DIY Septic System

[Dmace]

This is to keep the contractors in business without any extra compeation.

Actually, it's to keep people like you who "think" they know better then the pros from discharging their waste right into the ground untreated. Out of sight - Out of mind seems to be the motto of some uneducated homeowners....

On a side note, here is a good thread where a member used his CUT Kioti CK20 to replace the septic lines in his field.

 

[wv1720]

I have looked at the envirochamber type units in a small system I want to put in for a cabin. They work good for small areas. One five ft. section 36" wide provides 15 sq ft of area. If they are allowed in your area, I would look at them.

 

[2manyrocks]

Another way to find your outlets on your tank is to plant daffodils over the outlets.

 

[boxygen]

Thanks, Dmace. Thats the kind of thing I was looking for. I will be sure to post photos once I start the process in a few weeks. Everyone has their biases against or for a certain type of system. Part of the reason I chose the stone bed/ pipe system is simplicity. The designer agreed it was a tried and true way to go and I had the space and the suitable soils. The other is economy. I didn't want to buy the proprietary stuff due to cost. Id much rather just buy some lengths of perf pipe. Literally, across the street from me is a gravel pit. THe owner is a great guy and he delivers how ever many truckloads of whatever I want anytime I need it and insists that I do not have to pay him. He says its for "putting up with us over there". This will help the costs significantly. I'm very lucky to have great neighbors.

 

[Scooby074]

Actually, it's to keep people like you who "think" they know better then the pros from discharging their waste right into the ground untreated. Out of sight - Out of mind seems to be the motto of some uneducated homeowners....

On a side note, here is a good thread where a member used his CUT Kioti CK20 to replace the septic lines in his field.

+1

Around here you cant even think about installing your own, and thats a good thing. THeres more to it then digging a hole and putting in a tank.

When your waste can run into MY drinking water, then you better believe its a big deal and it better be done by the book.

 

[shakin]

installed mine 15 years ago, not a major job just takes some time, here you are required to get soil test, septic design, permits. in my town even the contractors are not allowed to cover up the system until inspected by the local code guys. might be something you need to remember.

 

[tlbuser]

whatever I want anytime I need it and insists that I do not have to pay him. He says its for "putting up with us over there". This will help the costs significantly. I'm very lucky to have great neighbors.

Great neighbors are a very difficult thing to find. Most of it comes from being one too.

 

[tlbuser]

+1

Around here you cant even think about installing your own, and thats a good thing. THeres more to it then digging a hole and putting in a tank.

When your waste can run into MY drinking water, then you better believe its a big deal and it better be done by the book.

Not too long ago, locally, a homeowner could apply to do the install BUT the design had to be approved by the health dept. and inspected by the health dept. Not sure if that's still in effect since we have too much overgrowth in the area.

Agreed that there's nothing worse than having stuff in your drinking water that doesn't belong. Finding the source can be a very difficult process.

 

[Rice Rider]

"Around here in WA state you don't dig a spoonful a dirt for a septic system without a permit from the local health district and depending on their mood swings you may have hire a engineering company to draw up a design. After proper fees have been paid and most likely the local electrical inspection department for the pump and switches permits and inspections and ground perk test have been performed a licensed contractor may proceed with periodic inspections. With a new home just installed I nearly went out of my head getting permits and inspections done."

That sound just like Rockbridge County here in VA. My property perked well. I'll have six 120' leach lines below the tank that is about a hundred feet from the house site. That's for a four bedroom house. My big problem will be all the trees, roots, and rocks that will have to be moved. When I tackle that job, I'll rent something larger to save time and lots of wear and tear on the tractor.

 

[boxygen]

Here in Maine, each system has to be designed by a licensed site evaluator, controlled by the state. This is something that became mandatory in the 70's. Licencing isnt required to install, but most proprietary systems require some sort of certificaiton for their system I believe. A permit needs to be pulled for each system at the town and the name of the contractor and/owner is filed and then it is filed at the state also in the health department. Before that anyone could bury anything in the ground and call it a septic system. I purchased this house a year ago and didnt pay much money for it. Nobody could tell me where the septic system was or when it was last pumped. The entire yard looked like a jungle and it was difficult to tell what was there. The toilet flushed and worked for now but I knew there was no way that this was a decent system. I bought the house as is with no inspections to get the price down. I rolled the dice that the septic would work until I got it replaced, which was at the top of the list. AND, this was another project to justify a new tractor! Once the acreage was bushogged, i realized that there was no "leachfield" There was just a daylight pipe for effluent after the tank over at the corner of the lot. This system works in that there is no leach field to clog up and back up into your house but its not right, even though this had been going on for 50 years and noone has said anything. I'm a residential builder by trade, so I knew exactly what I was getting into. No one is making me (town or state) fix the "system", its just the right thing to do. Personally or professionally, I cant let this go on any longer. Also, my neighbor built a house 3 years ago adjacent to the property line which the "leachfield" is. In the previous years there was nothing in that direction and much harder to contaminate ground water. Now, its amazing no one has gotten sick. Im looking forward to this project for many reasons.