The drain field is an essential component in your septic system because it's responsible for filtering the effluent water discharged from your residence before it's released into the soil. The unsaturated soil patch sieves out any waste that might eventually contaminate your neighborhood's underground water.

This means that if it fails, you should act fast before your residential wastewater contaminates your soil and interferes with the ecosystem. That's why you should schedule routine septic tank drainfield inspections and allow your residential plumber to keep the component in excellent condition.  In the meantime, here are three telltale signs of a failing septic drain field you should keep an eye out for.

Slow Drainage

The first telltale sign of a broken drain field that's hard to miss is slow drainage. If you wait for the water in your sinks and bathtub to drain, the culprit could be a failing cesspit. If it's compromised it won't allow wastewater to percolate through as efficiently as it was designed to. As such, there will be an accumulation of wastewater in the drainage pipe from your residence leading to the cesspit. The only way to restore proper drainage is to contact your plumber and let them identify and fix the root of the problem.

Wet Soggy Patches Near the Septic Tank Drainfield

Another conspicuous telltale sign you need septic tank drainfield repair is a wet soggy patch near the component. The wastewater from your residence will naturally soak the component if it isn't filtering the water as fast as it should. And if this goes on over an extended period, you will likely notice sponge bright green grass growing over the soggy patches. Fixing what is causing the slow percolation allows the filtered water to quickly be absorbed into the soil. This way, you won't have to worry about stepping into effluent water when making rounds on your residential property.

Bad Odor

Yet another striking indication of cesspit failure you won't miss is a bad odor around the component. This is an indication of severe component damage or a sign that it's approaching its end of life. Thus, you should treat this observation as an emergency and immediately contact your plumber.

A plausible explanation for severe drainfield damage is solid material penetrating the component. This results in inappropriate operation, which deteriorates the drain field and results in premature failure. It could also be that the component has naturally worn out after serving your septic system over many years. Whichever the case, your plumber will know what to do to restore the drainfield to proper function.

Now that you know the crucial role your septic drainfield plays, this is your cue to contact a plumber for septic tank drainfield repair when you notice these signs.