Septic Installation & Repair

What is a Septic System?

A septic systems is a type of underground wastewater treatment structure. It is mostly used in rural areas where centralized sewer systems are not available. A septic system uses a combination of nature and proven technology to treat the wastewater from household plumbing.

Your usual septic system consists of a septic tank and a drainfield, or soil absorption field sometimes referred to as leach lines. Some systems may consist of seepage pits.

A septic tank is an underground chamber made of concrete, fiberglass, or plastic through which wastewater (sewage) flows for  treatment. The treated liquid effluent is commonly disposed in a septic drain field, which can consist of a series of perforated pipes buried in a leach field, chambers, or other special units designed to slowly release the effluent into the soil.

Septic Tank Install

Leach Lines & Infiltrators

Leach Lines Septic drain fields, also called leach fields or leach drains are used to remove the contaminants and impurities from the liquid that emerges from the septic tank. A septic tank, the septic drain field, and the associated piping compose a complete septic system. The drain field typically consists of an arrangement of trenches containing perforated pipes and porous material (often gravel) covered by a layer of soil to prevent animals and surface runoff from reaching the wastewater distributed within those trenches.

The 4 foot vaulted Infiltrator chambers replace traditional PVC pipe and crushed stone. The chambers are buried, locked end-to-end and capped with dome-shaped end plates to create a large half-tube structure. Effluent from a septic tank flows freely into the chambers and is filtered efficiently into the soil absorption area. In addition, septic outflow can be split with a distribution box so the chambers can run parallel to each other in order to minimize the footprint of the leach field.

Seepage Pit
Septic Tank Drawing

Septic Installations & Repairs

Whether you’re building a  new home and need an entire septic system installed or you need to replace an older system that is failing, CJ DeBoer Engineering & Septic has the experience to ensure that your system is properly designed, installed correctly, and installed to local regulations. We can handle all types of septic system installations and repairs and we will make sure the project is done efficiently, to code and within your budget!

Septic Tanks

A septic tank is a type of underground chamber that can be made of concrete, fiberglass, or plastic. Wastewater flows from a house flows through the septic tank for basic treatment. The septic tank acts like a settling pond. Greases and oils float to the top and the heavier solids sink to the bottom. The watery waste, called “effluent,” fills most of the tank and the anaerobic bacteria breaks down the organic material in the effluent. Then the effluent flows out to either the drainage field or the seepage pit.

Leach Drainage Field

Seepage Pits

A seepage pit is dug vertically into the ground (vs. a horizontal leach field) to collect the gray and black water from a septic tank. Most of the time seepage pits are built so that at least four to six feet of soil covers the top of the pit. The pit is buried so deeply into the ground so that most of the waste water processing is done by anaerobic bacteria.

Seepage pits are made of poured or cast concrete and are installed to be  surrounded by rocks so the waste water can percolate into the ground after processing in the pit. Seepage pits are usually more strictly regulated than leach fields because less processing of the effluent happens. If a seepage pit fails, the untreated waste water can flow back into the house. Regular maintenance of seepage pits is extremely important to ensure this doesn’t happen.