Leach Field Only?

My wife and recently purchased a little house on 5 acres. I asked the previous owners if they had the septic pumped (they bought, partially cleared and built on the land).

Mrs. Previous Owner said that to her knowledge they never had. She stated that all she remembers is the company having to dig "16 fingers."

Mr. Previous owner (at a different time than when I spoke w/ his Mrs) said that the system was "maintenance free" and that there was "no tank only a leach field."

Neither remembered the company who installed the system, nor did they have any documentation on the system.

I did a search on this board and at tractorbynet, but didn't find much.

My question is whether this info is correct or just a case of inattention on the part of the previous owners? Also, if it the case that there is only a leach field what can I do to keep things flowing (so to speak)?

If it helps I live north east of Oklahoma City and from where the previous owners pointed the leach field is about 125' slightly downhill from the house.

Any info would be appreciated as I'm used to flushing and letting the city worry about the rest.

Clint

I have never herd of a septic with no tank. Have seen a few with on leach feild though. I would say the guy is clue less. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Try talking with the building department. In my area you need a plan, and permit to put in a sepic. They may have some info on the system for you.

Unless you have an old cistern type septic then you need someplace for the tank to drain to. They used to do alot of things that weren't right. If you have a tank you probably have some type of leach field. Usually the tank goes to a concrete jxn. box and then feeds the fingers. You could also have one 8-12" line that would go level all the way around the hill with a sock on it.

The first house I ever owned had a system that was six inspection size boxes that were placed in a six inch line that ran six hundred feet to the rear of the property and discharged into a marsh. [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

It pluged and I could not find the tank. Called in a pro and he used a drill with a five foot steel rod to probe the ground and follow the line from the basement. Found the first inspection box and dug it up. Just an eighteen inch deep by two foot by three foot box with the line running in and a line running out.

When we found the second box we found the plug and the system started to run again. I asked him where my tank was and he just laughed and pointed to the marsh. I walked a straight line to the edge of the march and found the discarge line. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

It seems that in the thirties when the house was built that this was a common practice. Within a month we had a whole new system in place.

This house had been using this system for forty years. It had neither leach field nor tank.

I struggled to believe the previous owners, but I'm fairly new to the whole septic system thing. I plan on checking w/ the health department and/or building department of the county to see what records they may have -- will have to wait until finals are over, however.

I thought I might go to where I know the leach field is and start poking around. The previous owners pile windfall and knocked down trees over the area. It is all over grown, but on one of the edges there's a T-post, that the had no idea why it was there. I wonder if that could be the location of the lid of the septic tank? Hmmm.
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Thanks for the good info.

Clint

Clint,
If there is no tank...........get ready. The leach lines are getting close to being plugged from solids.....yeuck!!!!!