Explaining An Above Ground Septic System

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Күн бұрын

Conventional gravity septic systems don't always conform to all lots. This video explains some of the above-ground septic system requirements and why we use them in place of the conventional.
We often use above ground systems because of shallow soils, meaning little soil depth before meeting a restrictive element such as high water, bedrock or clay/silty soils.

Пікірлер: 75

@DanielColonONETV 2 жыл бұрын

First video I see that actually explain the hump in my backyard. Been looking for answer for 2 yrs.

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 2 жыл бұрын

Lol, glad this was helpful!

@4urluvjones155 2 жыл бұрын

Well done. Straight forward and to the point. Thank you!

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@gerbilkill 10 ай бұрын

I thought u was talking about her eye

@GermanShepherd1983 2 жыл бұрын

In Minnesota you don't have a choice. When the property gets sold, the new owner is forced to install a mound system. No other system will be allowed. Only problem is finding enough room for a mound system, especially if you have 4 or more bedrooms.

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 2 жыл бұрын

It can certainly be difficult, when space is limited and we have to go to a mound we normally will do what is called a sand mound mantle, the toes get extended considerably, at times we may also have to have additional treatment to further reduce space.

@osmo67 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@marcocasillas5023 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the information

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 2 жыл бұрын

No problem at all! Hope it was helpful!

@John-dp3ln 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent explanation.

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much!

@MrBugman2525 4 жыл бұрын

Very good presentation and information

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 4 жыл бұрын

Mike Burns thanks Mike

@titansol3226 Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for the Video, however in Australia (at least in NSW) we were not required to have a sand mound, the waste water is sprayed onto the paddock. There are 2 Tanks, 3/4 buried. We are on 5 Acres and a designated area is for this waste water (not supposed to use for edible plants). The tanks are checked and treated regularly by our plumber. The waste from the house goes into the first tank and is agitated (I think) on a set cycle and then pumped to the 2nd tank where it again is agitated on a set cycle before being pumped out through sprays onto the set area. An Electrician has in fact now looked at it and somehow fixed the problem, sorry but I don't know exactly what was done and in fact I have been told that of the 4 power points located on top of the 2nd tank, one seems to trip the circuit breaker and has been left unplugged. The system seems to be working though so I'm not going to worry about it just now. Im off for a few weeks then its Christmas, so a problem for another day or at least untill it plays up again. Thanks all.

@debschultz143 Жыл бұрын

Our new neighbors have (had) this system. Today they leveled the entire mound! What does that mean and how will it affect us?

@fasnuf 3 жыл бұрын

How tall are these mounds typically for a 4 bedroom house say 2200 sq. ft. I live in Oregon and on a low lying area. I currently pump my effluent 900' to a drainfield on the upper end of the property. We may want to build another house, but there is no more room in the current drainfield area to support another residence. I'm on 16 acres so space isn't the issue. Water during the rainy season where my house is can be inches from the surface. Thank you

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the question, typically a minimum of 2 ft from the limiting or restrictive condition, in your case seasonal high water. We choose an area where the surface water doesn’t accumulate, preferably on a slight slope. For your case I would use 2 ft of mound sand, upto 8” of drain rock, fabric cover then topsoils to a minimum 6”-12” for frost protection. The colder the climate the topsoil should be closer to 12” with perhaps some wood chips or wood shavings mixed in. We generally calculate for lineal space, mounds work best being long and narrow. Cheers,

@keytothegate68 3 жыл бұрын

The one I have is about 4 feet tall

@GreyRockOne 3 жыл бұрын

Exactly like my 2-year old system. My hi level alarm came on, when I looked in the pump tank, the water being pumped to the above ground drainage field, was coming right back to the tank via the drainage field return line, at almost full pump pressure! No wonder the tank isn't emptying. The system is not even two years old and was installed by a reputable installer. The field has two vacuum breakers that look intact. I haven't contacted the installer yet to see what warranty options I have but for now I'm using a pool pump plugged into a wireless remote power switch, when I see the red alarm light on, (I disabled the audible alarm) I run the pump with a long hose out to a large wooded area near my house. What can I look for before I have them come out?

