DIY Septic System

[boxygen]

Well I'm about to install a brand new septic system at my house primarily using my Mahindra 2415 TLB. Have suitable soils for a typical stone bed system, but I need a new 1000 gallon concrete tank. The existing "system" is out of the way of the new so I dont have to dig up to replace. Should be a fairly straight forward project, digging a hole for new tank and backfilling after it is set and then a lot of loam and stone moving for the leachfield. Should be fun, I will be taking a week off for vacation to get it done.

So, Im interested in seeing and hearing about the ones you guys have done yourselves with your own CUTs. Lets see those photos! I know you guys are out there.

 

[wedge40]

I'll be interested in watching how you do. The idiot who built my house put the septic tank 300' from the house.. Yes I said three hundred FEET. I'll be curious to know things like how deep the hole has to be for the tank and how big the leach field needs to be. I'm guessing the leach field size is dictated by local codes.

Wedge

 

[cowboy357]

I,m not sure what is required in Your area as far as , tanks size & Length of the Leach fieild lines . But I will tell you what I do know about putting in Your own system as I,ve put in several in the last several years .

Make sure & bury the tank deep enough, I would suggest 2 foot deep to the top if You can. So its not an issue driving over it after the ground is settled .

Put Your system as far away from any trees as posable as the Roots will be your major problem in years to come .

Make A collar , Round or Square ring , Preferablly out of concrete that goes over the lids , With a steel lid , Just below grade for easy access to pump it out . & Make sure You know exactlly where they are so You dont have to dig so much come time to have it pumped out .

Best bet is to dig the trenches with a BH , Deeper & wider then they call for , Dont Skimp on the rock/gravel or fill sand around the lines . The amount of slope is also very important . I like to dig a fairlly large pit at the end of each line filled with larger rock just for the heck of it , for better drainage .

When Backfilling Be carefull not to run directlly over any of the pipe Untill well settled . Dont plant grass untill all low spots have also settled . You,ll just have to refill/level & reseed .

Most important fill the septic tank with water before Using at least half or 3/4 full below the outlet . Dumping Spoiled milk down the drains will help start the bacteria action needed to disolve the solids . Before They have a chance to build up .

These are just My opinions, & what has worked for Me after fighting systems installed by so called profesionals . Do it right the first time , Of coarse if You have codes to follow It may be different in your area .

I,m sure others will disagree , Just what worked for Me & severall others that I have helped put systems in over the years . If You have to have the solids pumped more then once every 2 years or so , it aint working right , After pumping allways fill it back up with water at least halfway . best of luck . Bob

 

[jayste]

Around here we are regulated by the department of environmental quality. That is if you let them know and want a state certification. Sometimes required when you sell your property. Anyway, without looking for my drawing of my system I can say that they require at least 100' of leach line per bedroom in your house and that is contingent on whether or not your soil will perc properly.

Jay

 

[tlbuser]

Here's a good link to a tank install http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/45565-septic-tank-installation.html

Lots more info. using a septic search-term.

 

[bjr]

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. I wish you luck. bjr

 

[boxygen]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm well versed in the technical and procedural aspects of the system. I'm a project manager for a high end residential builder by trade. I got the design done last week and of course will get a permit before I start. I was most interested in seeing you overachievers with your tractors doing what most consider impossible with our small tractors. I did do a search but didnt get a lot of good photos.

 

[radioman]

I did do a search but didnt get a lot of good photos.

perhaps you will help in that dept ?

I am interested in follwing this story as well. good luck.

 

[20 20]

installed mine used the envirochamber{sp} for the leachfield, best money I ever spent{atleast for crap }. This stuff is very easy to install and IMO works WAAAAAYYY better then the perforated pipping. Lot less work involved also.

 

[LBrown59]

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. I wish you luck. bjr

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

 

[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.