We create a septic tank for a private house with our own hands: step-by-step instructions- Review + Video

In a country house intended for permanent residence, it will not be comfortable without a well-organized sewage system. The cesspool needs frequent access to sewers, making life difficult for residents. Many people dislike the thought of a septic tank that needs cleaning several times a year.

But a well-installed septic tank without pumping out is the best choice, which can serve for a very long time without requiring your intervention.

How to choose a septic tank

Types of septic tanks for a country house differ in their principle of operation:

• Storage - sealed containers connected to the drain system coming from the house.

• Septic tanks with soil purification - tanks consisting of several chambers, the last of which has no closed surface.
• Deep cleaning stations - are being set up in places where sanitary norms prohibit the discharge of poorly treated water.

How a septic tank works

A septic tank without pumping for a private house or summer cottage is a structure in the ground.

It consists of:

• Several tanks connected by a pipe.
• Ventilation holes in each container.

• Sealed lids for each container.
• Pipes connecting septic tanks.

Waste flows through the drain pipe into the first chamber with a concrete bottom, settles, and the sediment sinks to the bottom, where anaerobic bacteria gradually process them. The waste gradually decomposes and gives off gas which escapes through the vents.

When the first chamber is filled with water to the pipe connecting the chamber, water flows into the second.

If it is finite, then it does not have a solid bottom, if not, then it also has a concrete bottom, for a dense layer to settle. From this compartment, water flows into the next. The open bottom of the last chamber rests on a cushion of rubble and sand, and the water goes into the ground.

Anaerobic bacteria recycle almost all organic waste, so a septic tank without pumping may not need to be cleaned for 15 - 20 years.

It is also important to determine the volume of the septic tank.

The standard daily water consumption per person is 200 liters. The volume is calculated based on three days of continuous use of water and sewage. Accordingly, 4 people need a two-chamber septic tank, with a volume of 3 x 3 m each.

Selecting materials of manufacture

It is possible to equip a septic tank on the site of a private house without pumping out of concrete, reinforced concrete rings, bricks or using special plastic containers. It should be noted that brick and plastic septic tanks will not ensure the operation of a septic tank for more than 10 - 20 years.

The technology of arrangement is quite simple, if you do everything according to the instructions.

Determine the place under the se bird

First, you need to determine the location of the septic tank, taking into account the level of groundwater and sanitary standards.

• The septic tank should be located at a distance of 1 m from outbuildings and 5 - 7 from residential ones.
• The septic tank should not be closer than 15 m from open water bodies and 50 m from a water intake well.
• Between the septic tank and the fence separating the areas, there should be a distance of 2 m.

• The septic tank should not be higher than a house or outbuildings.

Preparation of the pit

The construction of a septic tank in a country house begins with a pit. The common volume of a septic tank is an 8 cubic meter pit. m with dimensions 2x2x2 m.

Align the walls

If the septic tank will consist of plastic containers, they are installed in the pit on the already concreted bottom.

In the last container, the bottom is removed and placed on a cushion of gravel and sand.

When building a brick septic tank:

• Prepare a pillow of rubble and sand, fill the bottom of the chambers for waste processing with concrete and reinforce it.
• Lay out the site around the perimeter with bricks. At the same time, we connect the brick with cement and finish the walls from all sides.
• In the last chamber, we do not concrete the bottom, and lay the bricks with the minimum amount of mortar.

  This facilitates the flow of treated water into the ground.

When arranging it with the use of reinforced concrete rings:

• In the pits, we make a cushion of rubble and sand. The bottom of the chambers, apart from the last one, is made of reinforced concrete.
• After it has hardened, we install concrete rings, connecting them to the bottom, and to each other with concrete mortar.
• We make holes in the cells for connecting pipes and ventilation.

  A large diameter piece of PVC pipe is suitable for the connecting pipe. For ventilation, you can use the same small diameter pipes. We reinforce the joints between the pipes with concrete.

When self-pouring with concrete:

• Align the bottom of the pits.
• For each of them we prepare formwork from osb sheets, timber, scraps of plastic sewer pipes.

  We make holes in the formwork for water drainage. To do this, we cut out round holes in the osb sheets for cutting pipes with a step of 0.3 m.To strengthen the osb along the perimeter of the sheet, after 0.5 m we attach a timber to it with screws.

  Ideally, make a collapsible formwork so that it can be rearranged on other walls of the septic tank. The formwork must be reliably strengthened, for this it must be well wedged with a beam in the pit. After that, we insert the prepared pipe cuttings. They should go 5 cm deep into the soil.

• At the bottom of the chambers we make a cushion of rubble and sand.

• The bottom of all chambers, not counting the last, is filled with concrete and reinforced.

• When pouring walls, the work is divided into several stages, since the height of the concrete walls poured at the same time should not be higher than 0.4 - 0.5 m. We lay each layer with stones.

• We build the walls from concrete or bricks.It is recommended to make an overflow hole 0.4 m below the sewer pipe leaving the house. Perfectly, you need to equip the overflow hole with a sewer tee.
• Upon completion of the finishing, the septic tank is left open for 2 weeks without pumping out to dry.

Finally, close the lid on the cameras tightly.

Lids are provided in plastic containers, and for septic tanks made of other materials, it can be made in two versions:

• Lid tightly fitted on the upper concrete ring, on a par with the surface of the earth;
• For brick or other, made by yourself, sheets of steel are suitable, tightly laid on the edges of the walls.

How to increase the service life of the septic tank

Before starting the septic tank, it is recommended to punch holes in the ground, about 2 m deep, fill the bottom with large rubble and cover fine mesh. This will create excellent drainage that will help the water to drain into the soil.

An equally important factor is its ventilation, made from a sewer pipe brought to the surface.

This will allow the water to partially evaporate.

When using a septic tank it is prohibited:

• Dispose of construction waste into the sewer. This will quickly clog the first part of the septic tank.
• Use it for disposal of polymer waste. Cellophane, cigarette butts, personal hygiene products are not processed by aerobic bacteria.

• Use detergents that can harm microorganisms that decompose organic matter
• Drain pipe cleaning chemicals, machine oil, acids, alkalis

down the drain Allowed to be used for:

• Use a septic tank for wastewater treatment
• Throw toilet paper

A competent device and the use of a septic tank in a private house will increase its term service several times. And the periodic use of modern biological products that decompose solid sewage allows you to avoid cleaning the septic tank for a long time.

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