two inlets for septic tank?

Audrey · Mar 14, 2004

Is it feasible to have two inlet drains enter a septic tank? I'm helping a friend plumb a house basically from scratch. It's an old house that's been added onto a couple times, and it would be much easier to have two drains exit the house and each go straight to the septic. We're replacing existing plumbing so we didn't need to pull a permit, but we'd still like to be smart about it. Any advice would be great, thanks.

reb · Mar 14, 2004

It should make no difference. You will have to connect the lines before you get to the tank (all septic tanks I have seen have one inlet). It will work the same as if they were connected under the house. Just make sure you have the proper slope to the new line (~ 1/4 inch per foot).

lamarbur · Mar 14, 2004

you could cut another hole near the existing inlet, problem is, you have to have a baffle inside the tank in order for it to work. They do make pvc plastic baffles now.. You'd have to drill/cut a 4 1/2" inlet hole on the side of the tank nad jsut above it, a 10" square hole in order tp properly place the pvc baffle. Of course screening of some sort or steel plate and a bag of redi-mix concrete to re-seal both new holes. If you plumb into existing inlet pipe. I highly suggest you pop the square concrete plate that is mormally above inlet hole and check the baffle real close. A baffle cost me a whole new leach field because the concrete baffle broke of allowing the solids to by-pass and plug a perfectly once good working leach field.

Junkman · Mar 14, 2004

I had to help a neighbor fix his tank when the baffle broke off his tank. The septic cleaning company said that the way to do it was to use a Tee and put a 16" piece of pipe facing down on one end of the tee and the line from the house on the house on the side and the open end up. Solvent welded everything and put it together and all is well. He was lucky in the fact that the line from the tank to the leach field had collapsed and the tank had backed up and that was when the baffle failure was found. Had that line not collapsed the field would have become clogged and needed to be replaced. The line to the field was the old tar paper type of black pipe that goes bad with age.

beenthere · Mar 14, 2004

If you are just "replacing existing plumbing", why are you adding another line? Sounds like you might be crossing a line where a permit is prudent and necessary.

In my state, the licensed septic pumpers would have to report the addition to your system or risk losing their license. Maybe in your state that isn't a problem for you.

_RaT_ · Mar 15, 2004

Junkman, that is orangeberg pipe. You are correct, any external pressure tends to deform the pipe. It's size is odd as well. Getting the proper fitting size to adapt to it can be tough.

Bird · Mar 15, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( use a Tee and put a 16" piece of pipe facing down on one end of the tee and the line from the house on the house on the side and the open end up )</font>

I've seen 4 new systems installed in my area the last few years and that's the way all of them were installed to start with. And while there was a single inlet pipe into the first tank, it could have other pipes running into it before it got to the tank.

Junkman · Mar 15, 2004

RaT...... I thought that Orange-burg pipe was orange? This is black and it seems that it is made in layers that are wrapped. It is black and had couplings at the joints. It was put in back in the 1960's. We used a rubber/stainless steel clamp coupling to connect the PVC. He didn't want to dig up the entire yard, so we didn't replace the entire run, but I wanted to. I will try to convince him to this spring.