Greetings,
I have built a small, family weekend campground in a pine grove on the far end of our property. Our well is pretty far from the house but less than 50 yards from the campground so I was thinking about running a line over for a flush toilet and a solar shower. Based on past experience we would have 4-8 people using the toilet for about four days a month. If I have to dig a leach field I probably will not be able to justify the cost versus keeping our outhouse. The shower would drain into a graywater pit. What flush toilet waste options do I have? How are leach fields sized? For convenience sake I would like to avoid any sort of “pump out” solution. Thanks in advance for your input.
Replies
How about a composting toilet? No septic problems at all...
Drainfields are sized on the estimated amount of sewage generated and the absorption capacity of the soil. The estimated sewage flow for residential buildings is usually based on the number of bedrooms, anywhere from 60 to 75 gallons per day per bedroom, depending on where you're at. If you pipe water into the house you likely will be required to size the septic system as if the house had full plumbing.
You need to contact the local office (typically the local health department) that regulates them for specifics in your area. Kate mentioned composting toilet, incinerator toilets are another alternative. Not to rule out the old-fashioned privy.
Here, they figure a minimum 150galper day and add 90 for each bedroom.did I say thazt right? a one brm is 150 gPD, a two is 180, and three is 270
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Thats a fairly common scheme. In Virginia, we use 150 gal/day/bedroom. That figure assumes that there will be two people in each bedroom, which these days is not typical. On the other hand, it does provide some "cushion" for unusual cases.
But it's tough to try to cover all possibilities with regulations. I once worked with a low-income extended family that had 12 people in a five bedroom home. That family was very conscious about not wasting anything, and used less water than expected. On the other hand, I also had to deal with a septic system that failed within a year of installation, and found after long discussion with the owners that they were excited about their 150 gallon whirlpool tub and were filling and emptying it twice in a typical day. That alone was 300 gallons going into a system designed for 450.
I'd be more worried about my well and any others in the area.
Don't forget you should have a 100' radius around the well (and neighboring wells) that doesn't have any septic or outhouse holes in it. You don't want to contaminate your well!
Well, yes. It stands to reason that any kind of sewage disposal system needs to be properly located, designed, and installed to avoid either groundwater or surface water contamination. That's why onsite sewage disposal is usually very regulated and why it's important to abide by those regulations.
As far as 100' separation between sewage system and well goes, many states allow the separation to be reduced to 50' depending on the well construction and local geology. Either way, if either the well or the sewage system is not properly constructed, even 100' of separation may not protect the water supply. Consider the possibility of a cesspool that intersects the same water table that the well is tapping.
Our local Fergusons sells a compact sewage ejector grinder pump kit pre-plumbed and ready for burial in a plastic sump for about $800. You run it through a two inch PVC check valve and onwards in 2" pvc to your existing septic (subject to grade and distance restrictions, I've run them 300' before and once did a job where we basically built lift stations running 300 feet throught he woods to a studio with it's own pump then up to another building with it's own pump and eventually up to a septic on top of the hill. Way easier and more reliable and cheaper and more likely to be legal than a separate (improvised) leach field. In my humble opinion.
when you tie into your septic do it into the 4" line coming from the house at least 8' from the tank so it doesn't blast into the tank and create turbulence. The 4" line slows down the flow and keeps it from stirring the tank.
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The old fashioned method would be a simple dry* well, leech pit. Not unlike your privy for function but more in line with what you want to do. Dig a round hole, slighty tapered, about six feet deep and wide enough to lay up field stone around the perimeter. After laying an interlocking pattern of stone wall and installing the drain pipe ( through the stone, about one foot or so below ground level), frame a 2X4 and plywood concrete form over it for a lid. Use reinforcing wire or rebar and form a square "man hole" in the middle of the lid, later to be covered with a firmly fixed wooden door. Mix and pour the lid, kid.
I dug one of these, a larger, deeper hole for a two bathrooms, many years ago which is still bio-degrading away quite happily today.
Edit: The form's plywood will eventually rot, of course, leaving the concrete resting on the stonewall perimeter.
*dry means that the field stone is laid up without motar.
Edited 5/15/2007 6:22 am ET by Hudson Valley Carpenter
In terms of composting toilets, check this place out:
http://www.clivusmultrum.com/products.shtml
They have foam-flush toilets, greywater sytems, whole building packages, etc... Some state parks in NY have these, and they are clean & non-smelly.
Don't know if this wold break the bank or not, but work lookin' at.
Thanks for the website info. There are lots of good ideas and I now feel like I have some options. Thanks to everyone else for their input also. This has been a great help.
Well, this sure isn't legally or environmentally correct, but at my last home (middle of 35 acres) I put in a couple cesspools. Laid up 8" block (dry) in a circle about 6' high by 10'across. Made sure it was far from the well.
The bottom courses were laid sideways, open courses horizontal. Dumped gravel all around, poured the tops with a hunk of pipe sticking out.
Split the drain load from the house...five people living there. Worked great, never a problem in 25 years. When I trenched and tied in a new bath the fluid was only a foot or so deep.
Lots of old rural places around here have the same set up. Sure ain't saying it's right, though.
Todd