Septic tank Alternatives

Eric Patterson

Moderator
Staff member
Anybody have experience and can lend advice with graywater systems and waterless toilets? I'm interested in hearing/learning about what I could use to process waste from a 1/4 bath (sink & toilet) in the shop I'm building. I'm getting an estimate for installing a septic system but the county has a 1000 gallon tank minimum and I expect the installation cost will be in the thousands which is leading me to investigate other solutions. Thanks.

Eric Patterson
 
Eric,
You might want to look into Composting toilets. I know that there are people out here that are involved in a movement called Tiny Houses. Anyway, the tout the advantages of these devices. No first hand experience with them, but maybe it will help you out.
Good luck.
 
Eric,
Having just moved my field last summer for a pool I will share my limited experience. While it is true the health dept. would prefer a licensed installer, you are within your rights to do your own installation. With a little reading on the net and a backhoe rental for a day or two you should be able to install a system that would be more than adequate for your shop. You can save half or more of what you may have been quoted if you have the time to invest in the project.
 
Your gray water volume from your sink, if significantly different (greater) from your toilet's production volume, will limit the utility of installing a composting toilet. These are a nice alternative to a pit toilet system, but still expensive. Also, they have to be sited within the building to allow access to the solids pile they produce from their decomposition process.

Do you have a well? Check your county's code specifications on well and tile field seperation distance. The expense of a septic tank system is largely driven by the size of the tile field needed to steer the filtered water coming off the septic tank where bacterial decomposition is occurring.

You will need to conduct a percolation test to determine the rate at which water will move off your tile field pipe array area in saturation conditons. This will be used to determine how large your tile field needs to be, based on the soil type(s) at your site. Basically, a tile field is a French Drain application, consisting of a series of pipes surrounded by gravel. The pipe runs have holes off the pipe's invert that allows the water to drain and be consquently filtered as it percolates through the gravel and soil. Your local building specifications should give you guidance on how much course gravel underlayment you need, as well as how thick the pea gravel layer around and over the tile field should be. When you are done, measure from a couple of permanent reference points to the cover on the septic tank. Record these measurements on a sheet and put it someplace for use when it is time to pump the tank.

Slowly over time the solids left from bacterial decomposition will accumulate in your tank, rising eventually into the bottom of the T line installed at the tank outlfow. The pipe invert elevation and inflow pipe elevation difference should be in your construction code documents. One is slightly higher than the other. For a thousand gallon tank in a seldom used building, a bi-annual pump-out schedule is still likely too frequent, but it will give you a snapshot of how fast solids are accumulating over the first few years of use. Should the solids accumulate enough to start to seep out into your tile field, they will plug the drain holes and the whole tile field will need to be replaced. There are T filters that can be installed in the stand pipe at the tank outlet that will block solid outflow and preserve the tile field's function, but you need to still determine a tank pumping interval to keep the system funcitoning.
 
Last edited:
Maybe talking to the person who will inspect/approve your system would yield some useful information. After all that person has probably seen it all already and can offer some viable solutions.
 
Is the 1,000 gallon minimum even for non-residential structures?
Sounds extreme.
 
Appreciate the input and information guys.

Some more info and answers to questions. There is no well. I can hook up to utility water but there is no sewage, hence the need for a septic system. I have had a perc test done and it "passed". Not real good but good enough to put a septic system in. Seeing as how the water demands are low I'm exploring various options to a septic system. Also the lot is small, 1/3 acre, and septic field lines will take a chunk of it. Because you cannot drive or build on them I lose some room. The shop/garage looks to be 40x70 so that eats up room and I want to keep the big trees on the lot.

Progress is being made. A surveyor is coming to stake the four corners so I know exactly where I can build and move earth. Site prep/septic guy is going to come and assess and make suggestions based on his experiences. I have staked out the proposed location but am already considering changing it based upon lack of space for the side entry garage. Might have to do another perc test because the field lines will move if I change the current plan. Ahhhh, the joys of building.

More to come...
 
Carl

They tell me it is. County won't allow anything smaller than 1000 gallon. I think the field line length is also a cost factor. Perc times weren't great so they make the field lines longer. I should know more in a week after I get some people out there who have experience in these matters.
 
Eric,

Just thinking way outside the box; would they allow you to use a drywell for the grey/sink water? If so, you could set up a separate outbuilding w/ camper style head/holding tank mounted on a utility trailer that can be towed to a pump out station when necessary. Not horribly classy, but simple and relatively cheap.

Scott
 
Or just put in a holding tank and have it pumped out when it gets full. As little as it would be used I can't imagine that the cost/year would be much.
 
