Septic system repair in the Chattanooga area

Most septic repairs fall into one of two groups: something broke between the house and the field (a pipe, a lid, a baffle, a pump), or the drain field itself has stopped taking water. The first group is usually a contained job. The second is where costs climb, especially on lots in this area where the rock is shallow, the yard slopes, or a sinkhole takes a bite out of the usable ground.

Warning signs worth a call

The EPA's list of signs that a septic system is failing lines up with what homeowners around here describe:

• Sewage or water backing up into toilets, tubs or sinks.
• Slow drains all through the house.
• Gurgling in the plumbing.
• Standing water or damp ground over the tank or field lines.
• Sewage odor near the tank or field.
• Bright green, spongy grass over the field during dry weather.

The EPA also points out that ground staying soft and wet over the field without recent rain is a sign the field has failed. After a soaking week of rain, give it a few dry days before you panic. If it's still squishy, it's time to have it looked at.

Repairs that are usually contained

When the drain field is the problem

A field fails when the soil around the lines clogs up, usually from years of solids escaping a tank that wasn't pumped often enough, or from too much water, or from damage like a vehicle driving over it. Options run from resting part of the field and fixing the water problem, to adding new lines, to replacing the field in a different spot. Which ones are on the table depends on what soil you have left.

This is where Chattanooga's ground makes things harder. Tennessee's rule keeps disposal fields 25 feet from sinkholes, streams, gullies and natural drainageways, 50 feet from a water supply, and 10 feet from property lines and from the house. It rules out slopes over 50 percent and most slopes over 30 percent. On a narrow lot on the side of a ridge, there may be only one spot that works, which is why some repairs end up with a different type of system than the one that failed. The rock, slopes and sinkholes guide walks through it.

Permits for a repair

A septic permit in Tennessee covers repair as well as new construction. In Hamilton County, repairs go through the county's Groundwater Protection office, which lists the repair permit at $40. In Bradley County the permit comes from TDEC. Hamilton County's fee resolution doubles the fee when work starts before the required permit is issued, so it's worth letting the contractor pull it first. The details are on the Hamilton County permits page.

Don't sit on a failing system

Under Tennessee's rule, keeping the system working is the owner's responsibility. If the state or county gets involved over a malfunction, the owner gets a written notice of up to 30 days to repair, replace or improve it. Calling early, while it's still a baffle or a broken pipe, is cheaper than waiting until it's a field.

Prices are set by the contractor after they've seen the system. Get the quote, and what it covers, in writing before work begins.

Good questions

Can a failed drain field be fixed without replacing it?

Sometimes. If the cause is extra water (a leaking toilet, roof runoff, a sump pump draining onto it) or a broken line, fixing that can help. If the soil itself is clogged, the usual answer is new lines in suitable soil. A contractor has to look before anyone can say.

Does every septic fix need a permit?

Tennessee requires a permit to construct, modify or repair a septic system. Whether a small fix counts as a repair is a question for the county office (or TDEC in Bradley County), so have the contractor confirm before work begins.

Who decides where a replacement field goes?

In Hamilton County, the county Groundwater Protection staff evaluate the site under the state rules. In Bradley County, a TDEC Environmental Scientist does. The contractor installs to that permit.