I think more information is needed. Yes you said you had a sand filter, and I assume it is your leach bed. My question is what is the structure of the filter.

In my experience the leach bed is not just sand, but a distribution system. Some times these distribution pipes are placed on a gravel bed and covered with gravel. Some of the newer system use the traditional fill, but there are some new ways of encasing the distribution pipes, so they are less vulnerable to tree roots.

In several house that I have owned and other new houses in our current addition some of the distribution lines in the leach bed thread among the trees. It is my understanding that they have some of these newer system that are less prone to tree roots. (We have been here about 4.5 years and the house is about 8 years old, only time will tell if the knew what they were doing.)

You may check with the Board of Health or the department responsible for the area you live in and see what they say. The system plans must be approved by the Board of Health before installation and they monitor and approve the installation of the septic system. Our county is required to inspect all septic systems annually.

Is it causing problems, or do you think it *might* cause problems some day?
Can you pump the septic tank without removing the tree?

How far is the tree from the septic tank?

Trees sometimes cause septic tank problems, but often don't. (My parent's house and summer house both had tree covered septic tank leach fields, and neither ever had problems).

It has been inspected. when I bought the house 2 years ago and just recently. I was cleaning the lines from main tank to the sand filter. it then goes down to the leech field below. while digging for the lines in the sand filter to jet them out I came across a few roots. and the sand filter goes under the tree more. We are on a hill and there is a material over the rock and about 2' of dirt on that. the picture shoqs the plastic that line the box of the sand filter

the septic guy told me to romove the tree so it wont grow into the box more. It was planted a few feet uphill of it. Obviously they are big trees.

Man, tough call. I have a 90 foot oak a dozen feet from my field and stretching half over it. Not that I recommend that. My plan is to see what a disaster things are if I ever have to work on the field or tank. It had to be a 70 foot tree in the 80's or so when my field dates to.

Moving the tree strikes me as a low-percentage option. That is, success is not likely, or will not be complete. Die-back of numerous branches is likely IMO. Root system on a tree like that already likely extends far beyond the tree's crown (upper parts). Think wide and shallow-that's how roots grow.

too big to move ... and cutting the roots one side of the tree.. will probably kill it.. and they will regrow ....

see pic below of maple that destroyed neighbors system ... i defy you to have more sand than that.. lol ...

every root you cut in cleaning it out.. will be replaced with two or more ...

get rid of it ... period .. or start saving for the next time the system need be replaced ...

ken

ps: moving is the other option ... lol ..

It could be done...and if it was a truly precious specimen, I would take 2-3 years to do it (and for the lols as well, obvs - heaps of fun with winches and block and tackle or even a crane hoist), Trench out over 2 years, undercut...I have seen it done...while Capability Brown, without heavy plant or power, was able to move fully grown trees - not to mention diverting rivers in his landscape megalomania...but it would have to be a special tree...not a 20foot redwood. Leach fields and septic tanks are a deep mystery to me in urban England.

The folks at Starhill Forest Arboretum have had their septic leach field running out through a heavily forested area for 30 years or more. Twice a year, flushing a couple of pounds of CuSO4 down the toilet has kept root incursion at bay.

CuSO4 & root incursion

Companula- How do people in rural areas in England get rid of their waste? If the septic tanks and sand mounds aren't familiar to you, how do you guys get the waste collected? Sorry if this is a dumb/ strange question, but, I notice you said you are in urban England, so do the country folks have the septic or sand mound type waste management?

tree is gone. Nice chunk of wood now

superb decision ... it really all boils down to piece of mind ... and whether you want to spend the next 20 years thinking about it.. every time you walked into the yard ...

it was a one time fixed cost.. and its done ... all other suggestions... were ..imho ... bottomless pits of future money spent [or on staff workmen who do what you tell them to do] ... which if you have the money.. all the power to you ... i dont live in that world ...

ken