Septic tank maintenance

April 25th, 2013:

Leaking septic system distribution box

This article will cover leaking septic system distribution boxes the how they work. Morning came too abruptly that day. Somehow, the hangover was still working its way through. But you knew that you had to start your day early for your girlfriend’s birthday picnic. Coffee was an order for you so you showered, got dressed, and went downstairs only to find your pug sitting beside a poo gift on the floor. The entire house smelled awful. It couldn’t have come from that small poo. You checked the entire lower floor. The sinks, toilets, and drains all backed up. No wonder the shower drained slowly upstairs.

Your septic expert arrived after you cleaned up what your pug left on the floor. Your housebroken dog didn’t poo inside the house since he was a two months old. It was because of the disarming smells inside your home that made your pug think that the entire house suddenly became his huge toilet. The septic expert inspected your whole property and discovered that you had a leaking septic system distribution box.

As you may already know, the septic system is composed of the septic tank and the drain field. The drain field is where the last stage of wastewater treatment takes place. It is where the pre-treated effluent is purified by the aerobic bacteria and then filtered by the bio-mat, ridding it of disease-causing microorganisms and pollutants. The drain field has components that equally distribute the recycled wastewater back to the surrounding environment. These are the lateral lines and the distribution box. The distribution box is aptly named because it really distributed the effluent to the entire drain field and the surrounding systems. It’s also called the d-box as a shorter term.  

The leaking septic system distribution pipe could have been brought about by soil compaction or old age. Soil compaction results from placing structures or vehicles over the drain field. Their heaviness compresses the soil, crushing drain field components such as the d-box. Old age of the d-box can be a cause of the cracks and broken connections as well. If any kind of damage is incurred by the d-box it should be immediately repaired. If there are any parts to be replaced, it should be done immediately. However, if the damage is too extensive, it would save you more if you just have the unit replaced by a new one.

Your septic expert worked on repairing your leaking d-box. You watched his every calculated step:

a)       The soil was dug clear from your distribution box.

Soil should not enter the d-box or it will aggravate the situation. At least 12 inches should be cleared. Since the d-box is leaking, thick boots and gloves were worn as protection. There should be more than enough work space.

b)       Thorough inspection of the d-box was made.

Any damaged PVC pipe should be immediately repaired. If there are PVC portions that need to be cut off and replaced, do so with new ones and fix them with PVC cement. Debris should not enter the pipes or the d-box as it’s being repaired.

c)       The needed amount of cement was mixed thoroughly and was poured slowly into the mold.

The sides of the frame/mold should be tapped to get rid of trapped bubbles.

d)       The wooden mold/frame was removed carefully after 24 hrs of setting the cement.

The adhesives should be checked as this is done to make sure that there would be no future leaks.

e)       The distribution box was well-sealed before it was buried with soil.

Proper sealing should be done to keep the d-box the effluent in.

f)        The d-box was leveled properly.

It needs to be leveled well so that the effluent could be equally distributed throughout the drain field.

It took a while but the septic expert and his team was able to clean up that day. You had to cancel the celebration for a day because of the sudden crisis. But all was well. You asked your septic expert to help your with your septic so that nightmare of a morning won’t happen again. This article covered leaking septic system distribution boxes the how they work. We hope it helped the reader to better to understand how a distribution box works.

Leaking septic system d-box

This article will cover leaking septic system d-box. You have definitely changed ever since you moved into your very own home. It was a pretty huge change indeed but your attention to detail was even more enhanced the moment you started life in your new house. Everything needed to be in the best condition possible.

One weekend morning, you wanted to have breakfast on your back porch. It was beautifully designed and really complemented your flower garden. When your eyes stopped at the lawn, you squinted a bit to see if what you were seeing was real. And yes they were. Wet spots were all over your drain field area. You didn’t waste another minute more. When you phoned your septic expert, he said that he would be right over.

After a few minutes, he arrived and inspected the area. He said that there was a leaking septic system d-box in your leach field. Your eyes widened and wondered why your new septic system would have troubles already. It just so happened that the agent who sold you your house didn’t tell you that the drain field has a faulty d-box. You decided to phone in the complaint after the septic expert did his job.

In order to fix a leaking septic system d-box, the following steps were done by your septic expert:

1)       The dirt was cleared away from the d-box because any trace of soil could aggravate its incurred damages. Make a clearing of twelve inches. Proper protection such as thick boots should be worn to protect the skin from the leaking wastewater. There should be more than enough work space.

2)       The damage of the d-box was carefully inspected. The broken or cracked PVC pipes were the  ones initially repaired. The damaged portions were well-measured and well-cut. A PVC pipe cleaner was used to prepare the new pipes. PVC cement was then used to fix the new set of pipes.

3)       If there were any large pieces of cement that have broken off the d-box, they were removed. The form was built once the d-box had no debris anymore. It as made sure that the boards were firmly placed before the cement was added.

4)       The cement was mixed well and poured slowly to fill the mold. The sides were tapped so that no air bubbles would form. More cement was added to reach the needed height. It took a day to set the cement.

5)       The wooden mold or frame was removed carefully and checked if there was good bondage in the repaired components like the pipes.

6)       To prevent future leaks, the d-box was sealed well before it was covered with dirt.

7)       It should be properly leveled so that the d-box could distribute the effluent evenly. Once even, the hole of the d-box was refilled.

The septic expert and his team were careful in what they did. They wanted to do their job well. You noticed how meticulous he was so you went inside and prepared some snacks for them.

The d-box interior should be clear of all debris, dirt, or excess concrete. It the d-box encounters a clog inside, the repairs would be much more expensive. Before the septic expert started, he let you know that if the d-box was beyond bandages, you have to just replace the d-box unit rather than keep on having it repaired all the time. Repairing the d-box of your drain field is always a very crucial decision. To allow the setting of the cement, you would have to stop using the septic for a day. That would be a huge sacrifice on your part. Unless you’re prepared to experience having to use a neighbor’s or a relative’s bathroom every now and then, you would just have to really see if the system would be better off having the leaking septic system d-box replaced instead of just repaired.

It was really important to you to have everything done in just one go, to save time and money. At that point, your septic expert was able to repair the leaking septic system d-box but you were certain that you would have it replaced soon. This article covered leaking septic system d-box. We hoped it helped you.