DIY septic tank and drain field?

[lilranch2001]

If-then-this

I just looked up ladder logic….
Been so long since I have written any, and have forgotten so much!

Close to 30 years since we got rid of ladder logic!

 

[MossRoad]

I just looked up ladder logic….
Been so long since I have written any, and have forgotten so much!

Close to 30 years since we got rid of ladder logic!

Back around 1987-1989 I got to help develop the logic for programmable controllers that ran the inking system through relay racks on our old printing press at the newspaper. We designed and built it ourselves all in-house. Pretty satisfying.

I still use ladder logic to draw out circuits.

 

[lilranch2001]

Back around 1987-1989 I got to help develop the logic for programmable controllers that ran the inking system through relay racks on our old printing press at the newspaper. We designed and built it ourselves all in-house. Pretty satisfying.

I still use ladder logic to draw out circuits.

Yea, I was thrown into it when I started my job, no experience and had a gazillion things to learn!

Nothing like trial by fire!

It is satisfying solving issues you did not have a clue about last week or last month!

 

[lilranch2001]

I think it was the TI VPU-200a that I had my first foray into programming with, solving some glitches, then I took some classes after I solved them

A little 9/10” screen with a fold down keyboard and a floppy drive

 

[N80]

Thanks for all the replies. Sorry I haven't followed closely.

To clarify a few things:

The cost of the permits is not the issue. It is the level of incompetence and almost adversarial approach to contractors and home owners. It takes months to get done what should take twenty minutes. Literally. And no, it is not due to backlogs. Nothing is being built in this county.

The goal is to build the addition with zero county involvement. Yes, its that bad. If I have to do it through regular channels then I won't do it at all. Again, the locals all think I'm nuts when I get the proper authorities involved.

No, there are no scheduled inspections of septic systems.

My main two concerns about tying into the existing system is that I have concerns about its capacity. There will still be the same number of occupants but there will be more occasions for more visitors from time to time. Will it be possible to tie it into the existing system? I think so. It would be tricky but doable.

There are no plans to sell the property. Plus, I could possibly have it plumbed and ready to hook into the existing system just not connected and if we did sell or whatever then just tie it in real quick.

Finally, I'm not a renegade by nature. Just the opposite in fact. This is a bit out of my comfort zone but after the nightmare my contractor just went through simply to add a masonry fire place and chimney I cannot imagine dealing with the county again.

 

[lilranch2001]

Just curious, how do such county officials stay in power?

 

[gstrom99]

Also; can anyone confirm, is it totally SQ FT of bedrooms, sq ft of living space, or number of bedrooms, that dictates sizing?

My county counts a room with a closet, as a bedroom. When I bought this house, it needed a new septic. The county thought this was a 4 bedroom house, needing a 4 line field. When I pointed out there are only 2 rooms with closets, the size of the required field went down by half, since they said it's only a 2 bedroom house. They took my word for it, and didn't want/need to come for a looksee.

 

[paulsharvey]

My county counts a room with a closet, as a bedroom. When I bought this house, it needed a new septic. The county thought this was a 4 bedroom house, needing a 4 line field. When I pointed out there are only 2 rooms with closets, the size of the required field went down by half, since they said it's only a 2 bedroom house. They took my word for it, and didn't want/need to come for a looksee.

Thank you. My round about point, for our OP, an additional bathroom does Not mean there is more waste water. Two people flushing toilets, doing dishes, ect, crate the same approx 70-110 gal per day per person, weather it's a 1 bath or 7 bath home. If your concerned with capacity, one of the best things to do, is get the washing machine off the septic and just pipe it to a ditch/flower bed/low area, and remove that load.

 

[paulsharvey]

I would be more concerned with piping sinks, showers, dishwasher off the septic, as you might attract coons/opossums/varmints. Washing machine, even if it just sheet flows across the yard, or whatever *not directly to surface water; maybe you get dollar weed, but thats it. No rodents/pests. Washing machine is like 15-30 gallons per load.

 

[paulsharvey]

For anyone who is worried; water is typically considered "treated" after flowing across 200 LF of vegetation, so worries about algae blooms in a pond/creek are unfounded. The veg will remove the nutrients from thar gray water