Ozark septic and lagoon questions

A septic system runs on live bacteria that break down what goes into the tank, and the fastest way to a backup or an expensive pump-out is to kill that bacteria or clog the works. Keep grease and cooking oil out of the drain; it does not break down, it hardens, and it coats the tank and the inlet until the flow chokes. Keep the so-called flushable wipes, paper towels, tampons, and cat litter out of the toilet; none of them break down the way toilet paper does, and packed wipes are one of the most common things found in a failed tank out here. Go easy on bleach, drain cleaner, and harsh chemicals; a splash now and then is fine, but pouring them in regularly kills the bacteria the whole system depends on. Antibacterial cleaners used heavily, paint, solvents, and unused medication all belong in the trash or a proper drop-off, not the drain. The same rules protect a lagoon, which treats the water with bacteria, air, and sunlight in the open basin rather than in a buried tank. Treat the septic like the living system it is and it will go years between pump-outs. Treat it like a garbage can and you will meet the pump truck sooner, and for more money.

The habits that keep a septic healthy are simple, and they save real money. Spread your water out: running four loads of laundry back to back on a Saturday floods the tank and pushes solids into the field before they have had time to settle, so spacing washing across the week is easier on the whole system. Fix running toilets and dripping fixtures, because a constant trickle overloads a tank the same way heavy use does. Be reasonable with the garbage disposal, since it sends extra solids to the tank and shortens the time between pumpings. On hard or mineral water, which is common on Ozark wells, the minerals themselves do not hurt the septic bacteria. What is worth watching is a water softener that discharges its backwash brine into the septic, because a lot of salty water can stress the system and the field, and many people route softener discharge elsewhere for that reason. None of this is complicated. Use water like it has somewhere to go, keep the heavy chemicals out, and pump on schedule, and a system lasts. Pumping on time rather than after a failure is the single biggest money-saver, which is the point the cost page keeps coming back to.

Yes, and they are one of the most common causes of a slow or blocked system. Roots go where the water and nutrients are, and a septic tank, its inlet and outlet lines, and especially a lateral field are exactly that. A small root finds a joint or a hairline crack, works its way in, and grows into a mass that catches solids and chokes the flow. Willows, cottonwoods, and other fast, thirsty trees are the worst offenders, but any tree planted too close can do it, and there is a lot of mature timber on the acreage around this county. The fix is to keep trees and large shrubs a good distance back from the tank and the field, and to deal with a suspected root problem before it becomes a dug-up field. If your drains have gone slow and there is a big tree near the line, roots are a fair thing to suspect. An inspection can confirm it, and catching it early is the difference between a cleanout and a replacement.

A lagoon is the easy one to locate: it is the small fenced basin of water set off away from the house, usually downhill, and if there is one on the place you can see it. The tank is the hard one out here, because in this rocky Ozark ground the lid often sits under a foot of chert and clay with nothing showing at grade. Start from the house and follow the main sewer line out; the tank is usually ten to twenty feet from the foundation on the side the plumbing runs. A metal probe or a long screwdriver worked into the ground along that line will find the lid. If the property came with a soil map, a septic permit, or an old inspection report, it will often mark the spot. Once you know where the lid is, mark it, and if it is buried deep, that is the case for a riser: a collar that brings the lid up to grade so it is never lost or dug for again. The contractors we refer locate and dig up buried lids as a routine part of pumping here. Knowing where yours is before you need it saves time and money on every visit.

On a conventional system, the lateral field, also called the leach or drain field, is the network of buried perforated pipe that takes the liquid leaving the tank and lets it soak into the soil. It is the part that actually disposes of the water, and it is fragile in ways the tank is not. Keep vehicles, heavy equipment, and livestock off it; the weight compacts the soil and crushes the pipe, and a collapsed field is one of the most expensive repairs there is. Do not build a shed, a patio, a driveway, or an addition over it, and do not cover it with anything that stops it breathing. Grass is the ideal cover, because the roots are shallow and help pull moisture up and out. Keep trees and deep-rooted shrubs well back, since roots seek the water and will invade the lines. If you are not sure where your field is, find out before you park a trailer or pour concrete over it. A lot of lagoon properties in this county exist precisely because the rocky clay ground would not support a good lateral field in the first place, which is worth remembering if you are looking at land.

A lagoon treats household wastewater in the open using sunlight, air, and bacteria, so most of caring for one is keeping those working and keeping the basin contained. Mow the berm, the earthen bank around the basin, a few times through the growing season so it does not turn to brush; a mowed berm is easy to inspect and less likely to erode or hide an animal burrow. Keep trees and deep roots off the berm for the same reason. Keep livestock out with a good fence, because cattle will break down the bank and foul the water, and a fence is often expected as well as sensible. Watch the water level and the color through the year; a healthy lagoon holds a fairly steady level and a greenish tint from the algae that helps treat the water. In summer, watch that it does not drop too low or crust over. In winter, treatment slows in the cold and the smell can rise a little as the biology quiets down, which is normal, but a heavy sewage smell any time of year means it needs attention. Every few years the sludge on the bottom builds up and needs pumping down. The contractors we refer handle that on the lagoon service page.

Have the system inspected before you close, not after. A septic or lagoon is one of the most expensive things on a rural property to replace, and it is invisible until it fails, so a transfer inspection is about the cheapest insurance you can buy on a place out here. Find out first which system you are buying: a conventional tank and lateral field, or a lagoon, because they are cared for and priced very differently, and plenty of Ozark places are on lagoons because the ground would not perc for a field. Ask for the age, the last pump-out date, the tank size, and where the lid and the field or the basin actually are. Walk the ground for a soggy spot, a strong smell, or a lagoon that is overgrown, poorly fenced, or sitting too low. If the sellers cannot say when it was last serviced, price a pump-out and an inspection into your first year, because an unknown system is a due system. The contractors we refer run real-estate transfer inspections; the inspection page covers what one includes, and the cost page has the ranges. Properties out toward Mountain View and the river country are where the lagoon question comes up most.