Problem: Brady Rettkowski of Done-Rite Septic in Hermiston, Oregon, was tasked with the replacement of a failed chamber system utilizing pressure distribution. The drainfield failed because ground-burrowing rodents had managed to pack the chambers full of sand. “This is a common problem in our area with any drainfield system that doesn’t use rock,” Rettkowski says. With his original drainfield destroyed, the homeowner was adamant that he was not going to accept anything but genuine rock and pipe for his new drainfield.

Solution: Rettkowski deployed the BH 2412 leach line-extrusion machine from Rockslide Technologies. The unit can place gravel, pipe and fabric in a single pass down an excavated trench. He started a flat trench on-grade and then placed and filled the unit with 1 1/2-inch round rock and 1 1/4-inch HDPE pipe. The machine was then intermittently pulled along the trench bottom with a backhoe to deposit the gravel and pipe on-grade. Because he was constructing pressurized leach lines, Rettkowski later uncovered the lateral pipes at prescribed intervals, drilled distribution orifices, installed orifice shields and then covered the rock with filter fabric. “The machine eliminated my need for employees, satisfied my client’s requirements, and saved me several hundred dollars in material costs versus using alternative leach line products,” Rettkowski says.

Result: The homeowner is content knowing the new drainfield is impervious to ground-burrowing rodents. 541/567-7830; www.rockslidetech.com.