You can assess it, though nobody will give you a number of years. What a technician looks at is whether effluent is ponding in the field, how quickly the tank level recovers, and whether the soil is accepting flow at the rate it should. That tells you if you’re early, mid, or late in the life cycle. We had Septic Inspection Services done by Septic Solutions with exactly your concern and got a clear picture plus a maintenance plan that has bought us time. Given the age and the neighbor’s outcome, I’d do it this year. Also keep vehicles and heavy equipment off the field, compaction shortens life fast. Ask them to document the field condition in writing too, it becomes your baseline for judging change later on.
