Could use some perc test/septic advice.

1 year ago we tore down my parent's home. The plan was to put up a modular and use the existing septic system that has worked since the 60's. My local township gave us 1 year to get it done without needing to change the septic system. Due to the Corona virus, the modular home companies are way behind production, which in turn means our house will be late getting to the land we have. Since we will be past our 1 year grace period, out township may require a perc test. If we fail that, what is a good option for septic systems that won't cost an arm and a leg, or is there no such thing? As our luck has been running lately, I can see a failed perc in our future. So I am trying to educate myself on options.

Your only option is to ask the city/county to extend a variance to the time given the pandemic. We have lost 4 months or more due to government shutdowns in factories and their suppliers.

There is no short cut to septic. Try to get your system inspected. You may have a very sub par system and it would be better to fix the system now and have peace of mind foe the next 30 years.

New systems in our ares are $10.000+. Having an engineered system can cost $20,000 to $30,000

I assume you had the septic system pumped when the house was removed so it has been sitting empty for the past year? That might make it easier to inspect. I'm not sure what happens to a septic system if it sits empty for a long time, I would imagine that eventually roots find their way into it.

When people would need a perk test and weren't sure if the ground would perk they waited until the dry season before requesting one. Every advantage you can get , above ground cost more than a conventional in Alabama and they are unsightly.

Every state and every county in that state can have its own rules. For now just contact the same department and request a continuance due to the Corona virus. Just about every state agency I see or hear of is allowing that. If you are is any type of low area with a high water table you can just about bet you will fail a perk test. Most drain fields are in the 20 to 25 year range. 3 years ago we had a new drain field installed. We had enough room to keep the old drain field. They installed a diverter valve so if needed I could switch back to the old field. I was told that after 20 years the bacteria's eat up the sediments and they dry out so it could be used again. Cost was about 8 grand. I had a good concrete 1,000 gallon tank so it was allowed to be reused. If the tank was needed with all the codes met it would of been another 5 grand. Like I said every area is different with their respective codes.

Thank you all for the replies. Yes the tank was pumped last year. I do hope we can get a continuance and will keep this thread updated if anyone cares.

I do hope we can continue to use the present system that we know works and also save some $$$ as this project is not exactly cheap and we do not want to finance.

Look into an Aqua Klear system if you run into problems. Just needs 120 VAC to an air pump and a hole in the ground to put the tank. Processes the septic well enough that you can use it for irrigation.
Down here one of those or similar is required if you are in CZM (Coastal Zone Management, basically within 1 mile of the shore) We put one in so we could use all our waste water, (toilets, shower, sink, washing machine etc) for irrigation even though we are more than 1 mile form the shore. Given how dry it has been we are glad we went that route. Pretty inexpensive, of course we decided to go with this system from the beginning so no refitting.
i have no idea what a perc test is, is it something to make sure your coffee maker is up to snuff????
after having our Aqua Klear I can not figure why anyone would use an old fashioned septic system.

. A perc test is when 2-3 holes are drilled in your drainfield area, then filled with water, then they record how many inches the water has dropped over a certain length of time. You want a certain amount of gallons over a certain amount of time so the bacteria have the right amount of crap to eat. A drainfield in heavy clay or one in hourglass sand percolate at very different rates so it must be engineered accordingly. In lots of states, when the ground water rises, it makes a stain on the soil to indicate the high water mark, then the state will require the bottom of the drain field trench be so many inches above the high water mark. Sometimes as much as 2 or 3 feet above, that is why a mound system is necessary. At first glance, a septic system seem very basic, but a lot of engineering has to go into it to make it work for a long time.

Thanks for the explanation. If the original poster has an issue with failing a perc test then something like the Aqua Klear might work. It uses what is basically a giant air stone (if you have ever brewed beer this will make sense) to stir up and aerate the sewage. The bacteria that break it down in this sytem are aerobic bacteria as opposed to anaerobic bacteria that exist in the soil. All the processing happens in the tank, not the soil which is why I am thinking it might be a good solution on the failed perc test front. The systems are made in Mississippi I believe.
The one thing that the person we bought it from said is that there are a couple of laundry detergents to not use. I think it was Tide and Gain but would have to confirm. Basically you do not want anything that is anti bacterial as that defeats the purpose....
We had to replace the diaphragms in the air pump after 7 years of continuous running but that is the only maintenance so far.