You were expecting a call from a colleague in another state but to your surprise, it was your brother. He was a bit awkward in asking a favor from you. He wondered if it would be possible for you to let him and his family stay with you for a few weeks. You were slightly alarmed because you thought that maybe something terrible happened like a fire or a burglary or anything of that nature. But your brother explained to you that nothing like that was the reason why he was asking you such a favor. He told you that there was something wrong with his leach bed and it had to be extensively repaired costing thousands of dollars in repairs.
Without any hesitation, you said yes to your brother and before you hung up; your brother told you that they would arrive later that afternoon. You then approached your wife, who was busy making lasagna dinner. Immediately, she drew out the finished dish from the oven and went upstairs to prepare the guest rooms. It was a big deal for her to make sure that whoever stayed in their home really felt at home. After two hours, your brother and his family arrived. Your wife entertained his wife and his kids while you talked to your brother.
You asked why he let the leach bed end up that way. Your brother admitted that it was innocent neglect (if there was such a thing). He said that he knew that the septic system and the leach bed had to be well cared for but he just didn’t have the time and the right budget to make sure that the proper maintenance was done. You told your brother that you had the same dilemma just a couple of years ago and your septic expert told you that the leach bed was in need of dire repair. The estimated cost given to you was $5,000 – $20,000. Your brother told you that it was the same price range given by his septic professional. This was a separate price range from the reparations to be done on the damaged property.
It was a good thing that your brother agreed to the repair of the leach bed. The septic professional told him that most of the components were still in good condition and that the leach bed repair would cover the rehabilitation of the leach bed repair. They would have to make sure that the pipes were still capable of performing their functions. After the assessment made by your septic professional, he was advised that repairs would be more beneficial than the actual replacement. Your brother didn’t want to have the entire leach bed excavated and replaced if it could still be rescued.
There are many advantages of getting the leach bed repaired. Some of the benefits are:
• The efforts will just be focused on the restoration of the existing leach bed
• Effective cleaning or pumping products will be used by a septic professional
• All septic odors will disappear between 24 – 36 hours
• The septic professional would most probably use environment-friendly materials and that the disposed liquids will be treated
• It will save you a lot by reducing your maintenance costs
• You will probably be given a warranty and your leach bed will return to normal functioning
• Additional bacteria will be placed into your tank
The bacteria will continue to proliferate and breakdown the wastes much more efficiently than before your brother said that it would take them a few weeks to stay with you because of the extensive repairs on the property itself. There are indeed some things that have to be experienced firsthand before the lesson could be learned. Your brother didn’t really take the responsibilities of a septic system owner seriously. From what you recalled, your brother just dropped in a cake of yeast in the tank, closed it, and never looked back. It was an old practice so obviously, it didn’t work as promised.