We've lived in WV for about the last 15 years, where the local land records are rather skimpy. It is not required that septic tanks be pumped, nor drain fields be inspected as part of a real estate sale. So, shortly after moving into our current residence about 7-8 years ago, I had a similar problem of trying to find our septic tank and drain field.
I'm not a youngster anymore. I was farily well educated in science. For the last 65 years, I have nearly always lived in very rural areas.
Until a few years ago, I never believed in dowsing or divining rods.
From the time I was a little kid, I tried them many times under good "tutelage" using everything from willow branches to electronic detectors.
Certainly, the electronic detectors are suitable for finding metal pipes and wiring. But, they weren't always right either. We had work done at a previous farm in Virginia, where I did most everything from the land clearing to the final occupancy inspection walk-thru.
Someone bought a few acres behind our property and needed "Miss Utility" to mark lines through our property. Since I did the trenches, driveways, etc., personally, and since I took daily pictures of all of it, I was pretty sure I knew exactly where everything was. The Miss Utility dude and I had quite a discussion about the location of a major underground line. A few days later, a backhoe arrives at the back of our farm and starts digging. Before I could get out there, he went through a 440-volt line that caused quite an explosion, and shut down the area for more than a day until they could replace a car-sized transformer.
So, to get back on track, I wanted to have the septic tank pumped where we now live. One Sunday, after our church service, I mentioned I was having trouble locating our septic tank. I was hoping one of the church-members/local-contractors might have installed the the system. No such luck. I was informed that the guy who did it was long gone.
However, another friend said he could easily find the lines and tank. He asked me if I had any heavy copper wire -- which I did. I thought "Oooh boy, now what have I gotten myself into?"
I had some #6 copper ground wire. He came over, and we made some L-shaped rods from the wire -- about 24-inches long, with 6-inch "handles." Starting within about two minutes of cutting and bending the rods, he pointed to where the sewage line left the house, where the septic tank was located, where the line went to the distribution box, and where the lines were located.
Rather skeptical, I got the backhoe, and started to dig where he told me to dig. With the second or third scrape, I hit the top of the tank, and a backhoe tooth caught the handle on the top of the septic tank lid. He had also traced where the drain field appears to be located (I've never been able to prove it,) but based on the tree line, he is probably right.
To this day, I'm still not a believer. The dowsing rods we made were left on the workbench outside my basement door. Based on how he showed me to use them, I tried them. First with my eyes open, then with my eyes closed. They worked.
I took them to the front yard where the well-line and electricity come to the house from our barn, and to where the underground wiring is located for a yard light. I closed my eyes and started to walk. I located everyone of them.
I repeated it from several directions, over several days. To me, this is still not believable, and it is explainable. I still don't believe, but ...
All I can say is, if you think it works, try it.
The copper rods hang outside my basement door, kind of like crossed swords from the middle ages.
I have found absolutely no scientific evidence that they should work, but, at least I found my septic tank and drain field.
I just hope Sasquatch wasn't watching, giggling in the bushes, and amending our results the whole time!
Knute
