Field notes
Septic guides & field notes
Plain-language explainers for sizing, soil, cost, and upkeep — every one cites the formula and the public standard behind it.
How to size a septic tank by bedrooms
Bedrooms — not the number of people living there — set the minimum tank size your code will accept. Here’s why, and the exact math.
Reading your perc test results
What minutes-per-inch actually means, and which soil classes need a bigger drain field — or an alternative system entirely.
5 min readConventional vs. mound vs. aerobic
What actually drives the price difference between the three common septic system types — and why your soil, not your budget, usually decides.
8 min readHow often to pump your septic tank
The sludge-accumulation model behind the schedule, and how tank size and household size change the interval.
4 min readSeptic setbacks & water-table rules
Minimum distances to wells, property lines, and the seasonal water table — and the reasoning behind each one.
7 min readSigns your drain field is failing
The early warnings — soggy ground, slow drains, odor — what each one means, and what to do before it becomes a replacement.
6 min read