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xinull
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2019 23:24
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I'm building a septic tank based on this design
https://www.wikihow.com/Construct-a-Small-Septic-System
but instead of using 2x 55 gallon barrels, my first barrel will be a 275 gallon IBC tote and the second barrel will be 55 gallon.
This is just a small system for my wife and I and usage on ever other week-ends, and almost no usage in the winter (as the land is not easily accessible in the winter).
I first need to fill these 275 & 55 gallon containers with water.
first question, can i use river water to fill them up? i dont know much about septic tanks, and i'm not sure if the possibility of insects or parasites in the water might be detrimental to my septic tank
second question is about the design. Should the entry point of the first tank have the pipe go down to the middle of the material in the tank, OR should it stay above the material and just fall in? Here's a picture to show what i mean
Thanks
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Brettny
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# Posted: 21 Aug 2019 07:24
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First you need to find out if its legal to do this in your area. After that an IBC tote dosnt lend very well to being burried. They are very thin material. Have you priced out a small septic tank? There usualy about $1 per gallon, they make 200gal ones. It would be a shame to dig that big hole for the IBC tote and have things colapse in.
Rain water is fine.
The right pic would be fine..how ever you want your outlet of the big tank sucking from the middle of the tank. Having a hole near the top and a elbow down will be good.
The second barrel is just acting as a drywell? If so theres other ways to accomplish this but a 55gal drum will work.
Things you need to cosider is do you have easy acess to gravel or a machine to dig? This will be alot of digging by hand.
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xinull
Member
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# Posted: 21 Aug 2019 20:47
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There's quite a few people in the area who've done their septic tank using an IBC tote. I know they have, i just dont know them personally, just word to mouth kinda of thing. But i do know that as long as you fill the IBC tote before burring it, you'll be fine and it wont collapse ;)
The picture was just a quick drawing, I only had a few minutes to write the post last night. i had already decided to have an elbow with a pipe going down and a tee (to prevent any solids from accidently floating up in the pipe) around the mid-point of the material as you suggested. I was just in a hurry to draw the picture and forgot to put it in
The second barrel should only hold liquids, but if any solids still exists they can continue to decompose in that one until they are released through 2x 20 feet drain pipes in a leach field of gravel
I have the machine to dig right now, i rented an excavator, couldn't get it delivered directly because of the bad trail and mud holes, obviously. But i had to drive almost half a day just to get it to my land. For the gravel, i'll have to haul it with a small trailer during the dry season, when the mud holes are not too bad...that's right now! It will take some time, but im in no rush. I ran out of money to start the camp this year, so all i'm doing is preparing the road and since i got the excavator, i'm also preparing the septic tank.
Thanks for the reply
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 21 Aug 2019 21:40
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Both inlet and outlet need to go below the full level. You will need a baffle, a "T" works and allows you to access it from topside for cleanout. You have sludge and crust, sludge forms at the bottom, crust at the top. You dont want anything getting into the drain field. Why fill with water, let it fil naturally.
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ICC
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# Posted: 21 Aug 2019 21:45
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech Why fill with water, let it fil naturally.
Because those totes are not made to take pressure from the outside (dirt piled on) to the inside. Water in the tank will help resist collapse.
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xinull
Member
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:37
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech Both inlet and outlet need to go below the full level
I felt like having both my inlet and outlet go down to the middle of the material was better as you recommended. But i wasn't 100% sure about the inlet one. I felt like if the inlet ended in the middle, then it would avoid the splash of material going in, and avoid the possibility of having top material, or crust as you call it, to being pushed down and possibly make it's way to the second container. But i also wondered if the material going in might not always make it's way entirely out of the inlet pipe, and material would just accumulate in the pipe and eventually make a blockage.
I guess i'm also looking for confirmation that the concept of having the inlet end in the middle is technically sound.
Toyota_mdt_tech, have you seen this design in real life?
As for the baffle, was already part of my design too  I'm putting one on each tank, just in case i need to access either to cleanup anything.
I could collect rain water, but that would take forever as i dont have a roof to act as collector (no cabin yet). That's why i was also asking about using river water, if that wasn't gonna cause issues with the septic. There is a shallow river that runs nearby, and would allow for easier and quicker transport. I just dont know what effect having whatever parasite or insects from the river in my septic is going to do to the system.
Quoting: ICC Because those totes are not made to take pressure from the outside (dirt piled on) to the inside.
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creeky
Member
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:32
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I would think those insects and bacteria from the river should help. Kinda like the "dead cat" starter kit some folks use for older not used in awhile septic systems.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2019 10:26
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You dont want the inlet to be in the "meterial" the fats and floating solids can stay in that vertical pupe filled with liquid making a clog. Put your inlet higher than your outlet so you will always have flow in.
I have an IBC tote thats alreaty caving in the top just from weight and rain. Since by the sound of it you really only have once chance at putting this tank in get a real one. I would go off hear say on 3rd party info.
A 300gal tank thats designed for your application is $400 online. A local septic supplier should beable to get the same tank and save you the shipping. Since an IBC tote is roughly $130 your really not saving much. Add in the cost to do the job again and you have saved next to nothing.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2019 10:28
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I should note that i own my machine so machine time is the cost of diesel...i would never burry a IBC tote for anything.
You are prob better off making your own concrete tank than burrying one of these.
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FishHog
Member
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2019 13:28
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If your going to bury a tote under any amount of soil cover the top with wood to stop the soil from pushing down on the plastic. Even that isn’t a long term plan. I’d follow the advice of everyone else and avoid the ibc. You will be rebuilding your system way too soon. It will work but it won’t work for as long as you want it too.
