Listening to onsite system expert Bill Stuth talk about “Repair and Recovery of Sand Filters” at an Oregon Onsite Wastewater Association conference a few years ago, I noted his advice. “Don’t rush into a system repair until you know the cause of the problem,” advised Stuth, an onsite consultant, trainer and inventor of the Nibbler treatment unit. That caused me to reflect on many septic repairs I have seen where the problem was other than a failing drainfield. Jumping to conclusions about the cause of a septic system problem frequently leads to wasted money, unnecessary yard damage and less space
