Having to install a new septic as part of the purchase of this property was not something we considered lightly. It is a HUGE investment and something we knew nothing about. It is also a costly item to have done on a property, and we were lucky (and innovative) enough to roll it into our mortgage payment to have minimal out-of-pocket expenses.
The other important part of our property purchase and the necessary septic replacement, is that the sellers agreed to contribute some money towards the new septic as an incentive for us to remain the buyers. They weren't contributing a lot, but it was enough to offset the cost of the soil perc test and design fees.
In February 2015 we had the perc test done. It was 9 degrees that day and the first backhoe seized up because of the cold and the guys had to drive in another backhoe from a couple towns away.
The purpose of a percolation test provides information on the drainage capabilities of the soil. Since a septic system is designed to have the liquid seep back into the soil through a leech field, the land engineer needs to show it's possible. In this particular town, there is a lot of fractured shale in the ground surrounded by a clay soil, so we weren't expecting a good perc test.
In order to find a spot where they could dig down at least seven or eight feet, they had to dig around the yard and by the sixth hole, they were satisfied.
Bill getting a lesson on perc tests from John.
So at the end of the day, we had a hole with the desirable depth and they were able to perform a percolation test. They then needed to show the percolation test to the township in order to get the approval to design the new septic. At some point before installation Mike and the design engineer actually had to go to a town meeting to answer some questions about the design. But, we finally had our approved design and were just waiting to schedule the installation of the system after we closed on the house.
We bought the property in April 2015 and by the middle of May, work on the septic started. They install the system from the "end" moving up towards the house. So, that means that they install the leech field first, which is where the liquid leeches back into the soil. Since our perc test was less than desirable, we had to pay for extra gravel and sand to create the proper conditions for a leech field. Below you can see the beginnings of digging out for the leech field.
This was the day when a bunch of dump trucks had to drive across our lawn to the back of the property to dump the sand and stone for the leech field.
As they got closer, they had to install the tanks. Our system is large because we have two houses sharing the same septic system. So the system includes two septic tanks and one central pump tank that sends the liquid back to the leech field. Here you can see the septic tank for our house and the pump tank right behind it.
And just on a side note -- having your entire yard torn up to put a septic system in is not for the faint of heart. There were certain things that we were not happy about, like how all the dig lines were not seeded afterwards, so now they are all still visible in the yard, or how I had to badger the installer and designer to get a finalized map of everything.
But at the end of the day, the project is done and we can use the bathroom. If we take care of it properly, this system could last for the rest of our lives...
