Septic system ideas

[khadley]

Hi, we are moving our airstream onto some land, where we have water, electricity but at the moment not septic. The trailer is going to be hard to get in, so trundling off to dump, not an option. We can trickle the grey out, the surrounding fruit trees and gardens will appreciate that!

Issue is what to do with the other waste. There is a septic system for the house, which i think is up a hill... close to where we are the weeping field (think that's how it goes).

Does anyone have any good articles, or clever ideas on how we can rig things up to be able to live on that land septic-ly speaking!

[Darkspeed]

You could get a macerator pump and it would pump the chopped output from your black tank uphill to your septic tank through a small hose...

Thought this was a good article - http://www.modmyrv.com/2008/12/31/rv-macerator-pump

[Splitrock]

If the trailer is on a permanent site one could always install a dedicated septic and drain field. If it's summer use only another possibility is a sealed pit and a sewage lift pump. They look like a sump pump, but they will pump sewage with no problems. I have two mounted in apartment stairwells. They pump twigs, candy wrappers, anything that fits into the inlet.

They have an outlet to fit 2" plastic pipe. They use a float switch like a sump pump. They're used a lot around here in sealed pits, for homes where the sceptics are in berms. Quite common.

[ddstech]

natures head! (Composting Toilet)Nature's Head Composting Toilets - The environmentally sustainable waterless toilet for Your Boat, RV, Cabin, Big Rig, Barn, Workshop, or Yurt!

[khadley]

I like the macerator pump idea but I am concerned about putting the RV chemicals in the regular household septic. Might this be a problem?

[azflycaster]

There are several additives that are safe to use in your septic system.

[jdalrymple]

If you have the pump, why even spend the money on the blue stuff? Just don't put chemical in the tank, and empty every few days.

[DaveFL]

You didn't say what the distance is between house and site. Macerator pump with a bit of water should work. Problem with the "Sewer Solutions" product is that it depends on water for maceration and carrying the waste away, using too much water for daily use and wouldn't do a good job if too long a distance and too big a hill.

[khadley]

wow, thanks all for the helpful advice. I'll have to measure the distance, pretty sure it's at lest 50 ft or more. I don't find the blue stuff works well, so typically don't put anything in the tank, but i have heard if you are going to dump into houshold septic, not to use it.

[fridder13]

What brand/model? I'm looking at macerator pumps but this sounds like something different?

[khadley]

After spending a few months on the land, and hoofing it up to the washroom in the house as we contemplated the options, we've decided on the composting toilet. By all accounts the Natures Head is the best. I contacted two people who are living full time in rv's and use them so i feel that's the best reference! thanks for all the advice all.

Originally Posted by ddstech

natures head! (Composting Toilet)Nature's Head Composting Toilets - The environmentally sustainable waterless toilet for Your Boat, RV, Cabin, Big Rig, Barn, Workshop, or Yurt!

[tlavergne]

We have a septic tank but no way to dump into it without digging out the lid and removing it. Does anyone have any ideas how to put a a fitting into the tank so I can dump? I suppose I'll have to drill into the concrete case and install a fitting. Any ideas??
Thanks,
Tom

[Splitrock]

Any concrete cutter with a core drill can drill the hole in the top. Then just install a 6" PVC stack with a removable cap and you're all set. My cutter has a gas powered core drill. Slab jackers have core drilling equipment too.

[RickDavis]

Most tanks have multiple openings high on the side that a 4 inch pipe can go in.. You could also T into the line from the house with a riser to dump in.

[tlavergne]

Yeah, I thought about digging down and teeing into the plastic pipe. Will need to check into that and probe around a bit in the yard.
Thanks for all the ideas folks.

[Jammer]

In general it is far less work to T into the existing drain line.

You might want to check local codes since some jurisdictions have all kinds of rules about septic systems.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by RickDavis

Most tanks have multiple openings high on the side that a 4 inch pipe can go in.. You could also T into the line from the house with a riser to dump in.

Shouldn't need to go that far. I have yet to see a sewer installation that doesn't include at least one cleanout plug between the house and the tank, usually close to the house foundation. Find the cleanout plug, remove the cap, and dump there. Cap it again when you're done. If you're using a macerator pump, you won't be discharging all the time, only when the holding tanks get close to full, so you don't need to keep it permanently connected to the cleanout plug.

If you go with a macerator pump, insert a "Y" fitting upstream of the pump, so you can run both your blackwater and graywater tanks to it. Discharge the black tank first, then the gray tank to rinse the line. Also, use a clear discharge line, so you can see when you're done pumping; macerator pumps overheat easily if you run them dry for too long.

[Sneakinup]

I lived in my Overlander for 2 years while renovating an old bungalow. The septic had I believe, a 4" pvc clean out next to the house. I took the standard screw in cap off, drilled a hole in it and glued in a pvc 90 degree elbow with threads for a garden hose. I connected that to the cap on my trailer and let the gray water flow on a regular basis. When it was time to dump the black tanks, I simply hooked up my macerator between the trailer and the garden hose, and in 10 minutes everything was emptied. Pretty simple. Not messy at all. Macerators are great.

[tlavergne]

I have a sewer solution and won't be pumping uphill so yeah, the line into the septic sure doesn't need to be very big.