leach field location

[James Clarke]

so, what can go above a leach field? can you do gravel pavement over it? concrete over it?

Also, can it go uphill at all with some kind of assist?

 

[Mikey]

Generally, around here grass is recommended. And one of the fundamental rules of plumbing is "[waste] runs downhill". You can pump the effluent from the septic tank (or better, and more common, a "pump tank") uphill, but once it's in the leach field, it's all downhill from there (known as a "pump to gravity" system).

 

[James Clarke]

Any thoughts on using the same field for 2 tanks?

 

[FishScreener]

The amount of water, not the source of water determines how large a leach field needs to be. There isn’t a technical reason to not feed two tanks into one field, so long as it has the capacity to handle it.

Depending on where you’re at there may be code restrictions. And, there might be added requirements such as a buffering tank, which the two tanks feed to, before the flow goes to the leach field.

 

[haloflood]

so, what can go above a leach field? can you do gravel pavement over it? concrete over it?

Ideally nothing goes over a leachfield except grass, and the soil is mounded or sloped enough for rainwater to runoff somewhere else. Having cars or construction over the lateral lines could potentially break them.

Also, can it go uphill at all with some kind of assist?

Wastewater from the treatment system can be pumped to the disposal area, so yes, it can go uphill. Sometimes this is done for topographic reasons where physically the landscape won't allow for the minimum fall between the outlet of the treatment tank and where the lateral lines are going to be (can't slope the pipes down enough to let gravity do the work, along with rule restrictions saying that lateral lines can't be deeper or shallower than a certain range). Sometimes this is done because the soil isn't very permeable. Using a pump, the amount and timing of wastewater can be controlled, allowing for more even distribution compared to when and how much water people normally use water (mostly in mornings and evenings). This gives the wastewater enough time to infiltrate into the soil before the next dose comes along.