Preserving Your Drain Field: A Guide to Identification and Prevention of Damage

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Preserving Your Drain Field: A Guide to Identification and Prevention of Damage

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If you’re a homeowner with a septic system and drain field on your property in Captiva, it’s important to understand how they function together so you can prevent or fix problems that could arise. A well-maintained leach field can last up to 50 years. It keeps the unpleasant smell away, protects animals on your property, and manages runoff.

Like any other septic system component in San Carlos Park, FL, Leach fields require consistent care and maintenance. The key step to providing those is learning more about how it works. Here’s everything you need to know about drain fields in Lehigh Acres.

What is a Drain Field?

A leach field, more popularly known as a drain field, is one of the major components of a septic system in San Carlos Park, FL, that acts as a disposal filter for organic material. It makes up the final processing step or sewage treatment in a septic system.

Drain fields in Naples are a network of underground perforated pipes adjacent to your Captiva septic tank. After contaminants and liquid waste have been broken down by bacteria in your septic tank, they flow into the drain field through underground pipes. As liquid travels through these pipes, it seeps into the ground below and is naturally filtered by the surrounding soil.

Where is it Located?

Drain fields in Fort Myers are usually in a large, flat, and open-yard area. They are composed of multiple trenches, usually placed about six feet apart. These septic trenches can be anywhere from 18 to 36 inches deep, are generally between one to three feet wide, and can be up to 100 feet long.

The actual location may vary according to the property’s layout and the systems’ specifics. The goal is to have the drain field close enough to the property that you can avoid unnecessary piping expenses but far enough to prevent water infiltration into the residential walls. Other factors for drain field placement include tree roots, soil composition, sloping requirements, etc.

The Purpose of a Drain Field

Without a proper drain field in North Cape Coral, septic tanks would simply overflow, create runoff, and cause a foul, bad odor in your landscape. This happens when a clog in your drain field pipes causes the wastewater to stop flowing.

Signs Your Septic Drain Field isn’t Working Properly

When your drain field in Lehigh Acres works properly, you likely won’t notice it’s even there. It will remain covered underground and make no strange, noticeable noises. Drain fields in Captiva that are malfunctioning and showing signs of trouble may have indicators such as:

  • Strange, gurgling noises
  • Household drain and sewage backups
  • Foul sewage odors, specifically those near the septic tank and leach field
  • Standing water or wet spots above the tank or leach field
  • Slow-draining household drains such as sinks and tubs
  • Slow-flushing toilets
  • Standing water or mushy ground over the leach field area

How To Prevent Your Drain Field From Failing?

Prevention is always better than cure, and it is also much cheaper regarding septic systems and drain field repairs in Fort Myers. Some steps you can take to prevent your leach field from failing include,

  • Scheduling routine septic tank inspections in Bonita Springs.
  • Using a monthly septic tank treatment or process in Naples to break down bio-solids and reduce scum.
  • Avoid using harmful, abrasive chemicals like bleach and other ammonia-based cleaners down the sink or toilet.
  • Ensuring you remember when your next septic system maintenance is due.
  • Only flush human waste and drain water down the toilet.
  • Avoid using a garbage disposal if you use it infrequently.
  • Avoid doing multiple laundry loads multiple times a week. Spreading them out is the best way to limit wastewater entering septic tanks.
  • Don’t attempt to process more wastewater than your system can filter
  • Following local septic system regulations in North Cape Coral as a responsible homeowner.
  • Don’t drive or park vehicles or heavy equipment on your drain field.
  • Limit the use of your garbage disposal and avoid it when possible.
  • Avoid flushing substances that could clog or harm pipes down the drain, like fats, oil, grease(FOGs), medicines, feminine care products, nail clippings, etc.
  • Never put motor oil, paint, or grease down the household plumbing.
  • Lastly, schedule septic tank plumbing as needed every three to five years. If you are unsure how often your septic tank and leach field in San Carlos Park, FL, should have professional maintenance, consult a specialist like Crews Environmental for an evaluation.

What To Do If Your Drain Field Needs Repair?

While clearing a clog in your septic drain is relatively straightforward, major septic and drain field repairs in Naples can be very complex and catastrophic for your property in North Cape Coral.

You’ll want to enlist the help of a professional septic tank specialist like Crews Environmental for more complex repairs and to prevent further damage to your leach field, septic system, or property.

Final Thoughts

If you experience a problem with your septic system and drain field repairs in Lehigh Acres and Captiva, don’t immediately resort to spending hundreds of dollars hiring any random company to repair it. Instead, call our team at Crews Environmental to clean your system and break up any clogs or blockages. We’re licensed, bonded, and insured and offer all septic-related services, including installation, pumping, cleaning, and maintenance. Our expert team of professionals also provides grease trap cleaning and drain field repairs in North Cape Coral.

With proper care, we ensure that the septic work we perform to the highest safety standards is done with the utmost integrity to provide our customers with the best possible service, all while protecting the environment simultaneously.

Schedule an appointment with us today.