down to the distribution box.

 

[Mike Swearingen]

The d-box should be just outside the end of the septic tank toward the drainfield Lightfoot.
I completely agree that it would be far better to add the CS to the d-box, but it has also worked for me just flushing it into the tank for all these years. I don't care to dig a hole in my yard several times a year when I can take the lazy way out. LOL
Mike