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)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The First Step:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Soil evaluation (a.k.a a perc test) is a test to determine the water absorption rate of soil<\/a> (its capacity for percolation<\/a>). 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n