DIY septic tank and drain field?

[N80]

I built a log cabin from a kit 20+ years ago on a piece of property I own. We go down there just about every weekend. It is very basic. About 900 sq ft. One bathroom, two small bedrooms and a great room with kitchen and dining area. The soil there is terrible and we barely got approved for a permit because the perk test was dismal. We got approved for one bedroom/bathroom and the inspector winked and said the second bedroom was an 'office'. We have had no problems with the septic system even when three of us lived there for 4 months while our house was renovated.

We are thinking about building an addition. Basically a large master bedroom and bath with some storage and utility space.

I want to do this with absolutely zero involvement from the county. It is one of the poorest most backward counties in one of the poorest states in the nation and the permitting process has become virtually impossible due to incompetent, unhelpful and probably corrupt county bureaucrats and agencies. Most of the locals (farmers) do what they have to do without county involvement of else it doesn't get done. And to be clear, I'm not talking evading taxes etc.

The bathroom on the addition, which will be attached by a dogtrot, will be on the opposite end of the septic tank of the existing cabin. So it would be a long run to a possibly maxed out septic tank/field.

So to finally get to my question: Can an average Joe put in a small drain field and small septic tank? I have access to a large JD backhoe and a competent operator. It would only be servicing one bathroom. Washing machine and maybe even shower would be gray waste.

Just in the exploring stages but any help much appreciated.

If this is not something an individual can do I can probably find someone to do it without permits etc. but would like to save money if possible.

 

[Eagle1]

DO yes, read up on the details. Legally maybe not, here if you own property of more than 20ac (I think, I know it used to be 5ac) you just do what ever and as long as it does not affect another's land you good to go. No permitting required in our poor backwoods county.

 

[grsthegreat]

Ya, depends on your county or state. Here, if you get caught putting in an illegal septic field, its huge fines. My neighbor is going thru this on his place that a previous owner did…. County caught up with the new owner. Major problem going on right now. There even going after contractor that put it in like 6 years ago.

 

[jaxs]

Take a look at this for another solution.
//www.saniflo.com/us/blog/what-is-a-macerating-pump-system-and-how-does-it-work-n244

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I did my own at my cabin in Canada. Home of the over regulated / slowest bureaucracy / bloated regulations in the world. As a homeowner its my right as long as I did it legal with permits and inspection. I passed with flying colours. I used a pressurized system though from plans that were given to me from a local parts supplier who gave me the plans for free in return for me buying my tank, infiltrators, pipes, etc... from him. Pump I bought from TSC though. The tank/infiltrator supplier had binders full of pre-approved plans so he just copied one of these and I just duplicated what an engineer had designed for someone else in similiar situation.

 

[paulsharvey]

Can you, of coarse, the theory is very simple, it flows down hill. Should you, that's not a decision for us. I would just ask, any plans on selling? If not, I doubt anyone will ever know.

 

[N80]

Thanks guys. Good thoughts. Have done some research regarding poly tanks and the connectable leach field chambers which would take some of the finesse and hassle out of it. Again, this would be a very small system. One toilet essentially.

As for the wisdom of doing it without permits and such, I don't know. What I do know is that any system that drives upstanding law-abiding folks to consider circumventing the law is a broken system. And the system in this county is badly broken. Huge amounts of corruption and mismanagement. Epic incompetence. And in many cases just sheer petulance. They do not want to help you and seem to enjoy making your life harder......which is why it remains a poor, backward disaster of a county.

Sorry about the rant. I'll talk to some of my neighbors and see what they say. Every time I complain to them about hassles with the county they roll their eyes and ask me why I'm dealing with them.

And for the record, this is a sizeable piece of property. The system would be nowhere near any neighbors and 200 yards from the nearest flowing water. The point being, nothing I did here could impact anyone else even if I did it wrong.

 

[4570Man]

What kind of system did they install last time? Septic systems can be pretty basic gravel beds or pretty elaborate setups. If you ever plan to sell the place I’d think twice about the plan because you will have problems without haven’t a permanent on file. If you never plan on selling then I guess it’s not a big deal.

 

[paulsharvey]

I helped a friend years ago, install a diy system, using about 5 ft of 30" ABS pipe, bricked up to create caps, and used the mesh-foam peanut, pre-made drain lines. It was a pretty clay-silt rich soil, and he did have issues with a washing machine, but if he kept capacity and perk in mind, and watched his water use; it worked. Think he had $150 in it, vs close to $15,000 for a true system, with permitting, perk tests, and professional install.

 

[paulsharvey]

One of the fairly cheap ways to help any duy redo, is import clean sand, over excavate the leak field, and back fill with good perking soils.

 

[ning]

One thing to consider is, if you don't have any gray water going to it, will there be sufficient water to make the septic system work - I'm not saying there won't be but I have the concern; I'm not sure if the toilet's water is sufficient - particularly with modern low-flush toilets.

Re legality: this is worth looking into unless you really think you can get away with it.

Re can you actually do the work: Of course.

 

[drssg]

Do you have inspections where you live? Our septic system is inspected every three years, and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be pleased to see an update that wasn't approved beforehand.

 

[Jstpssng]

Another possibility if you won't be using the place much is a composting toilet.

The Best Composting Toilets of 2023

Take eco-friendly up a notch in your RV, boat, or tiny home with a composting toilet. View the best composting toilet options here.

www.bobvila.com

 

[BoylermanCT]

Yes, in certain states and counties, a septic can be a DIY project. My FIL installed his own septic in upstate NY this past summer. He pulled permits and had to have it engineered by a licensed engineer but he did all the digging, installation and backfilling of the tank and leach fields. County inspected it and approved it. But here in CT you can't DIY, it has to be done by a licensed septic contractor.

