[unclebilly]

Kleenex tissues are also a no-no.

I installed our septic tank and field. They work great.

Things to watch out for...

Pressurized fields - these allow a much smaller (1/2-1/4) field. When your pump quits, it is a nasty and expensive repair. Our system uses the somewhat reliable gravitational pull of the earth...

Lift pumps... We rented a house when we were in university that had a crazy engineered system and a lift pump (originally the sewage flowed into the ocean). Every time we had a party, the septic tank would overflow and stink up the backyard and patio... The field was 50' higher than the septic tank.

Improperly installed fields (or really old ones - 35 years ago a septic field consisted of an old car filled with straw and buried). You should be able to see the field, the grass over the legs of the field will be richer than the surrounding grass. Look to ensure that there are no inconsistencies in the length of the legs or dry spots.

Sand filters and lagoons are also used. Lagoons are gross. Sand filters can be used with some success on small lots or in areas where the soil has too fast or too slow of a percolation rate.

To give you an idea, the soil on my farm is clay - loam and is on the edge of what is acceptable for a septic field. My field is 1800 square feet (lateral trenches only) with 600' of trenches 3' wide. This is for a 3 bedroom home.