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 3 жыл бұрын

Hi John, sometimes the pump impeller can get stuck due to hair, wipes or other material that doesn't break down well. This can cause the pump to hum but not pump. Freezing in the line can certainly be a problem, although you may not be facing these temperatures quite yet. A broken or plugged line can also be an issue. Sometimes power outages can cause pump failures if there is no surge protection. Hope it's an easy solution for you!

@DragonOracleSpeaks 7 ай бұрын

Are these allowed in Hawaii?

@wht240sxka 4 жыл бұрын

These systems are usually 3-4 times as much cost as a conventional system and they are forced upon people that are uneducated on the systems even when their soil is acceptable for a conventional system. People should learn to understand their soils test and not allow them to take advantage of them.

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 4 жыл бұрын

wht240sxka as practitioners we educate the homeowner as much as possible, in many cases we show them the test pits and show case the high water or clay/silt. As practitioners we always start from a conventional system, if our conditions don’t allow for a gravity system we go to the next solution and so on. We are audited by Health Department and Ministry of Environment when Systems don’t perform. We as practitioners have a tremendous amount of liabilities, so certainly there will be some contractors that will automatically go towards a better treatment solution. ...but to think that a conventional system works for every site condition is not correct.

@kevinsargent79 3 жыл бұрын

I live in Northern California.. they making me put one in.. 70 thousand.. I don’t k ow what I’m going too do.. I’m a country boy.. I just make a redwood box.. it works great..

@Rundle92 2 жыл бұрын

Can you plant a photinia hedge in front of the toe, to conceal it from the back deck of the house?

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 2 жыл бұрын

You can certainly plant these hedges just away from the toe, about 4 ft to accommodate the growth. This should not cause any damage and will certainly conceal the mound nicely.

@VP-nz6ok 3 жыл бұрын

I’m getting ideas for my 9 acres of raw land gonna start next year, a rock sheet piece of land, should be interesting however, homes in the are have mound septic systems so I’m sure that’s what I’ll have to do

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 3 жыл бұрын

One way to obtain information on the type of system you may need is exactly what you said, look at the types of systems in your surrounding area.

@kevinsargent79 3 жыл бұрын

No u won’t . It’s 60 thousand

@keytothegate68 3 жыл бұрын

@@kevinsargent79 60K is about 2x more than what a mound septic system would cost

@62fastcar Жыл бұрын

Can perennial flowers & small shrubs be planted on these mounds?

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 Жыл бұрын

Grass is always best, perennial flowers or fine. With shrubs the root system can be intrusive and I would avoid them.

@dougmckeone1915 3 ай бұрын

Can you put stone on top of the mound visible to the eye, trying to stop my dogs from digging

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 3 ай бұрын

You bet, small stone to let's say 2-3" should be fine, no heavy rock / boulders as it could start bowing the lateral lines. Spread drain rock evenly so the weight distribution is even throughout.

@jessequentin4441 Жыл бұрын

Why not excavate the location of the sand mound so that the sand is below grade and the pump can be eliminated from the system?

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 Жыл бұрын

That would defeat the purpose of a sand mound, we are trying to create vertical separation from the limiting condition or restrictive condition / layer. For example if high water table is 1ft below grade we are not going to excavate into the ground and place sand. Thus we have to elevate the system above grade to the vertical separation minimum distance as in our standard's book with spec sand. Meeting the vertical separation distance allows the removal of harmful pathogens from going into the aquifers, water tables, wells, waterways etc.

@jaxsonanderson4937 4 жыл бұрын

Her face never changes.. i started to only focus on the fact that she may be a robot lol

@jamestorbert1200 4 жыл бұрын

Joe Anderson she is totally a robot....I saw that also

@mattywho8485 4 жыл бұрын

Well... she is describing septic systems, how excited do you expect her to be?

