What Is a Mound Septic System Exactly?
A mound septic system is an alternative system that is used when a site is unable to support the installation of a conventional system. Because designing and installing septic systems is often quite tricky, we, at Puna Bulldozing & Bobcat Services, recommend that you should call in professionals to do it for you, this will make sure that no problems develop in the future. You should also be aware this kind of system does need more care and maintenance than their standard counterparts, in addition to being more expensive to install.
There are numerous reasons why a conventional system cannot work on a site. One is poor soil conditions, like rocky soil. Another issue is high water tables, which can result in the system backing up, or could contaminate the water table with effluent. With these conditions, a standard leach field should never be installed, so a mound system is recommended instead.
With mound septic systems, effluent from the house will be routed to an underground tank, as with standard systems, where solids will settle to the bottom and fluids float to the top. The fluids are routed to another tank, which in turn triggers a pump that will force fluid into the mound when it goes above certain levels. As with standard systems, the tank needs to be cleaned out periodically, and maintenance jobs will also need to be done on the pump that pressurizes the effluent.
The mound will be built above grade by layering both soil and sand. It basically acts like a filter for the effluent that is taken from the septic tank, very similar to a conventional leach field. There are, however, a few concerns with a mound septic system that must be taken into consideration. It is crucial that the right materials are used to fill the mound, and to place the mound somewhere which does not receive too much traffic, due to the fact this will compact the soils, making the mound less effective.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please feel free to contact us today at (808) 215-3526, if you live in or around the Pahoa, HI area.