Tips For Installing A Septic System Despite A High Water Table

If your home was built beyond the limits of the city sewer system, you'll need to have a septic tank installed for plumbing. Septic systems give you a complete waste management system that's confined to your property, but they aren't free of challenges. If your property has a high water table, for example, there are some things that you should know.

How Does a High Water Table Affect My Septic System?

Underground septic systems include a large tank and connected drain field. The waste water seeps from the septic tank over to the drain field for filtration. The drain field must be able to absorb the waste water to filter it properly as part of your septic system's operation.

When your property has a high water table, it means that there isn't a lot of soil between the top layer of the ground and the start of the water level underground. If the water table on your property is high, it can actually interfere with the top soil layer's ability to absorb and process waste water. It can also cause the drain field to become oversaturated, which might prevent waste water from flowing correctly, pushing it back to your home or up to the top layer of soil.

Can I Still Have a Septic System if I Have a High Water Table?

If your property has a high water table, that doesn't mean you don't have any options. In fact, if you talk with a septic system specialist about your concerns, he or she can help you make adjustments to the plan to account for the water table concerns.

Start by thinking about the heaviest possible demand that your septic system is likely to experience. For example, if you like to entertain, think about how many people you have over on a regular basis. The septic system technician will use that average traffic flow to determine the maximum capacity you need for your septic tank.

In addition to ensuring that the tank is large enough, you're also going to want to have the system pumped more frequently than the typical recommendation. Pumping your septic tank more frequently reduces the amount of waste water that accumulates inside the tank. This will reduce the risk of having anything flow into the drain field and cause oversaturation.

The last key component that the septic system needs for a high water table is a filtration system. Consider adding a recirculating sand fill unit to the system to filter out most of the contaminants. This will help reduce the hazards of over-saturation. A recirculating sand fill unit will filter the waste water through sand several times in an effort to eliminate contaminants and particles. Then, the water that reaches the drain field is cleaner and safer than it would be otherwise.

Talk with a company like Lemeta Pumping & Thawing about what your septic system needs to function at its best even if your land has a high water table.

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