this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2023
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We moved in to our house a couple years ago and were not told too much about a pipe that sticks out of our backyard.

We are on a septic system and this pipe is sticking out from our leech field. The other houses on our block all have similar setups yet none (that I know) have a pipe coming up like ours.

It was suggested to me that this may be safe to remove, or at least remove, cover the whole for a few weeks, and as long as there's no issues, then remove.

It's not attached to anything and I can pretty easily pull it out and put it back in, although I've tended not to touch it much.

Pipe: https://imgur.com/a/yrd6pYN Hole in the ground: https://imgur.com/a/NMXurUH

Can anyone provide any insight here please?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do you contract for maintenance? Talk to them.

If you don’t, and someone has been out, maybe you got their name, or company?

Reaching out to someone who’s worked on the system could save you a bundle in the long run.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We don't, at least not yet, we haven't lived here long enough to have to have dealt with it. That is a good idea though, we can see who the neighbors use.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, there’s two types of septic system, aerobic (uses oxygen in the breakdown process) and anaerobic (doesn’t use oxygen).

The pipe is likely a vent, but for gas to get in, or gases to get out, is the question.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

My assumption would be it’s for airation. I’ve seen pipes like that before and have no idea why they are so high off the ground.

I know someone who has a septic tank with an airation appliance. It’s basically a dog house with AC power and an airator on a timer that you can hear periodically turn on. Perhaps that’s an alternative. I would figure an electronic appliance would more effectively air out the septic.