Build it right the first time and you will avoid a lot of headaches
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mj1angier
Member
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2019 13:48
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Here is what I did back in the 80's at an old farm house I got to stay in for free. Last I checked (3 years ago) a family of 3 were still using it. Mine did not look as nice as this one, lol
http://www.panamashippingcontainerhouse.com/i-was-rattled-septic-redo
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2019 16:17
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Thats where i was going with the DIY concrete tank. That one they burried looks like an above ground tank..the one that caved in.
I havnt priced out bags of concrete and cinder blocks but thats prety easy to do your self.
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Atlincabin
Member
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2019 18:35
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Another option to avoid collapse would be to clad the tank with pressure-treated (or plain) wood. There are a lot of old septic systems around here that were built with just plain green wood and are still fine tens of years later. But I'm up north where rot doesn't happen quite as fast as other places.
My vote would be to get a decent tank to start with, but cladding the IBC thing might be an option if it is difficult to get a concrete tank in to your location.
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neckless
Member
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2019 22:23
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what happens when u pump them out those tanks will fail
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neckless
Member
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2019 22:24
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what happens when u pump them out those tanks will fail the plastic totes
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sparky30_06
Member
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# Posted: 23 Aug 2019 06:59
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Don't use the IBC tote tanks, The small plastic ball septic tanks are cheap and will save you lots of head aches down the road. if you are still wanting to do something else use 3 or 4 plastic 5 gallon drums in series. They will hold up better under ground.
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xinull
Member
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# Posted: 23 Aug 2019 23:19
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Thanks for all the great advice. It sure made me think about lots over the past few days.
Unfortunately i already purchase the IBC tote and all the parts weeks ago. My questions were just about how to refine my plan. I did speak to a friend of mine today who has a setup with an IBC tote and he explained the good and bad about it. He also mentioned that he personally knows a handful of people running the same setup for over 8 years with no issues.
I guess i'll have to make a hard decision in the next few days. But if i do go with this setup, i'll definitly board the IBC tote around and on top with pressure treated wood to help reinforce the structure for when emptying it.
thanks everyone
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Old and Slow
Member
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# Posted: 30 Aug 2019 13:20 - Edited by: Old and Slow
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Check out how to plumb a septic tank on line. Simply, the inlet pipe terminates in a tee with a short downward extension to prevent solids or sludge from entering the pipe. It should be on the opposite side from the outlet which should be lower and terminate in a tee.
My only experience is in the US where a 750 gallon tank is the minimum for a one bedroom. Field line lengths are determined by number of bedrooms and soil perk test.
The local authority has the final say as to legality and may be able to cause many problems if they find an illegal system. Fifty five gallon drums were outlawed years ago in the southeast. Note the article says the system is not legal if found in use fines can result.
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FishHog
Member
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# Posted: 30 Aug 2019 15:54
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Quoting: xinull over 8 years with no issues
so do you want to dig it up and redo it in 8ish years to save the cost of an IBC that you can use for something else? Don't forget you will be 8 years older.
These days I'm planning everything I do to be less maintenance when I'm older. Things are already getting harder so I don't want my poor planning or cost cutting to stop me from enjoying my place 10 or 20 years from now.
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Sprinkler Guy
Member
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# Posted: 20 Sep 2019 21:09
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I am a little late to the party but this is what I installed a few weeks ago. I thought about the IBC tote but didn’t want to “rig†it.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2019 10:12
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Nice. How much did the tank cost? 300gal?
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Sprinkler Guy
Member
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2019 10:19
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It cost about $550. Yes it is 300 gallons
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eligh
Member
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# Posted: 22 Sep 2019 08:49 - Edited by: eligh
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Quoting: Sprinkler Guy I am a little late to the party but this is what I installed a few weeks ago.
Hi
What happens when this thing gets full?
Do you have someone come with a pump truck and vacuum it out?
Or does it naturally take care of itself via biology and microorganisms?
Oh and how deep did you bury this? From the top lid to the surface how deep? Or does that Green lid sit flush with the ground so it can be unscrewed and vacuumed out easily?
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mj1angier
Member
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# Posted: 22 Sep 2019 09:04
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Looks like Home Depot has one for around $400
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Norwesco-300-Gal-Sphere-1-MH-Septic-Tank-41319/206479635
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 22 Sep 2019 09:27
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Quoting: eligh What happens when this thing gets full?
If it is being used as a septic tank there will also be some pipes in a leach field. Google how s septic tank works.
If only a storage tank it would be pumped out. There are some lakeshore communities where everyone has a storage tank instead of septic because of the water level.
How deep depends on the weather; how cold the winter.
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Sprinkler Guy
Member
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# Posted: 22 Sep 2019 18:40
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It will get pumped when full but I would suspect with only weekend use once a month it will take a long tine to fill. Solids do break down. I buried it just enough to cover the tank and I was lucky to get it that deep due to the shale. It won’t see much winter use anyway as the water line isn’t buried below the frost line.
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hkench
Member
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2024 18:05
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Sprinkler Guy
Sprinkler Guy
I think I just bought the same pump out tank. Norwesco 500 gallon?Sprinkler Guy
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hkench
Member
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2024 18:07
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Sprinkler Guy
How did that tank work out?
I think I'll run leach line off of it, just in case... I'm putting the tank in an off-grid cabin. Only the toilet will go to it. Sink, shower and urinal will go to a buried blue barrel.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2024 19:58
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I was gonna do a small scale septic system for our 'recreational' place (generally just the 2 of us) but it would not have been approved (thus illegal) and a lot of work, even though Im sure it would have met the intent of the law.
So I built a composting 't', waayyy less work, works marvelously and no solids ever touch the ground/leech into the water supply. No stink, no bugs to speak of, easy to manage and No hole(s) to dig!
I think Im on solid ground (lol) to argue that I don't have an illegal septic system if push comes to shove (but Im not asking  )
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