Upfront Septic provided comprehensive septic pumping and system troubleshooting for a homeowner in Auburn, WA. Upon arrival, our technician located the two-compartment septic tank, trash tank, and pump tank in the backyard. The entire system is equipped with risers for easier access and maintenance.
The system was in a flooded state, with effluent surfacing in the drainfield area. The property has both a primary and reserve drainfield, and effluent was observed surfacing from both areas. The condition suggested the drainfield may be showing early signs of failure. A leaking toilet was also discovered by the homeowner and could have contributed additional water to the already overloaded system.
Our technician inspected the alarm panel and found that the system was dosing for 12 minutes every hour. This setting may have caused the system to overdose over an extended period. The timer was readjusted to the original as-built settings. We also tested all system floats and confirmed they were functioning properly.
A total of 3,500 gallons was pumped from the system, including 1,000 gallons from the trash tank, 1,000 gallons from the septic tank, and 1,500 gallons from the pump tank. The tanks were crust busted as part of the pumping process.
Additional system components were inspected and serviced. The NuWater filter was cleaned, and the air compressor was tested and confirmed to be operating normally. The air compressor riser had some water inside, which was pumped out and cleaned. The inlet baffles and outlet baffle were also inspected and appeared to be in good condition.
A drawdown test was performed with an initial measurement of 59.5 inches and a second measurement of 60 inches after two minutes, resulting in an average drawdown of approximately 0.25 inches per minute. The system was thoroughly pumped, tested, and evaluated, with the drainfield condition and excessive system dosing identified as important areas for continued attention.
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