over a well or septic

[electrictrimmer]

Anyone ever fell a tree around a well or septic system. I have some work that is around both and I'm just curious as to whether or not they would be damaged. I'm not familar with how deep these things go.

 

[ropensaddle]

Anyone ever fell a tree around a well or septic system. I have some work that is around both and I'm just curious as to whether or not they would be damaged. I'm not familar with how deep these things go.

If your in a bucket stay away unless you know their exact location. The fill lines can also be damaged depending on soil type. If your bombing big wood you also would not want it to hit the tank. Well should be able to be seen , septic look for square discoloration in grass but at times it is hard to locate their exact locale.

 

[squad143]

I would never fell a tree around either. The branches could poke into the ground breaking the tiles/lines . Not worth the headache.

 

[PinnaclePete]

:agree2: with all the above. Watch your outriggers, they'll go right through a tank lid or wet field lines - major bummer when your booms laid out. Rope your wood down if you think the systems shallow, especially in soils where you are. IF possible, get a hold harmless clause in your contract if you use one.

 

[jws1467]

Just did one over a Septic. Limited what i dropped near it. Tried to take everything away from it. I also have verbage in my contract they sign that says they are responsible for laying out the area of a septic or underground utilities.

 

[capetrees]

Both the septic system and the well are in proximity to the tree? Usually the septic system and the well are at least 100' apart. Regardless, go to the town hall and ask the health board for a copy of the plans for the property. DON'T TRUST THE HOMEOWNER. They think they know but they don't, trust me. As mentioned, be careful where you might put outriggers of a crane. Sometimes, to protect the tank from being crushed, I pile the branches and brush over the tank and components and bomb the chunks down on that. The depth of the system matters also, deeper the safer. So long as you don't actually hit the well, you should be ok. Water lines are usually 3' below grade so they will be safe. Again, to be safe, sometimes I build a structure of smaller logs around the wellhead, log cabin style, to protect it from any damage.

Good luck.

 

[CUCV]

The field of pipes will be close to the surface, the tank may or may not be close to the surface. The fields don't scare me in terms of dropping a spar. We pad the area with limb wood or wood from another tree. On a job recently we padded the area with 30" cookies, dropped a monster spar on them and it was like nothing happened. I popped a field pipe out a few years ago with a harley rake, it really wasn't that hard to replace.

The tanks do scare me, I went it one about a month ago on a firewood delivery. The guy had an orange cone over the tank... but someone moved it. Thank god for 4x4 and the tank cap was plastic. I was able to fish it out, spring it back into shape to re-install it.

 

[beastmaster]

Many year ago we were removing a big pine and I was bombing 8' sections down to a bed of branches we made, towards the end they were 42" thick and green and heavy. It was a week later we found out we broke the septic tank. We never knew it was there and those chunks were hitting the ground like bunker busters. I worked for the state forestry back then, and they handled the damage. Learned a valuable lesson though. They will crack up. I always check now.

 

[the Aerialist]

Dropping around Rural Wellhead

Here's a homeowner's video of me dropping a rather large Oak and a major limb has to clear the wellhead.

[video=youtube;XXOW6DSGAvE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXOW6DSGAvE[/video]

 

[electrictrimmer]

One one side of the house is a well with a dead white oak about 20' from the cap and on the other side is the septic system with a dead white oak and a quickly deteoriating white pine right over it. There are at least 6 white pvc pipes coming out of the ground there. I guess I can rope everything out, but it will cost them a little more and save me a big headache!

 

[capetrees]

They either pay a little more now or a lot more later.

 

[beav700]

Never seen somebody so exited about tree coming down. It's like the rainbow guy on youtube.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've talked to plumbers that work with septic, and they say that mounds are pretty bomb proof if you are dropping limbs on them.

I have seen limbs go but first and damage well contort wires, wellhead casings getting shifted or snapped.

I cannot recall how many stories of outriggers going through cisterns, trucks going axle deep into leaching fields.

One of my local "mentoring clients" had a prospective customer who wanted him to "just" drop a large sugar maple parallel to the mound. My guy took my theory to heart of estimating it as cost + deductible value. That way you walk away with a some money of the "god forbid" occurs.

If there is a very small margin of error involved in the operation, and the reason the prospective is calling you is to shift liability on to you, then he should cover that liability. Of course it does not cover the cost of your premium going up, and you can always drop the price if everything goes as planned.

 

[FanOFatherNash]

Here's a homeowner's video of me dropping a rather large Oak and a major limb has to clear the wellhead.

[video=youtube;XXOW6DSGAvE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXOW6DSGAvE[/video]

customer obv doesn't have television.