Many people with septic system problems such as odor, slow draining sinks and tubs, gurgling pipes, backups and sewage water pooling in their yard often mistake the cause of these issues is their septic tank. However, this is not true.

The most common cause of septic system failure is the drainfield. The drain field is used to dispose of organic materials in a microbial ecosystem.

It typically consists of trenches containing perforated pipes and porous material (often gravel) covered by a layer of soil to prevent animals and surface runoff from reaching the wastewater.