Buying a new home, increasing the size of your home, creating a new business all have something in common with a failed septic system. The common thing is its time for a new septic system. Navigating this without the proper information can be difficult. Well we’re here to help you navigate though the basics for the new septic system title 5. (this will be mainly Massachusetts)

The First Step:

The first thing is to talk with the Local Health Department to see if there is a file for the property. Once you have the information, then you can contact an engineering company that designs septic systems. After the design engineer they will schedule with the Health Department to perform a “soil evaluation” a.k.a Percolation test.

A Soil evaluation (a.k.a a perc test) is a test to determine the water absorption rate of soil (its capacity for percolation). This is in preparation for the building of a septic drain field (leach field) or infiltration basin. The results of a percolation test are used by the engineer to design a septic system.

In the percolation test a hole is first dug down 10 feet. In the hole, different layers of soil are observed. The top layer or top soil is usually a few inches thick, this layer is mostly not naturally occurring. The next layer is often the “B” layer this is the layer. This layer will have more of a yellowish color, caused from the nutrients being leached out. There can be multiple layers of the “B” layer. After the “B” is where the “C” layers start these are the important layers. They will be more of a grey color and will have the ground water levels in them.

Ground water is witnessed by the “redox” found in the soil. Redox is a rust color in the soils that shows that water reaches a point and goes back down. This process causes the iron in the soil to oxidize and turn to rust. The design engineer will use this level as a base to have the bottom of the system 4 feet about it.

Next a “Shelf” is dug just to the top of the most restrictive layer. An18 inch hole is dug and a ruler will be placed inside. Once completed water is poured up to the 12 inch mark on a ruler and kept saturated for 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes a time is measured for how long the water goes from 9 inches to 6 inches. This is the Percolation Rate minutes per inch. Which the Design Engineer will use to design the septic field.

Second Step:

At this point the Engineer know what is needed for a new septic system title 5. For the purpose of this blog we’ll discuss a residential house. The Engineer will now know the saturation rate for the 3 bedroom house that you would like. Each bedroom has a daily flow rate of 110 Gallons Per Day (GPD). This breaks down to 2 people per bedroom and each person using 55 GPD.

A 3 bedroom house would be 330 GPD. After the engineer designs the plan the Health Department can review it.

Once the plan is approved an installer is able install the approved system. The installer will proceed to the Health Department and sign out the permit and plan. Time to start the new septic system title 5.

Third Step:

Building the Septic:

In the start the installer will dig the “Open Hole” which is where the leaching field will go. After the open hold is inspected the system components can be placed.

Septic Tank:

The installer sets the Septic Tank which is connected to the house at one end and the other end to the Distribution Box

Next the Distribution box:

The Distribution box receives the liquids from the Septic tank and distributes it to the leaching field.

Leaching Field:

From the Distribution box the installer will put the leaching field with and inspection port and sometimes a vent if the plan requires it.

As-Built and COC:

Once all the components are in, then final inspections are done by the Health Department and the Design Engineer. After the Design Engineer completes the measurements of all components they will make the “As-Built”. The As-Built will give the exact location and elevation of each component of the septic system. The as-built is submitted to the Health Department. The Certificate of Compliance (COC) can then be signed by the Health Department, Design Engineer and Installer. After the COC is signed it is released to the Installer, completing the new septic system title 5