7 Signs Your Seepage Pit Is Failing, and What Can Fix It Without Starting Over
Common signs of a struggling seepage pit are slow drains across the house, gurgling, sewage odor outdoors, soggy or bright green ground near the pit, a tank that refills fast after pumping, and backups during heavy use. Many pits can be restored with pumping, root treatment, bacterial treatment or an added pit, so inspect before you replace.
On most LA hillside lots, the septic tank sends its liquid to one or more seepage pits, deep shafts that let the water soak into the ground. When a pit stops absorbing well, the whole system backs up behind it. The good news is that a struggling pit is often fixable. Here is what to watch for and what to do.
The seven signs
- Slow drains everywhere. One slow sink is usually a plumbing clog. Every fixture slowing down at once points to the septic system.
- Gurgling. Air being pushed back through the drains when water can't leave the system fast enough.
- Odor outside. A sewage smell near the tank or pit, especially after heavy water use.
- Wet or extra-green ground. Soggy soil or unusually green grass near the pit or tank.
- A tank that refills fast. If the liquid level climbs back to the outlet quickly after pumping, the pit isn't taking water.
- Backups during heavy use. Problems that show up with guests, laundry days or after rain.
- High water in the pit. When we open the pit and the water is near the inlet, the pit is struggling.
What causes it
- Biomat. A layer of organic buildup that seals the pit walls and slows absorption.
- Solids carried over from the tank. Usually from a tank that went too long without pumping or has a broken baffle.
- Roots growing into the pit or the lines.
- More water than the system was built for, such as added bedrooms, an ADU or leaking fixtures.
Repair options before replacement
- Pump the tank and the pit and repair any broken baffles so solids stop moving downstream.
- Root treatment where roots are the problem.
- Bacterial treatment such as an ORCA Pod, made by ORCA OWTS, which helps break down solids and the biomat around the pit walls.
- Cut water use by fixing leaks and spreading out laundry.
- Add a pit when the existing pits can't keep up. That work needs a design and County approval.
Not sure which kind of system you have? Our guide to seepage pits vs leach fields explains the difference.
What to do now
Go easy on water use, don't add chemicals to the drains, and have the system inspected. The inspection tells us whether the problem is the tank, the lines or the pit, and that decides the repair. We give you a repair budget after the inspection, not before.
How we help
We inspect, pump, treat and repair seepage pits across LA County, and our first recommendation is always the repair that keeps your existing system working. Call (800) 606-3880.
Sources
JFPEC field practice. Maintenance intervals: US EPA, How to Care for Your Septic System.