PercTallyTank gallons, trench length and what the perc test really decides.

PercTally

Tank gallons, trench length and what the perc test really decides.

SectionsLatest
Septic tank and drainfield sizeSeptic tank and drainfield size — one page per exact question.64
Tank SizingGallons by bedroom count, which is how every health department actually sizes it.43
Drainfield & TrenchesSquare feet and linear feet of trench from the perc rate and the soil.21
Perc Testing & SoilWhat a perc test measures, what the numbers mean, and what fails.77
Pumps, Alarms & DistributionWhen gravity will not do it, and what a pump system adds.53
System CostNew install, replacement and the difference a failed field makes.1651
  1. Repair or Replace — Working Out What Has Actually FailedSystem Cost · 3 min read

    The system is backing up, and four of the five likely causes cost a few hundred dollars.

  2. Chambers or Gravel — Two Ways to Build a DrainfieldDrainfield & Trenches · 3 min read

    The gravel in a conventional trench occupies space that could have been storage, and that is most of the argument.

  3. When Conventional Will Not Work — The Alternative SystemsPerc Testing & Soil · 3 min read

    A failed perc test is not the end of a building site. It is the start of a much more expensive one.

  4. The Distribution Box — A Small Part That Fails Whole FieldsDrainfield & Trenches · 3 min read

    Half the field is soaked and half has never been wet, and the cause is a concrete box the size of a bucket.

  5. Seasonal High Water Table — The Constraint a Summer Test Cannot SeePerc Testing & Soil · 3 min read

    The ground remembers the wet season even when it is dry, and a soil scientist can read it.

  6. What a New Septic System Costs, and What Drives the NumberSystem Cost · 3 min read

    The tank is a small part. What the ground demands is the rest.

  7. Effluent, Sewage and Grinder Pumps — Three Different MachinesPumps, Alarms & Distribution · 3 min read

    All three move waste uphill and only one of them is meant to see solids.

  8. Replacing a Drainfield — Why the Reserve Area Matters So MuchDrainfield & Trenches · 3 min read

    Fields have a design life. The reserve area is the plan for what happens at the end of it.

  9. Baffles and the Effluent Filter — What Keeps Solids Out of the FieldTank Sizing · 3 min read

    Two pieces of pipe and a plastic cartridge stand between the tank and a drainfield replacement.

  10. Floats and Alarms — How a Pumped Septic System Knows What to DoPumps, Alarms & Distribution · 3 min read

    The alarm is not a fault light. It is a countdown, and the time it buys depends on where the floats sit.

  11. Water Softener Discharge and a Septic SystemTank Sizing · 3 min read

    The argument is usually about salt, and the measurable problem is water.

  12. Before Buying Land — Establish What the Septic System Will CostPerc Testing & Soil · 3 min read

    The lot is beautiful, the price is reasonable, and nobody has established whether a house can drain on it.

  13. What a Septic System Costs to Keep — Annually and Over Its LifeSystem Cost · 3 min read

    The cheap system to build is not always the cheap system to own, and the gap is measured in decades.

Septic drain field cost by city

1,494 calculations · System Cost · browse all

Drain field replacement cost by state

153 calculations · System Cost · browse all

Effluent pump head

49 calculations · Pumps, Alarms & Distribution · browse all