You can also go with a raised tile field array. I did this when my in-laws built their home on a riverbank high clay content floodplain. We had to disguise the mound by surrounding it with ornamentals because my mother-in-law felt it looked "garrish", but they work fine. You lay an X foot thick layer of sand as a base filtration layer, then the coarse gravel layer, followed by the tile field array and pea gravel coat(s). Obviously to get flow from the septic tank to the tile field you need to maintian fall in the outflow line by raising the septic tank height. The perc test results should be good at the future site, if it is within a 50-100' radius of the original site. You suffer the result of living in heavily leached soils with high clay content down there in the southeast.

Ask them specifically if you can go with one or two long lines to achieve the required drainage area, or are several (more than two) required by Code.

I would be surprised if your Building Code allows the sink's gray water to flow to a cistern style catch basin. Basically these are a cylinder of concrete or inert plastic with an inflow pipe coming into the top. The cylinder is filled with pea gravel half-way up, on a sand base. Since this is a garage, you may get away with going this way. I have the two car bays in my garage sloping in to a pair of catch basins for snow melt collection on the parked cars.

I also forgot that you get substantial rainfall; County Code may require you to put a layer of landscape fabric over the tile field runs to minimize migration of your topsoil backfill into the tile field, killing the pipe's drainage efficiency over time.

Here are some schematics and pics of Rhode Island style septic system:
https://www.google.com/search?q=rhode+island+style+septic+system&rlz=1T4DKUS_enUS283US283&tbm=isch&source=iu&imgil=LFWGm8gdqkzJnM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcTWDJ05TBEPQmCkqupfweQVYCRD-bbjWZa-g9lF9xQQ3krP3xVc%253B475%253B252%253B7ZFEzNQ0Crx21M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.uri.edu%25252Fce%25252Fwq%25252FRESOURCES%25252Fwastewater%25252FOnsite_Systems%25252FConventional%25252F&sa=X&ei=mwPgUq-zJ4ulsATFhIGgDA&ved=0CHIQ9QEwBw&biw=1440&bih=692#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=LFWGm8gdqkzJnM%253A%3B7ZFEzNQ0Crx21M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.uri.edu%252Fce%252Fwq%252FRESOURCES%252Fwastewater%252FOnsite_Systems%252FConventional%252Fimages%252Fconvsystem.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.uri.edu%252Fce%252Fwq%252FRESOURCES%252Fwastewater%252FOnsite_Systems%252FConventional%252F%3B475%3B252
 
Last edited:
You can go with an incinolet (sp) and burn that stuff into fine ash. It would probably have to be a separate building away from the shop for venting. They are used in the Arctic for most oil field work. And probably really expensive due to UL fire code stuff.

As suggested I would look into the holding tank option. Check out the cost of a septic vac truck visit and if the county requires a monthly visit. The use rate may require just an annual visit.

Since it is your man cave install a urinal with a minimal flush volume to save water accumulation in the holding tank.

Up in Fairbanks at my friends old house they built a bathroom to get away from the outhouse process. They had a water tank for storage in the new addition and a septic holding tank for waste. I had salvaged a cold war era urinal from one of my projects (gross dude just gross) and he cleaned it up and used a simple ball valve to flush it out when used. Be careful on how far you open the ball valve or it becomes a bidet. Might want to put a pressure or flow limiter on that line.
 
55 gallon drum buried with a field line worked for many years on my first kennel I built...

I have never stop to ask/find out what regulations, permissions, etc... are needed... its only against the law/rules if you get caught. Right? lol :) sounds like a heck of a shop though... Must be the home of a new batting cage and pitching mound....
 
Last edited:
Hi Eric.

I'd like to second Ray's suggestion of Incinolet (http://incinolet.com/)

A friend of ours had one of these installed in a cabin in NH. I have to say, it was mighty effective, but above all, a conversation piece! This particular unit was vented through the side of the cabin (think it only required a 3" or 4" hole). Electric-powered and produces an insanely hot geyser of flame that incinerates the waste. (Got to get used to the idea that you're seated directly above a flame thrower : ) It did produce a bit of unique odor, but I believe they offer a catalyst to deal with that. Looks like a unit for use in a home is priced at $1,799. I realize that's a lot for a toilet, but maybe not when you consider the cost of septic solutions.

Best of luck.
 
About 20' from my dad's shop:

2003corncrib.jpg


It's a 3 holer!
 
In some states a separate gray water system isn't permitted.
With just a sink & one commode I wonder if you would be allowed to install a single "line" off your septic tank. I have heard this referred to as a "drip line".
 
You can also do a holding tank and pump it periodically. Some of those systems may allow for some of the fluids to filter out so your tank volume is not huge. I know folks with homes on islands up here often have horrible septic issues because they are close to water and on ledge with little or no soil. Some of them go the store/pump route as local towns catch up with the remaining straight pipes into the ocean.

I've been in both private hunting fishing camps and some commercial lodges that have installed composting toilets. They work; they don't stink, but I don't know if they handle grey water or what they cost.

There are also electric or propane incinerating toilets. Had one in an office once, and a friend had one in a camp. You do NOT want one--the stench as they burn is awful.
 
Back
Top