The drain field is a crucial component of any septic system. It accepts the wastewater that flows out of the tank, then naturally filters the water and releases it back into the ground as clean water. Problems with the drain field can result in contaminated groundwater or failure of the septic system.
If you start to notice issues, you might wonder whether you’re better off making repairs, or if you’ll need to replace your drain field in Prior Lake, MN altogether. There are a variety of reasons why drain field problems might occur—it could be that the drain field has simply surpassed its usable life span. A drain field that is too old will ultimately fail. It is also possible that flooding or oversaturation could result in a malfunctioning drain field, or that heavy objects (such as vehicles and equipment) could compact the soil over the drain field, resulting in it being unable to serve as a proper filter. Finally, failure to pump the septic tank or keep up with other regular septic system maintenance can result in drain field failure as well.
It’s important to keep an eye out for some of the most common signs of drain field failure, such as pooling water in the yard, water backups in the home, strange gurgling noises in the pipes or bad odors emanating from the drain field or even seeping into your home.
Repair or replacement?
You need to resolve the issue somehow, so the question is whether you will repair or replace your drain field.
If you are having any issues with the functionality of your septic system, your first step should be to carefully investigate every part of the system, from the pipes to the tank and the drain field. If you’ve carefully checked the other components and are left with just the drain field, the problem almost definitely lies somewhere in there. A professional septic system technician can come out and analyze your drain field to determine what the problem is, be it soil compaction, oversaturation or something else.
There are only a couple situations in which you’d want to go with replacing the drain field entirely over repairing it. The first is if you know your drain field is at least 20 years old already. At this point, it makes much more sense to replace it than to put a financial investment into repairing it when it’s already reached or exceeded its usable lifespan.
The other reason you’d replace the system is if you’ve already tried all the repairs you can think of, and they keep failing. At some point, a drain field will simply be overworked and past the point of repair, at which time you should have a professional come in and give you a quote for replacing it.
If you’re in need of a professional septic service provider, we encourage you to contact the team at Mike’s Septic & McKinley Sewer Services for more information about repairing or replacing your drain field in Prior Lake, MN. We look forward to working with you.