New Construction with Septic and Well
Hey guy’s and ohhh I can’t forget the Gal’s,
I’ve looked through the archives and mabye I didn’t look long enough but to me 10 minutes of searching and looking at a computer screen is a lot and when I have to put on my glasses to look at the screen it’s time to ask for help.
I have a 6.5 acre tract of property of which I plan on building my (OUR) retierment home on. It’s located in the Ozarks, just to give you an idea of the solid rock that’s there when you go to dig.
I’ve framed houses for 13 years. I’ve helped build houses my whole life. 33 years of back breaking work. You would think that someone who can frame multi-million dollar homes from Vail Colorado all the way to Scotsdale Arizona and Duluth Minnesota and many places in between would know at LEAST SOMETHING about how a well and septic system should be installed when building a home with those requirements.
Well, I need some help because as many homes that I’ve help build I feel it’s a bisgrace to me that I don’t know about this. My wife told me to quit kicking myself in the A– and ask for help.
What I need to know is:
–Want to install septic, well, elec., and hook-up a trailer to live out of while building the house. How far away should trailer be from home site? Does it matter?
–What plumbing has to be run to the home foundation to connect the well and septic before the basement slab/foundation is poured?
Ounce I get this squared away and the foundation, plumbing for septic, well water supply, etc. is in I’m good. I can handel everything else.
I appreciate every response to help me.
Thanks for your time.
Replies
--Want to install septic, well, elec., and hook-up a trailer to live out of while building the house. How far away should trailer be from home site? Does it matter?
You definetely want the nearest septic field edge to be 100 ft away from the well, well uphill if practical. Most codes will specify this.
Only thing can think of for the trailer site is dont put it where you want to drill the well or put in the septic, otherwise as close as possible without gettin inthe way of deliveries and concrete trucks.
--What plumbing has to be run to the home foundation to connect the well and septic before the basement slab/foundation is poured?
Obviously, you want to have planned the septic system (invert heights, etc) so you will know the height of the house drain know before you pour the foundation. Obvious also for the supply pipe from the well. Don't forget the electrical supply to the well. Those are the only 3 holes thru the foundation wall (other than doors/windows). Throw a few extra low voltage signal wires in the trench to the well, along with a phone line pair - easy when the first trench is open, I also threw in a 1/4" air hose for a compressed air supply to the pump house for recharging pressure tank every few years.
We also built own house, dug well by hand, also built well drilling rig and drilled a well thru rock. Also designed and installed own septic system.
I'd not recommend drilling your own well, very intensive learning process, even for extensive experience in mechanical and building trades. Good as an experience if you have the time, but figured it paid only about 3% of my day job!
If you have a backhoe or can rent one reasonalbly and do a good perk test, a gravity septic system is easy to design and build. Did mine (including poured in place tank) for about 20% of what it would have cost to have had it installed, equivalent pay rate about 3X day job. Most counties have a good set of instructions on running perk tests and building your own gravity septic system or you can find it on the web if fortunate enough in the Ozarks to not have to get a permit. .
Journeyman,
Like he said, the elevation of your house depends on the elevation of your septic tank and field. You have to start with the septic and figure house height from it. I suppose pumping your crap is an option, but it isn't a very good one. Gravity is pretty reliable.
You don't need to run pipe for the septic through your foundation wall. Leave a largish core box under the footing, or higher if you have to and don't need any plumbing in the basement, but build it so you can remove it. Your outflow pipe will probably be 4" ID so leave a 7" hole. A piece of stove pipe with a disc or two the right size inside will work fine. Easy to install, easy to remove.
The water line and pump power line are the same. Just cast in 2 pieces of 3" pipe somewhere near where you want the water line to enter and below frost.
After the basement wall is poured and you've thrown some good clear stone in there is the time to lay out the drain lines that will be under the slab, if any. You can wait till the house is dry and do the whole rough-in at once. Just be certain the heights are good.
Ron
As for the piping material, the black "poly" rolled piping, polyethylene, is a good, durable material. Lay it in 6 inches of sand, and cover it with 6" of sand. This separates any rocks from the pipe.
You need a single pipe if you have a submersible pump, two lines if you have the other type of well (sorry I don't remember the name right now).
I'd suggest running PVC conduit for your wiring so it can be replaced if ever needed. If you have wiring of different voltages (power and telephone, for example) they must be in separate conduits.
Go talk to the folks that regulate septic systems. The health dept. does it here. They will probably have handouts that will guide you through the design process. Dig several perk test holes..as recommended by the inspector that checked mine,and they will hopefully pick the best one.
If you are in MO you there are no state wide building codes.
Most of the cities and larger counties have adopted ones. But there are a number of rual areas that don't have any.
But I would start checking with the couny health department and see if they have any regs are can point you to who does.
Then I would look up a couple of well diggers and people who install sepctics and find out what are typical conditions and problems in the area.
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
building my (OUR) retierment home
I wouldn't build a retirement home with a basement or a second floor.
Sooner or later one of you isn't going to be able to make it up and down stairs. Or one of you will fall down the stairs.
Retirement is for old folks, stairs are for kids.
As mentioned, your county government will have some sort of rules regarding septic, distance from well to septic, well to house too.
Put the trailer where it will be out of the way of trucks & equipment. Run power to trailer, a water line and setic. Telephone too.
The pressure tank and switch and electric can be at the well or at the house. Don't put that at the trailer, eventually you will have to re locate it.
I bought a 30 gallon electric water heater and put it next to the trailer. The tiny one it came with wasn't adequate for much more than a rinse. With water and septic plumbed in, you need a bigger water heater.
What's your weather like? My trailer 30' with pop out seemed to be designed for warmer weather than Utah. Everything froze one piece at a time as the temp went down. At 10 below, trailers aren't nice. Propane heater runs all the time and still cold.
Skirt it, keeps the wind out & some of the critters. Build some permanent steps, big enough to stand on or sit on while you scrape the mud off.
Joe H
Check to be sure well can reach potable water. I eastern Oklahoma much subsurface water is brackish. Good surface water though. Lots of rural people here are filtering/treating pond water or collecting roof run-off into covered above ground plastic tank & filtering/treating that.
In our area there is a lot of push by Health Dept for aerobic septic systems. Listen to what they say.