Call the guy with the "Honey Wagon" and get that septic tank pumped out. He's in the yellow pages ... no pun intended.

I should have mentioned that the house and septic tank are new (1 1/2 years old) so there shouldn't be any "build up".

It is caused by the heat buildup from the tank. Mine were always concrete. All you can do is water, water, water.

How did this area do last spring? Any unpleasent odors?
Could also be compaction or quick drainage due to limited topsoil over crushed stone in the area.

Some of my neighbors pump every two years, other every one.
How many bedrooms (septic design) and how many people are living in the house should dictate frequency of pumping.
Mine is only 1 year old and I will be having it pumped later this year and every 1-2 years dependent on observations from the pumping.

The grass over your septic tank is yellowing because of lack of water. Water the grass that is over the tank when the grass begins to look stressed.

Many septic tanks are installed close to the surface. You may have only a few inches of soil above the tank. The soil above the tank dries out more quickly than the surrounding soil. In addition, the grass over the tank cannot grow deep roots to gather water like the surrounding grass.

-Deerslayer

Mine in GA has no problem, but my brother's in MA always browns out over the tank. Probably set too shallow.

Hello legacy77a,

WeÂve being having an exceptionally dry spring so far here on the Eastern Shore of Delmarva and I have noticed the exact situation. Like Deerslayer stated above  "the grass over your septic tank is yellowing because of lack of water." I started the watering process and the grass is recovering.

I have a 4/ 2 home & I live alone. When I purchased this home the previous owner had replaced with a new septic system & well. My home inspector told me that I should not have any problems with this system within my lifetime.

However, I question if I should use a product like "Rid-X" as preventative maintenance?

I hope this helpsÂ

Deerslayer's answer is the best guess without seeing your situation. If the tank was leaking sewage you would know it due to the nasty smell and wet area around the tank. Plus, the grass would be lush and green from all the moisture and nutrients it would be getting.

You could ask whoever installed the tank if it would be ok to add some topsoil over it to give the grass roots some more depth to develop. If it's in an area that would look good mulched, that's another option. Watering the grass over the tank will help but be careful that you don't cause a problem with the tank by water seeping into the access doors. What you cannot do is put any kind of permanent paving or living area over it. You must be able to have access to it to have it pumped out.

As to the Rid-X, it won't help the septic tank in any way. In fact, no state health department that I know of recommends any kind of additive for a system and I've heard that some actually ban them. The natural bacteria that goes down your drains is all the system needs to function properly. That said, there are some things that you absolutely shouldn't put down the drains. These include "excess" amounts of household chemicals such as bleach and antibacterial cleaners, paint or paint thinners (don't even clean out your brushes and rollers into the house plumbing,) grease or oil or any pesticides. If you ask your health department you can get a comprehensive list.

I've been in the septic system business for over 40 years so I speak from experience and knowledge.

Thank you all for your responses. I think that the problem is probably lack of water. I will make sure that area is watered more often than I have been watering it.

Deerslayer and alex probably are right. After I moved in my house, there was only about 5 inches of soil above the tank, that rectangle browned every year.

So after I renovated the back, I lifted that whole area up about 8" higher, never has gone brown since.

Hello. I had my septic tank and drainfield redone How do I re-establish my lawn?