How To Locate Septic Tank Field Lines (Quickly & Easily!)

Knowing how to locate your septic tank is essential for maintaining and taking care of your septic system. It’s also crucial that you know where your field lines just in case you need to dig for any of your projects. But how exactly do you locate your field lines?

To find your septic tank field lines, look for humps in the ground, where the dirt sets over them. You can also request a septic tank diagram of your drain field. However, if you still cannot find your septic tank drain lines, you can hire a professional to assist you.

There are many different reasons you may need to locate the field lines to your septic tank. In this guide, we will share a few methods you can execute to find your drain lines. That way, you won’t need to hire a professional right off the bat.

Knowing where your field lines run is essential because you don’t want to lay concrete over them or plant any trees nearby. The best way to do this is by obtaining a diagram. This will show where your drain field is so that you know the area to avoid when digging or planting.

However, not everyone is that lucky to be able to obtain such a diagram. Therefore, we’ve compiled several methods for you to try so you can track down your field lines.

The easiest way to locate your septic tank is by starting at the septic lines coming from our house. You can follow the drain lines for your plumbing since they are connected to your septic tank. You can expect the tank to be set back about 10 or 20 feet away from the outside of your home.

On the other side of your tank, the drain lines will continue into your leach field. Look at the slope of your land so that you can locate where your leach field is. However, make sure you’re not blindly digging or using any heavy machinery to search for the pipes as these could break them.

If you are still having problems, you can always try to use a septic tank probe. You can stick the thin metal probe into your soil until you touch your tank. Once you find the tank, you will find the edges that will eventually lead you to the pipes.

If you see a swampy or wet type of area that never seems to dry out, this can point to the location of your septic drain lines. Also, if there is any green striped vegetation or grass with brown grass surrounding it, this may be a sign that your lines are right below it.

Something else you can check is the lack of frost or snow in a particular area of your yard during the winter. Of course, this will only work if you’re in an area that experiences snow and frost. If you see any of these areas, this may also point to where your field lines run.

One more natural indicator you can look for is shallow depressions that are parallel to one another. This shallow depression usually happens in the drain field. However, if you have a deeper system, then you may not see these parallel depressions.

You could contact your local health department to ask for drawings or blueprints of your septic system if the system was installed with a permit. All the details of the drain field should be found on the lateral lines diagram, and the layout, components, and the location.

However, if you don’t have any luck with this, you can always request a record search for your property. There should be a form called “Request Copy of Septic System Blueprints.” You can fill this out and then return it to your health department. If they do have the blueprints, they will mail them to you. If they don’t, then you will need to get a hold of the prior owner of your property.

Some, not all, septic tanks contain an extra distribution box that is on the downstream side, just a few feet away from the tank. This box will help the flow of water into the trenches through the pipes and the ports.

If you have an additional distribution box, the lid will tell you which direction the ports go. The direction the ports go point to your drain field lines. You can also find the distribution box using a probe. Make sure if you use a probe, you don’t press it into the box too hard so you don’t damage the box.

The amount you pay will depend on who you hire. Regardless, you can expect to pay between $100 to $300 for a contractor to assist you in finding your field lines. The price depends on the complexity of your system and the amount of time that it takes.

However, not all contractors will charge a per hour fee to find your septic tank. Some of them will charge a $100 flat fee with a $10 service fee attached. So, when looking for a professional, it’s important that you shop around and call several different places.

When calling to find a contractor, make sure you ask them what they charge and what the price covers. That way, you know what to expect as far as your budget considerations go.