On 10/26/14, 7:10 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 10/25/2014 8:50 PM, Pete C. wrote:


I suspect it was a "get away with any thing"
system that has ran into trouble.

Heavy clay soil generally means an aerobic system these days.


What's that mean? Yes, it is clay soil in
South Carolina.

In the 1980s, the EPA said most Americans needed sewers because septic
systems wouldn't percolate in clay. In the 1990s, they changed their
mind. Sewer systems were terribly expensive, and it was expensive to
dispose of the water within guidelines set for the EPA.

They'd also discovered that clay soils would percolate fine. You have
to keep stuff like laundry lint out of the leach field, and you need
air. Sometimes this means building a mound for the leach field. If the
soil stays waterlogged, bacteria won't break down the solids in the
effluent, and the clay will get clogged.