Disposal sewage system
I use the term disposal-sewage-system because most homes now have garbage disposals that empty into the sewage system. Sink disposals contribute a lot to the septic system.
Courtesy of Infiltrator Systems Inc.
I'll briefly explain how a modern septic system works and the most cost effective approach for installing it. First of all, there are many different kinds of systems in the world, some good systems, and others that aren't so good.
Some of the systems I've seen in third-world countries make me cringe. "Don't drink the water" is some of the best advice I'd ever been given although I chose to ignore it. Young and dumb I guess.
Here in the U.S. we have a standard that is quite strict for septic and disposal-sewage-systems. There are a few variations, but by and large, the septic tank to drain field system is the most widely recommended.
In the Plumbing section we have already covered waste and vent lines, but if you're building a house in the country, you'll need to have a private septic system.
After the main waste line leaves the house, it will go in a straight line to the septic tank. Your local health inspector will give you the code requirements for ground depth of the waste line, the septic tank, and the drain field.
Remember that there is a slope requirement also, just the same as the inside plumbing. It will be something like ¼-inch slope to every 12 feet. Your local health inspector will have the regulations for code requirements that you'll need to follow.
Courtesy of Infiltrator Systems Inc.
The waste line will enter the tank on one end and exit on the other end. Not to over dramatize the science that goes on here, but the function of a septic tank is interesting. By the means of bacteria breaking down the solids, almost everything turns into a liquid and flows into the drain field to seep into the ground and become pure again.
There is only a little sludge that sinks to the bottom of the tank and stays there. It's almost like sand. That's why we need to pump our septic tanks out about every five years or so. If the sludge builds up, it can start to flow into the drain field and plug it up. That's not pretty at all.
Septic tanks are very reasonable, in fact most tanks are well under $1,000 delivered and installed. You will have to do the excavation work, which will be a narrow trench to the tank, the hole for the tank, a line to the drain field and the drain field itself. This can usually be done in just a couple of hours with a backhoe. A disposal-sewage-system is much easier than it used to be. Nothing ever seems to get easier but this has.
A few decades ago, drain fields involved a lot of work. They were also expensive to have done. A much easier and cost effective way is by using Infiltrator® chambers.
Courtesy of Infiltrator Systems Inc.
I first saw these chambers used back in the early 90's. Each chamber is 4 feet in length, so they're easy to work with. You can stack them up to transport, they're made of a durable plastic so they're easy to lift and put in place. They actually work a lot better than the older PVC pipe drain fields. You can usually lay them in a single line instead of two or three rows like the old drain fields. One of the biggest advantages is the small footprint or rather the compact area of space they need to be installed in. It has opened up a whole new type of disposal-sewage-system.
Courtesy of Infiltrator Systems Inc.
You will save a lot of money this way and you'll get a better disposal system. It sounds like I'm a salesman for these, but I have no affiliation with or interest in the company. They just make a product that I've been really impressed with for years so I recommend Infiltrator chambers.
Courtesy of Infiltrator Systems Inc.
If you want more info on this type of disposal-sewage-system, you can find the website at: www.infiltratorsystems.com
Courtesy of Infiltrator Systems Inc.
That's about all there is to building a disposal-sewage-system. You can do the work yourself and save a lot in hired labor. You will probably need to hire a backhoe to do the digging. The septic tank will be delivered and installed, so the only work is the waste pipes and the drain field. That's totally easy to do, but that's also where the subcontractors take advantage of homeowners. In other words, you'll get charged thousands of dollars for something you can do yourself.
As we have discussed in many other areas in this site, there are locations where homeowners can't do their own work because of a bunch of bureaucratic hooey. You can still save a lot of money by having a contractor install Infiltrator chambers because it takes less time and materials.
Continue reading here: Water well
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