The leach field, also known widely as drainfield, is the part of the septic system that receives only water from the tank and spreads it around in a certain place. It is connected to the septic tank by the tank’s outlet pipe and receives water through that pipe.
As the leach field is connected to the tank with a pipe and takes a wide area of your lawn, you should know how far this should be installed from the septic tank. This helps you to make an estimation about the area required for the setting up of the overall system.
Also, if you don’t know the design of the overall septic system, you should know the typical distance between the leach field and the tank. This will help you to find out the leach field quickly and easily after getting the septic tank.
So, let’s know a bit about the typical distance between the septic tank and leach field.
How Far is The Leach Field from the Septic Tank
Typically, the leach field is placed by calculating the distance from your house. A typical minimum distance between the leach field and your house is around 10 feet. Depending on several factors, it may vary. I’ll be talking about those later.
You’ll find drainfields around 20-30 feet away from your home.
So, the distance between the leach field and the septic tank should be around 30-60 feet depending on where your septic tank is situated.
Factors that Affect the Distance of Leach Field
I’ve already said that several factors have an impact on the distance of the leach field. These are discussed below.
Local Authority
It highly depends on the local authority. Depending on the weather, the number of households, the amount of open places available, and several other issues, the appropriate authority sets a range of distance that should be maintained while setting up the leach field.
In maximum regions, this average distance is 10 to 30 feet. But it may vary.
Condition of the Soil
The condition of the soil is very important for making the leach field. The soil shouldn’t be compact. If the field is set somewhere with compact soil, the water can’t spread easily. As a result, the system gets clogged and the tank gets full quickly.
On the other hand, if it is set somewhere where the soil is not that compact, water can get spread easily. Thus the system remains okay.
Surroundings
The surroundings should also be taken into consideration while installing the leach field system.
If there are many buildings around, the water won’t flow properly. Also, if people use the place for parking, the leach field gets damaged quickly. The field should be somewhere where there is no frequent movement of people and vehicles.
Groundwater
Groundwater is another factor that should be taken into consideration while searching for a suitable place for the leach field. There is enough scope for the leach field water and groundwater to get mixed.
So, where the groundwater is too close to the ground surface, installing a leach field is not allowed. Reversely, if the groundwater is deep, you can install the leach field there because of the lower risk of groundwater contamination.
Similarly, when there is any pond or well around, it affects the placement of the leach field.
How To Find the Leach Field
If you’re asking the question in the title to find out the location of your leach field, I can help you with some tricks to find it.
Check Downhill Areas
The Leach field takes water from the septic tank using gravity. So, it is possibly situated in the downhill areas around. So, go for checking those at first.
Greener Grass
If you find any sign of greener grass around your house, that is the possible location of the leach field. It spreads water from the septic tank around. Thus the grass gets nitrate and some other essential nutrients and becomes greener.
Signs of Removed Rock
The Leach field shouldn’t carry something heavy as that can press the pipe and cause damage to the system. So, if you see any signs of removed rock but there are a few huge rocks around, check the place carefully.
Removed Trees
Trees are not accepted near the leach field because the roots of trees can go deep and break or damage the system. So, while installing a leach field, trees are removed from that specific area.
At the time of looking for the leach field, you should check areas that show the signs of removed trees.
Checking the Snow
You can easily locate the leach field after a snowfall. The accumulated snow on it melts quicker than the snow around.
So, keep your eyes open for the marks of melting snow. If you find that snow is melting faster somewhere compared to the surroundings, maybe you’ve found the leach field already.
Using a Soil Probe
If you see any of these signs or have any idea about where the leach field can be, use a soil probe to check the place. A leach field is around 3 to 4 feet deep. It may differ a bit depending on the area you’re living in. So, make sure you’re using a probe that can reach that depth easily.
Showing an Expert
Expert eyes can see the difference easily in most cases. So, you can call someone expert to inspect and find out the field. This doesn’t say that you must bring a professional service provider. You can call someone elder who has ideas and experience about the septic system.
You can also call a professional who can easily find out the field with the help of tools.
Final Verdict
There should be a certain distance between the septic tank and the leach field. Depending on several factors, the actual distance varies. I’ve already talked about the most significant factors.
But the distances shouldn’t be huge enough to affect the system. Hire someone expert for installing the septic structure at your home if you want to stay tension-free.
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