Septic Tank Question

Same condition here..

I believe it is the concrete heating that turns the grass brown..

I believe you are right. It is not just above my septic tank that is turning brown. My whole yard is dying. My garden is dead and I guess the trees will be next. I thought we would get rain yesterday but it passed us by. We need a little moisture.

Could it be too much nitrogen and nutrients on top of all that extreme heat you are experiencing in the south?

Its not the septic field, its brown over the concrete tanks..

Did you i nvite your MIL to visit and drop her in?

Ken N Tx said:

Its not the septic field, its brown over the concrete tanks..

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Ken N Tx said:

Its not the septic field, its brown over the concrete tanks..

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That has to be some miserable heat!

During extreme dry conditions the grass will dry out faster over the tank, because there is less soil to hold the moisture.

slipshod said:

During extreme dry conditions the grass will dry out faster over the tank, because there is less soil to hold the moisture.

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:ditto: :ditto: only about 6 inches..

slipshod said:

During extreme dry conditions the grass will dry out faster over the tank, because there is less soil to hold the moisture.

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That sure makes sense to me Slip

Ken N Tx said:

:ditto: :ditto: only about 6 inches..

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Really? Our septics here are much deeper than that. Our home is 22 years old and the tank is ~ 36" down. No wonder we don't get this condition even in the dog days of August.

JDFANATIC said:

Really? Our septics here are much deeper than that. Our home is 22 years old and the tank is ~ 36" down. No wonder we don't get this condition even in the dog days of August.

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The lid or top of the tank is 6 inches..Yes, other areas are a lot deeper..

My tanks

Yup, it's definitely the depth issue; ours does the same thing in OHIO!! Oh, and it hasn't exactly been a dry year so far, but last time I looked, it was slightly brown over our tank. Oh, and yeah, we only have 6-9" of dirt covering the tank.

Ken N Tx said:

My tanks

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You should really cover them up and plant some grass Ken ,, it looks like crap that way :trink39:

Ken in NJ said:

You should really cover them up and plant some grass Ken ,, it looks like crap that way :trink39:

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:ROF :ROF :ROF

Ken in NJ said:

You should really cover them up and plant some grass Ken ,, it looks like crap that way :trink39:

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:fing20: I knew I forgot somptin...But this way no brown grass!!

Depending upon the frost line and whether you have a basement, the tanks can be quite deep.

Now the hazard for us here in VA is that the collar going down to the tank will fill up with water during a heavy rain and can cause backflow problems in the basement.

Definitely the heat build-up from decomposing waste matter. If it's dry conditions the heat will evaporate any moisture in the ground and cause the grass to turn brown, especially if the tank is only 6-12" below grade like ours.
The grass doesn't die, just goes dormant & will come back once moisture is replaced.

This year hasn't been a problem yet, with all the rain we've had.

Bright side...in the winter time the snow also melts there first!!!:snowing:

D-Dogg said:

Depending upon the frost line and whether you have a basement, the tanks can be quite deep.

Now the hazard for us here in VA is that the collar going down to the tank will fill up with water during a heavy rain and can cause backflow problems in the basement.

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If it is a gravity system the tank is set to catch a pitch to the leach field. Freezing the tank is not a problem if the tank is biodegrading the way it is supposed to. I live in the northeast and the tank at my flat farm is even with the ground and it has no issues.