@BeckVMH Жыл бұрын

True, a bit "deadpan," but I'd rather have her reading the narrative than some guy that normally does installs.

@Trevor_bow 3 ай бұрын

Same lol

@billdavis6826 Жыл бұрын

So, does that mean that an above ground system is ok if a property doesn't pass the perc. test?

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 Жыл бұрын

Regulations on certain system types is going to vary from state to state, and sometimes county to county. For soils with poor permeability we use a sand mound system. Normally I would say that yes, an above ground system is going to be one of the best methods to deal with very slow Perc rates, but you will have to discuss the system with your health department.

@billdavis6826 Жыл бұрын

@@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 Thank you!!

@briandonovan6546 2 жыл бұрын

I am a contractor by trade. I build houses , but i have NEVER installed a septic system. I was told by the county where im building my next house that traditional septic systems aren't allowed. So, Im going to have to install one of these unfortunately. Anyone know the material only cost on something like this? Not a chance in hell I can afford to pay some company to do it, considering based on the comments its apparently like $30k.

@MtnGearhead 2 жыл бұрын

Hey man, same boat here. Any update on what you had to do? Really intrigued.

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Brian, You will probably need a professional's oversight, there is a fee associated with that. You would have to contact various practitioners for cost in for overseeing you install the system. Many jurisdictions require this. For cost of supplies you would have to locate septic tank manufacturers in your local area for this and also plumbing supply stores for piping, pumps, control panels etc.

@kajemarine15 6 ай бұрын

Good god ma’am, this looks like a hostage video on septic tanks. Blink twice if you need help

@jwinnington 2 ай бұрын

😂

@ArieteArmsRAMLITE Жыл бұрын

Growler supreme.

@yaken1 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info but her lack of blinking totally creeped me out.

@saleen235 3 жыл бұрын

I was about to say the same thing, but decided to look at the comments first before repeating it.

@seeqr9 3 жыл бұрын

She finally blinked as I read this.

@scarroll625 2 жыл бұрын

@@seeqr9 I’m sure she’s smarter than you and me.

@seeqr9 2 жыл бұрын

@@scarroll625 and?

@scarroll625 2 жыл бұрын

@@seeqr9 take it easy tough guy

@mattywho8485 4 жыл бұрын

She forgot the "disadvantages" of the above ground systems... they LOOK LIKE SHIT !

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 4 жыл бұрын

Mattywho thanks for noting the negatives

@paulmiller746 3 жыл бұрын

Mattywho you are correct. Just bought a house with one of these systems and it totally ruins the backyard...it is an eyesore and renders most our one acre property useless.

@kajemarine15 6 ай бұрын

😂 best disadvantage comment. We refused to allow a stupid big hump in our backyard so had it placed half way up hill then infilled the “ditch” on the uphill side

@Troynjk 8 ай бұрын

Very interesting! But your voice fry is excruciating.

@talusranch990 Жыл бұрын

Robot woman

@Peachstate821 Жыл бұрын

Robot

@gerrys6265 8 ай бұрын

This has to be the most boring (though useful) presentation I have ever seen.

@webslingernz 11 ай бұрын

Why do I get a "IT" vibe here? lol

@retrox684 3 жыл бұрын

Why though. Our tank with a flat leech field powered by gravity was diy'ed by someone 30 years ago and is still going fine. Over complicated crap

@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 3 жыл бұрын

Above ground systems are placed in clay type soils, high water table areas where there is limited vertical separation in soil. You can’t very well place piping network below grade in clay soils, nor can you place in ground piping in high water. The video explains this. Gravity systems don’t work for every situation. Septic systems are highly regulated, we go through thorough training and on going training to identify the right design for each challenge.

@retrox684 3 жыл бұрын

@@groundstonewastewaterservi5066 gov can't regulate it if they don't know it's there

@briandonovan6546 2 жыл бұрын

Well, for one, you may be forced to install one like I am being by the city. So, in that case videos like this are very necessary. Just because you're fortunate enough to not have to doesn't mean we all are.