Perc Test Will Fail; Do I Have Any Op... - Fine Homebuilding

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Log In Discussion Forum Perc test will fail; do I have any op… | Posted in General Discussion on June 2, 2001 05:53am

* I have a beautiful 5.5 acre piece of land in Massachusetts with an area of upland large enough for a one-family home.

The problem is that I’m relatively confident that the perc test will fail. Does anyone know of any septic options if that is the case? Or if Boards of Health ever even consider alternative septic options?

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  1. Scott_Hitchcock | Jun 01, 2001 08:31pm | #1

    *Josh,

    I have a piece of property that a conventional system will not work on. A couple of years ago, King County WA (not a terribly progressive county) approves a system called a Glendon Biofilter. You would have to check with your local health dept or whoever permits septics to determine which alternative types of systems are allowed.

    Interesting technology.

    Scott

    1. Chris | Jun 01, 2001 10:13pm | #2

      *Around here- South Central Pennsylvania, everybody uses mound systems. They are basically big piles of sand built on the top of the ground with perforated pipe laid in and pumped through the sand. Sounds simple and is, relatively. Requires engineering work and pumps, etc. Not as simple as heaping up a big pile of sand. The sand has to meet spec too. More expensive than a gravity system, but the local jurisdictions won't approve gravity systems, so it's the cheapest alternative otherwise. I believe these systems are fairly common, but as to whether a township in MA will accept? I don't know. The local health dept should be able to answer that question.

      1. Jason | Jun 01, 2001 11:22pm | #3

        *If the perc test will "fail", you have several options; I recently had a few beers with a soil hydrologist with the State of Michigan, he counted off 17 different systems, all the way from holding tanks you pump out every six months to anerobic systems. Find a good, and I mean GOOD, excavator/septic installer who knows his stuff, and you'll have lots of options.

        1. Ron_Rosa | Jun 01, 2001 11:26pm | #4

          *I know some people have put a couple loads of fill down and a few years later come back and it perc's. Not nice but thats what I hear. As for the mound system we use hear in north east Pa. It is clay on grade, sand, gravel then more clay as a cap and sides. The average height is about 7'. about 40' Long and width is about 20'.

          1. Wayne_Law | Jun 01, 2001 11:57pm | #5

            *If your land is that large, perhaps it has a good slope somewhere. You can put in a mound system without the mound. Select a location downhill from your home and fill it with acceptable material. Clever 'dozer work can disguise it so it doesn't look man-made. Or make it look like the play area of the back yard, since you can't let deep-rooted vegitation grow there. It would all work by gravity.You'll need a specific fill for the system to work right (and be acceptable to the authorities). If you just pile up sand it won't work. Too sandy and the bacteria in the leach field don't do their thing, too impermeable and it won't drain.There are many other options, but the lower the maintenance (i.e. no electric pumps, frequent pumpouts, etc.) the better. I think even if the initial cost is a little more a system that runs without attention would be worth the extra up front cost.I would consider a phone call to a couple of local licensed engineers. This situation (system design and dealing with code officials) is exactly what they are trained to do. Find one you can work with and who specifically knows septic systems. I think his fee would be well spent because you'd get a design that you know would work, and the code official would accept an engineered solution.

          2. Tim_Kline | Jun 02, 2001 12:53am | #6

            *b WBA At Your ServiceJosh, I have a beautiful 3.5 acre piece of land in Pennsylvania with an area of upland large enough for a one family home. It had exactly the same problem. We solved ours relatively painlessly. What is your main problem ? Is the lot a steep cliff ? Is it marshy ? Is it close to a body of water ? Before I tell you what we did, give a little more info.Tim

          3. Josh_Ablett | Jun 02, 2001 02:17am | #7

            *Tim... thanks for requesting more info. There are two main problems with the lot: about 2/3 of it is wetlands (which is VERY stringently protected in Mass), and the area which is uplands is clay (my father did a per there about 20 years ago, and it failed). So it is really closer to marshy than anything else. I'm also worried that the Board of Health will be far more concerned about whatever septic proposal I and my engineer make because we are so close to wetlands. There is a bit of a slope on the property, but that slope leads down into more wetlands. Any thoughts you might have would be fantastic.

          4. Ron_Rosa | Jun 02, 2001 02:36am | #8

            *You could install a tank and have it pumped a whole lot.

          5. Johnnie_Browne | Jun 02, 2001 02:51am | #9

            *I do perc test for a living, a simple way to solve this problem, that I have learn the hard way. Call the public health dept and ask them "what do I do". If you hide something they will nail you to the wall but if you ask first they are alway glad to help.

          6. FredB | Jun 02, 2001 05:53am | #10

            *Your question is more about regulations and what the local government will allow than it is about engineering. There are several ways to take care of the perc requirement. Which ones you can use will depend on the local environmental control people.So, if you know you have a problem and you can't move the homesite to another area call the government office first. Ask them what to do and how to do it. Haven't met one yet who could resist helping you. Sometimes the environmental people will give you options without refrerence to cost or you might not like what they tell you. So, THEN talk to a really good local septic contractor about your options.

  2. Josh_Ablett | Jun 02, 2001 05:53am | #11

    *I have a beautiful 5.5 acre piece of land in Massachusetts with an area of upland large enough for a one-family home.

    The problem is that I'm relatively confident that the perc test will fail. Does anyone know of any septic options if that is the case? Or if Boards of Health ever even consider alternative septic options?

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Tag » How To Cheat A Perc Test