"mound" type septic system

[Anonymous Poster]

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<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

After having the same price questions about a spray system septic needed for my lot, all I can advise is that you ask around locally.

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The only type system approved for our property was a spray irrigation system. (They apparently don't approve mound systems at all in this part of Kentucky)

Anyone had any experience with these?

 

[Muhammad]

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Just before I left NY, I had a sand mound system installed. It was the consensus among the engineers and contractors I spoke to before making the decision, that for solid clay soil, the sand mound system with a chlorinator and drainage trench was the best method to go with.

The old system was really weird... basically had a tank and a bunch of irrigation pipes about 2' under the soil, with some crushed stone... seemed rather home made since the pipes didn't follow any particular pattern. They went every which direction. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Then, there was an exposed stone drain field for the run-off. The system lasted about 30 years... not bad! But, you really can't sell a house with sewage draining into the yard. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

We used the existing 1,000-gallon concrete tank, added a second 1,000-gallon concrete tank, and then added the mound... which was basically 1' of crushed stone, perforated pipes, 3' of sand and then another set of pipes and sand over the pipes. The overflow from the sand mound was passed through the chlorinator, and then distributed into a 40' long drainage trench that led into the woods.

I was only there for a couple weeks after the system was installed, but in that time there was no surface water.

All in all for a 4br home, the system cost $6,500... plus $550 for the plans from the engineer.

Oh, regarding the looks of it... actually, the yard dipped down just past where the old system was. So there was a 5' drop right where the sand mound went. That was raised up and then leveled out with the old part of the yard. Worked out well. I would kind of suggest putting it in a low part of the yard (if you have one) and then leveling it out. Doesn't stick out that way.

If you have any specific questions I'll do my best to answer them.

 

[Will_C]

Re: \"mound\" type septic system

Writing from the Southern Tier of N.Y., the land Muhammed left, I will endorse the system he described as being the standard for poor soil installations around here. I help my brother install 5-6 of these systems every year during the summer when I am not teaching.
We put one in my three bedrom house last March. We used the existing 800 gallon tank, installed a new 500 gallon tank, and a 15'x34' sand mound. My cost for just materials was $2250. If you do not have a perfectly flat piece of land, the installer should be able to make the system at least partially blend in to the grade that you have. In my moderately sloping backyard, all I have is a 1' rise in the lowest corner.
Make sure to look for a contractor with plenty of experience. There are many little details in the install, such as making sure the tank is level, the distribution box is level, and the pipes are all level. Many contractors will put grade on the pipes; this will lead to the effluent racing through the system, not allowing the sand to filter the waste as it should. Also, these are projects that many less honest contractors can fudge on, not using the required amount of aggregate, not using the proper sand (here in N.Y. each municipality has it own standards, ideally you want to use a very coarse sand, almost appearing as tiny pebbles in it.)
Also be aware that these systems are engineered to last 20-30 years. Plans prepared by engineers here always include a location for a replacement sand mound.
One last thought, as solids will destoy these systems very quickly, regular tank pumping and the use of a Zabel filter in your tank should be considered as cheap insurance.
Will

 

[Anonymous Poster]

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I want to thank everyone for their helpful messages. My wife and I are meeting the real estate agent on 1-28-03 to drive the property and see all the corner points. That should help us decide if we want to purchase this property. Again, thanks to everyone for their response. Stanley

 

[cwave]

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Here are some pictures of my sand mound system -

 

[cwave]

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Pipe from house leading to mound - stones on top of sand - Next step is putting White pvc pipe on top of stones - tie pipes together. Don't touch once builder or contractor have everything in place - very picky.

 

[cwave]

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In this picture - Front tank has pump in it - The Tank alarm is also in here (indicating pump has failed or other problems - ex. pvc pipe clogged up) - Run off from back tank runs into this tank - the pump sends the liquid to the sand mound through the pvc pipe. Back tank (nearest house) receives all the waste water from the house.

 

[cwave]

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This picture shows the contractor grading the sand mound- No heavy euipment on the sand part - I'm told my 4310 (2900 lbs) is too heavy to be on top of sand mound. Guess that means the walk behind or little red riding mower with red hood.

 

[cwave]

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Last shot - Ready to plant grass - There are 3 cleanout pipes in front - 3 in back - plan to lower clean outs to be level with grass - able to drive over with mower. back is very steep. From front of property no one would guess that it's a sand mound - If I mow with Little Red I get blue smoke - Looks like a job for Big John with 4wd - but turn it off turning the corners.

In about 8 years at a previous property - I had to replace tank pump twice. - Not cheap - Ask Realtor where they perked for sand mound - probably already marked out - If you have time you can probably plan it out so it doesn't look like a big mountain on your property. you may have to pay a little more for them to do a redesign. - I lucked out - It was at the back corner of the property.

 

[rationalizer]

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Are you certain that a CUT can't be driven over the field? The PSI load for a CUT isn't that different than for a small lawn tractor... I assume the issue is "compaction" - the PVC should be able to handle the load.