The reserve area is a site on your property suitable for a new septic system if your current system fails. Treat this area with care just as you do your septic system. This area is not a parking lot, great place for a basketball court or hot tub and definitely not the location for your house addition. Your reserve area should be clearly designated on your "as-built" drawing and preserved for future on-site sewage system installation.
Many of the properties left for development or system repair do not have the proper soil or site conditions to ensure proper sewage treatment and disposal without the aid of additional technology. These more advanced systems are often referred to as alternative systems.
By pressurizing a drainfield, you can make sure effluent is being distributed evenly over the available soil, creating optimal unsaturated flow conditions without a biomat. In a pressurized drainfield the soils are getting small quantities of liquid over a period of time rather than being dosed every time water leaves the house.
mound systems
If it looks like an elephant was buried, you have a mound system. Mound systems are used where the water table is fairly high and proper effluent treatment could not take place below ground. It is important to keep the sides of your mound sloped as designed. Resist the temptation to straighten them up and fill it in a bit. That could cause premature failure of your system.
sand filter systems
Sand filters are installed as a component to some septic systems to pre-treat the septic tank effluent. A sand filter is an intermediary step for the reduction of harmful, disease-causing pathogens and nutrients prior to final treatment and disposal in your drainfield.
