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yankeesouth
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2012 12:28
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Seeing some topics on septics got me thinking about a conversation I had with a guy at a local watering hole. Has anyone built one of those homemade 55 gallon septic systems in an area with big boulders and deciduous trees/vegetation?
I was talking to a guy who swears they are the septic system of choice where he has his seasonal camp. I don't know a lot about septic systems....but I would think, building code aside,......the thing would clog.
He said most people just run one pipe out from their one or two tank systems, 5-10 feet, then the trees, plants, and big rocks act like a leech field . His argument was the trees and rocks are better than a leech field because they absorb all the nasty stuff and it's good for them; helps them grow. ??? He also swears some folks don't even bury the pipe from the tanks. Personally I don't want to see or smell my poo. [toilet] Oh FYI....he is obviously in an area that doesn't follow any codes.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2012 17:26
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people use them for weekend--deer/hunting camps--and they work!!!
i have a fuel skid tank===200 gallon buried at my old cabin--been there over 20 years and still works fine---only had one or 2 times--it got water logged---due to heavy rains for over a week--but the location was bad for it---in a low area---- find a tank-metal or plastic and put in a 75 to 100 foot drain field dig a ditch, layer of gravel, drain pipe and more gravel, layer of tar paper then dirt ---it works!!!!!
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2012 18:23
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I was thinking of 4 of those blue plastic 55 gallon drums, sealed tops. Have pipe go in one, then the outlet can feed to a 2nd, then a 3rd and finally a 4th, then into a leech feild.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2012 18:57
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech I was thinking of 4 of those blue plastic 55 gallon drums, sealed tops. Have pipe go in one, then the outlet can feed to a 2nd, then a 3rd and finally a 4th, then into a leech feild.
just go with a least a 4 inch pipe--not 3"///////
i think a thick plastic tank 200 gallons or more---see them on craig list for 100 bucks or so would work fine----
just put a clean out on top----- in case it needs to be pumped.
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customrunner
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2012 21:38
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I picked up 2 of these for my septic $80 each and will install them in the spring I will use 4" pipe with 3-4 branches in the field should work great will also add a 4" clean out on each tank if I ever need to have them pumped •250 gallon/1000 litre plastic tote tank with metal frame, METAL or WOOD BASE (40"w x 48"d x 46"h) 6" screw cap on top, 2" ball valve at bottom -$80 to $150 each.
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mrmiji
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2012 22:27
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Go buy the local car wash and ask them for some of their barrels that detergent is shipped in. I got 'em free. They even have threaded bungs on the top.
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Vince P
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2012 07:38 - Edited by: Vince P
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See my thread on this very topic here:
http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/3_952_0.html
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jeffgreef
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 18:41 - Edited by: jeffgreef
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Any of these systems will 'work' in the sense that the water will go away, but IMHO you should think about the degree of risk. Any contaminated water on or near the surface presents a possibility of disease spread. The dog runs through the bushes, gets a little wet, the kids pet the dog, and then they eat food without washing first.... the possible scenarios for getting bubonic plague or some other fun disease are endless even if unlikely. If it's a remote cabin that gets used infrequently by adults who can limit the risk, maybe that's one thing, but do you want kids near that? Don't mess with shit or it'll mess with you....
Get the waste water as far underground as you possibly can and don't flush too much water down there if the capacity is limited, or it'll come up to the surface.
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Bzzzzzt
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 19:10
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Last I knew Bubonic Plague was spread by rats, but I could be wrong.
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 19:36
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correct; the fleas on the rats I think
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jeffgreef
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 20:52
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That's one means of transmission, I'd discuss others, but it's almost dinner time....
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cabinbiscuits
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 21:40
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Couldn't the same thing happen if the dog got into all of the animal dung in the woods, bear, deer, moose, turkey squirrel and so on? It seems the important part is to wash up.
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jeffgreef
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 21:49
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I think the potential for severe illness is far greater from human waste than it is from animal dung in the woods
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cabinbiscuits
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 21:57
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I think that the scenarios that you are talking about with disease transmission from human waste occurred in cities, not in wooded extremely low density population areas like these cabin areas.
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mrmiji
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 22:10
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Anyone who grew up using an outhouse as I did at my folks cabin have been exposed to vastly more risk of disease than someone composting. Not only that, the janitorial services in my work facility are horrible with urine concretions on every piece of porcelain and I'm still alive.
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jeffgreef
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 22:47
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My property is located in the northern part of the Sierra mountains in California, which is one of the lowest population density areas in the state. Yet in that area there is an increasing problem with outbreaks of e coli gastro intestinal diseases, which the local health department attributes to the fact that there are numerous very old septic systems that are failing (as all will eventually do). It just takes one bad system to get an outbreak going.
Granted- in high population density areas the problem can be much worse. Around Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz there are serious problems with large numbers of old failing septic systems polluting river drainages. But don't think it only happens there. It just takes one failing or inadequate system to spread disease.
I don't want to argue with you guys (and/or gals). But I recently installed a septic on my property and did the research beforehand. The inspector who looked at my system spoke in hushed but disturbed tones about some of what he's seen in his very rural area, inspecting very old, poorly designed septic systems that worked- for a while.
Yes, it's easy for me, who has a property with soil that perks well, with a friendly backhoe operator 2 miles away, and with enough credit to borrow enough to install an approved system, it's easy for me give advice, and I'll stop. But please, for your sake and the sake of your children, please please look very carefully before you leap with how you get rid of your waste water. There's a lot of other stuff I could have done with the $7,000 I spent on my system, but now it's done, I'm glad it's over, and I can rest easy.
Great forum, thanks for the info, talk to you again on, hopefully, a different subject.
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Vince P
Member
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2012 07:12
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Quoting: jeffgreef but IMHO you should think about the degree of risk. Any contaminated water on or near the surface presents a possibility of disease spread.
You should really have a closer look at the link I posted. My system uses an evaporation bed, so when functioning properly, waste water is contained underground, while keeping it from leaching into the soil.
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