How A Stone and Pipe Leach Field Works

In our blog last week, we talked about how your septic tank works and the level of effluent water that flows into the leach field. The most common leach field, and in our opinion longest lasting, is a stone and pipe system. 

In a stone and pipe leach field, when the effluent water leaves the septic tank through the outlet pipe it flows to the distribution box or D-box. The pipe going to the D-box is higher than the outlet pipes in the D-box. D-boxes come in different sizes with different amount of outlet holes depending on the size of the leach field. When water leaves the D-box, it evenly distributes throughout the leach field. The pipes in the leach field are perforated and have holes in them, positioned at 5 and 7 if they were on a clock. Water seeps out of these holes into the stone surrounding the pipe, which will catch and fine materials or bacteria in the water. The water then goes into the sand placed under the stone and is absorbed and evaporated by light and heat from the sun.

If your septic tank and leach field are functioning normally you wont even know they are there. There are certain indicators that your system is not functioning properly:

• Frequent backups into your home’s drains, toilets, or washing machine
• Water pooling on top of your leach field in the yard
• Slow drains throughout your home
• Sewage smell coming from your leach field or yard

If you experience any of the above items, give us a call at 603-432-4840 and we will check it out for you. If you have any questions about your leach field or any part of your septic system, give us a call at the above number.