I recently took a call from a customer who said their onsite system did not pass an inspection for a home sale, and wondered what I could do to alleviate the issue. They had a 50-plus-year-old in-ground system, a cracked tank and drainback flowing back into their septic tank from the outlet side. The system was old enough that there were no records on file at the county. After seeing the volume of drainback coming from the outlet side, I told the homeowner that the only real option was to replace the system. As there were no county records, a soil test would be required to determine type, location and design criteria of their new system. I offered a soil test proposal.
They got a second opinion. That person told them all he needed to do was jet out the pipes that were draining back and everything would be fine. Of course you know who they went with. Their second opinion told them exactly what they wanted to hear: Just jet out the pipes and they’d be good as new.
Now, if this only happened once I’d think it was a fluke; but in the past two weeks, this exact scenario played out twice and I’ve seen it many times before. I tell the person the honest truth, the harsh reality; the competitor tells them what they want to hear, that just jetting the pipe is all it will take.
So that is the reason I feel the need to state the obvious here. I do realize for most readers this is going to be quite basic; however, I keep running across those in our industry who obviously do not know the following fundamental basics.
Soil components typically fail due to waterborne solids plugging the soil pores beneath the system. Whether an in-ground system or a mound, stone or chambers, the general scenario is the same: waterborne solids plug the soil pores and begin to accumulate, forming a clogging mat (biomat) that begins to restrict water flow through the soil. When the mat is restrictive enough, that water begins to pond on top of the biomat. That is how and when the system begins to function in a partially saturated condition.
Soil component basic No. 1
A system operating at a partially saturated condition is not a failed system. It has actually been said that until a (gravity) system is operating in a partially saturated condition; it’s not operating at full efficiency. Once there is a clogging mat started, you are now using the entire square footage for your treatment.
The other reason a partially saturated system is not a failed system is that the water is still below the ground. Isn’t the whole idea of an onsite system to have your water treated below the ground? Trouble starts when the water level underground is higher than the tank outlet or the water has surfaced at grade.
Eventually, as the biomat becomes more restrictive and the water on the system begins to build deeper, the water will eventually be higher in the ground than the outlet of the septic tank. In many instances the water level in the septic tank will also rise with this underground water level. Once the tank is pumped, that level of water higher than the outlet pipe is what drains back into the tank.
Eventually the water might get high enough that it breaks through onto the ground surface, which at least here in Wisconsin then meets the definition of a failed system.
That clogging mat is beneath the pipes in the system. Whether the system is stone and pipe or chambers, the clogging mat is at the soil interface.
Soil component basic No. 2
Jetting the pipes does absolutely nothing to beneficially affect the clogging mat nor the clogged pores of the soil in any meaningful or lasting way. There are some who perceive the system is functioning better after jetting, which may have more to do with the fact that maybe they pumped the tank at the time of jetting.
So now the seller has it jetted and moves away; how long is that going to help? This "fix" was a Band-Aid at best.
One of the concerns here is the lack of foundational understanding of these people in our industry who are offering false options. There is a clear lack of understanding of basic system design and function. I don’t think they know they are offering a false option. This is not finger-pointing nor shaming of these people, when they don’t know any better.
My question is how we as an industry can provide more comprehensive training when it is obviously lacking. The issue actually goes deeper because their employer must not know any better or they’d do a better job of training the field technicians offering the jetting option for a soil problem.
There are options out there to replace or rebuild failed soil components where soil conditions allow: replacement and mound re-cores (rebuilds) are methods that will work. I have seen robust aerobic treatment rejuvenate some failed systems. The very first experimental aerobic systems in Wisconsin were installed to test if they would rejuvenate failed systems. Anecdotally I recall 13 of the first 17 experimental aerobic systems were successful in rejuvenating failed systems in Wisconsin’s early aerobic testing.
I strongly believe in and have always practiced telling the customer the truth — what they need to hear, no matter how painful — and spending as much time as it takes educating them on the reasons behind what is required for their failed system. Some customers will default to the inexpensive quick fix that doesn’t really solve their problem, but it also doesn’t dig up their entire yard and savings account. They are listening to and believing someone who does not know they are giving incorrect information.
It’s important that we continue to invest in educating our technicians and our customers in order to ensure the longevity of both individual systems and the onsite industry as a whole.
About the author
Todd Stair is owner and president of Herr Septic and Sewer, Inc., with over 35 years’ experience designing, installing, repairing, replacing and evaluating septic and mound systems in southeast Wisconsin. He is the author of The Book on Septics and Mounds and a former president of the Wisconsin Onsite Water Recycling Association.
