I am having a problem with a drain field. This house was built in March 2008. We moved in at that time. Today my neighbor came over and asked if I new how to switch my lateral lines? I did not. He took me to a pipe sticking out of the ground and said that here was a switch that I needed to change every 3 months. When we pulled the cap off, it had standing water in it. My neighbor did not know if that was right, but turned something under the water level, (water was dirty and you could not see through it). Should it fill up that fast? Should there be water in this pipe with the switch? The drain field is pooling as of now. Also when he turned the switch, shouldn't the water run to the new field? Any help would be great. Thanks!

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Today my neighbor came over and asked if I new how to switch my lateral lines? I did not. He took me to a pipe sticking out of the ground and said that here was a switch that I needed to change every 3 months. When we pulled the cap off, it had standing water in it. My neighbor did not know if that was right, but turned something under the water level, (water was dirty and you could not see through it). Should it fill up that fast?

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The very first thing I would do is sponge or dip the water out of the pipe that houses the bypass valve to see if the water was coming from the valve or was simply ground water that had seeped in. It's my feeling that that the standing water you're seeing isn't sewage but ground water seepage.

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Also when he turned the switch, shouldn't the water run to the new field?

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What makes you think that it's not diverting the sewage?

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The drain field is pooling as of now

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Again! Since the drainfield is underground how can you tell? From the bypass housing that you haven't checked out? Clear the housing of water and find out where it's coming from and come back and tell me about it. Good luck, Tom

I will remove the water from the bypass houseing to check it out.

To answer your question, I know it is pooling because there is water standing over the drain field. It has accumulated in the past week enough to run over my neighbor driveway, covering a 10' sq area. I saw a small puddle last week and just thought maybe he washed his vehicle. Note it has not rained in a good month or so.

Unfortunately his driveway is lower on the top grade than the drain field is, again top grade, being about 2.5' lower.

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To answer your question, I know it is pooling because there is water standing over the drain field

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Since you evidently have two branches does it pool on both of them or just the one? Cheers, tom