Septic question - pumping to drain field

   / Septic question - pumping to drain field #1  

RobA

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Feb 27, 2005
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Location
Chester County, SE PA
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Kubota L5030 HST
How far can the effluent from a septic tank be pumped to get to the drain field?

I am in the process of getting a septic drain field approved. It will probably have to be on the other side of a creek from the house and tank. The easiest place to put the pipe to the drain field is a long path and has some elevation rise. It could be a run of up to 1,500-2,000 feet. It's a long story. An alternate septic system won't solve the need for pumping.

Practically speaking how far can the effluent be pumped? Will I need to use multiple pumps/tanks along the way?
 
   / Septic question - pumping to drain field #2  
Typical pumps go a few hundred feet, I designed one that pumped 300 feet. The major concern is total "head" or vertical lift, the pump should have a graph of how much it can pump at any given time through a specific size pipe and up a specific "head". Once you get above the capabilities of the pump you need to use multiple pumps where the first one pumps it into a separate tank where another pump moves it from there to the next and so on...

Either way, it can be done but it will be costly and complicated. Don't forget your waivers for crossing a stream. Typically the "effluent" needs to flow through a concrete encased pipe where it crosses a stream.
 
   / Septic question - pumping to drain field #3  
For this type of situation a little design help stamped by professionals may be in order.:D
 
   / Septic question - pumping to drain field
  • Thread Starter
#4  
I'm already working on the permit to cross the creek and am using a septic company licensed to design the system. I need to meet with them to discuss this problem. I'm sort of working backwards and once I get the drainfield located/approved I want to know where I can put the house.

Dmace - if I have to use mulitple tanks are the additional tanks smaller single chamber holding tanks? Concrete? Plastic? I'm willing to spend more on this if it allows me to put the house where I want it.
 
   / Septic question - pumping to drain field #5  
Dmace - if I have to use mulitple tanks are the additional tanks smaller single chamber holding tanks? Concrete? Plastic? I'm willing to spend more on this if it allows me to put the house where I want it.

Typically I used what they call "pump boxes" which are concrete with lift-out covers for accessibility and usually measure 3ft or 4ft in diameter and 40" or 50" tall. Even the smallest tank holds about 120 gallons which is plenty for what you would need to do.

The big question is what kind of elevation difference are we talking about from the septic tank to the leach field area?

Also, my concrete supplier has a real nice homeowners guide to septic systems which may be a helpful read. It's PDF format, if you don't have the free reader just download it here.
 
   / Septic question - pumping to drain field
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Dmace,
Thanks for taking the time to send the info and PDF's. Great stuff.

The potential run to the leach field has 2 sections. Each run will be straight. The 1st run is about 550 feet and has a drop in elevation of about 10 feet (almost 1/4" per foot). The second run (after going under the creek bed) is unknown since I'm not exactly sure where I can get the ground to pass a soil test and perc. It looks like it may be up to 900 feet away with a rise in elevation of about 40 feet.
 
   / Septic question - pumping to drain field #7  
How far can the effluent from a septic tank be pumped to get to the drain field?

I am in the process of getting a septic drain field approved. It will probably have to be on the other side of a creek from the house and tank. The easiest place to put the pipe to the drain field is a long path and has some elevation rise. It could be a run of up to 1,500-2,000 feet. It's a long story. An alternate septic system won't solve the need for pumping.

Practically speaking how far can the effluent be pumped? Will I need to use multiple pumps/tanks along the way?
My system would go to the creek with no drain field on the other side.
 
   / Septic question - pumping to drain field #8  
How far can the effluent from a septic tank be pumped to get to the drain field?

Your permitting authority (county health dept) should have a provision for
engineered systems, requiring a licensed guy to design your system.

I had to do that for my pump-up system, which I installed myself. It uses
a pre-made "vault" with a bunch of float switches that goes inside my
1500 gal concrete holding tank, which is adjacent to my 1500 gal concrete
septic tank. The pump is a 5 or 6 stage 220V submersible well pump. The
system (including controls and alarms) was sold to me by Orenco Systems
for my application, which uses 2" pipes to pump 600 ft and 200 ft of head.

There is no reason that a system like mine could not pump thousands of
feet.
 
   / Septic question - pumping to drain field #9  
I'm getting more curious the system you are building.

Will you have a buried field system or is a mound system possible?

If a mound system can it be closer?:D
 
   / Septic question - pumping to drain field #10  
My system would go to the creek with no drain field on the other side.

And it is systems like that, that are causing the kinds of septic regulation changes that are on our horizon here in the Puget sound area... Things like ANNUAL inspections and re-certifications of existing systems by a trained(paid) inspector. Or no more traditional gravity septics, and only pump type(above ground) sand filter systems with chlorinators on the output of the tank to the sand filter... They say too much untreated effluent is making it's way into puget sound from feeder streams due to poorly maintained and failed systems, and these new rules will halt that...
 

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