One of the most common reasons why drain fields fail is because they have taken on too much wastewater. When they are completely saturated and water is sitting in the lines nonstop, the trench walls can form a bacterial mat. This mat is very slimy and doesn’t allow water to seep through; therefore, the trenches can’t handle any additional wastewater. In this case, a drain field repair is necessary.
If you notice drains draining slowly, gurgling from your drains, or water coming up from the floor drains located at the lower level of the house, you know that something is wrong. The things that you can do include spacing out laundry loads and conserving water. Even short showers can help make sure the septic system doesn’t become overwhelmed, causing flooding and requiring drain field repair.
There isn’t a quick and easy drain field repair tactic for a field that has failed. A clog in the system can be routed out, but a bacterial mat can be a significant problem. It can’t be destroyed unless the trench is left to completely dry out. It can take months for it to dry out to the point the bacteria mat dies. What this means is that a new trench system has to be put down. It isn’t unusual for a home to have multiple drain field locations over the years because of bacteria issues. Once the new drain field is put down, it will last for quite some time. When it’s time for it to be moved again, it can be moved to the previous location.