Permits and inspections are in place to make sure things are done correctly for the next owner of the property, raise revenue for government from fees and to allow the government to properly assess and value the property for tax purposes. So putting in unpermitted additions does evade taxes and results in your neighbors paying more than their fair share of taxes and you paying less than your fair share. Something to think about.

 

[dadster4]

It's certainly possible for you to install another system but I would tap into the inlet of the existing system and have the tank pumped every other year to be sure solids don't build up in the first chamber. Consider adding another run to the drainfield to disperse the extra liquids involved, this would eliminate the cost of a tank and the work involved and all the supplies can be bought without raising any suspicion.

 

[EddieWalker]

Here in Texas, it's very common to do your own septic system. When I spoke to the Country Health Inspector, he told me that I had to have ten acres of land, or more, and that I was responsible for all repairs to it.

Home Depot sells septic tanks here. They have them sitting out in their parking lot, and if you want one, you need to buy it right away, because they sell them pretty quickly. When I bought mine, Norwesco 1000 Gal. 2 MH 2 CPT Septic Tank 44474 - The Home Depot, they had just received a new deliver of three big 1,000 gallon tanks, and three 500 gallon tanks. I went there the next week and they where all sold out!!!! But they always get more.

Installing the tank is pretty easy. I did it by myself. Just dig the hole big enough to be able to get in there and level it off really good at the depth you want it. I think the shovel work at getting it super flat was the hardest part. The tank isn't very heavy, I hooked it to my backhoe with a chain and lowered it into the hole.

To get to my leach field, I used Schedule 40 PVC. Same thing I used going from my house to the tank. Thin wall PVC is also used by some people, but Schedule 40 is so much stronger that I feel it's worth the extra money.

MY leach field is shaped kind of like the letter E. The line from the tank goes to the middle of the E, then it splits and heads out to three separate lines that are about ten feet apart. Home Depot and Lowes both sell all the stuff you need to make your own leach field. NDS 4 in. x 10 ft. EZ-Drain Prefabricated French Drain with Pipe EZ-0802F - The Home Depot

On my house, I have all my drain lines going into my tank, but I've worked on a bunch of houses here that have a Grey line going out into their landscaping. Showers and bathtub water probably shouldn't go into a septic tank, it dilutes the solids too much and slows down the process of breaking them down, but I didn't understand that when I built my house. If I could go back in time, I would have a separate Grey line

 

[MossRoad]

I wouldn't hesitate to do it myself here, if it weren't for the permitting and possible fines. People used to do it themselves, but so many were put in so poorly and so densely in tight neighborhoods and water contamination in wells ensued, so the county made it mandatory to be licensed to do it. It killed it for anyone that had plenty of room as you do.

Good luck. What's the worst that will/could happen if you get caught? Would you have to tear it all out? Pay fines, etc?

 

[dmccarty]

When we were buying our land, I read and reread the state and local regulations regarding perc and septic systems. Long story as to why, but your concern with corruption is a valid concern, and which is no longer an issue with us.

The state regulations had the rules, and I think specifications, for the septic system. Heck, they had the specification for an outhouse! As long as the septic system met the specifications and pass inspection we could build it.

I would check to see SC regulations and see if they have specification available. The extension service also had helpful information.

The suggestion to investigate a composting toilet is a good one too. The toilets are not really composting but drying toilets and they work. However, if used infrequently, the solid waste would compost in the toilet. These toilets keep the liquid and sold waste apart and are simple to build. RVs and boats are using these toilets since they have some real advantages in those applications.

 

[riptides]

When we were buying our land, I read and reread the state and local regulations regarding perc and septic systems. Long story as to why, but your concern with corruption is a valid concern, and which is no longer an issue with us.

The state regulations had the rules, and I think specifications, for the septic system. Heck, they had the specification for an outhouse! As long as the septic system met the specifications and pass inspection we could build it.

I would check to see SC regulations and see if they have specification available. The extension service also had helpful information.

The suggestion to investigate a composting toilet is a good one too. The toilets are not really composting but drying toilets and they work. However, if used infrequently, the solid waste would compost in the toilet. These toilets keep the liquid and sold waste apart and are simple to build. RVs and boats are using these toilets since they have some real advantages in those applications.

In my area it is unacceptable to even think about DIY.
I just spent close to 60k for permitting, soil studies, design, engineering and installation of a fancy new fangled blah blah blah....
It was a horrible experience. Bureaucracy....regulatuons....specialist, designers, engineers.....bah. Horrible. We estimate the one system that "failed" was at least 50 years old. I think the distribution box finally croaked. But the whole system was written off.
I think people have gone of the deep end with this process. Especially where I live. Heck I had an outhouse on the property when we moved here.

 

[4570Man]

I wouldn't hesitate to do it myself here, if it weren't for the permitting and possible fines. People used to do it themselves, but so many were put in so poorly and so densely in tight neighborhoods and water contamination in wells ensued, so the county made it mandatory to be licensed to do it. It killed it for anyone that had plenty of room as you do.

Good luck. What's the worst that will/could happen if you get caught? Would you have to tear it all out? Pay fines, etc?

Locally permitting one is not a big deal. They charge like $350 for a soil test and $600 to issue the permit. It’s legal here for a homeowner to install their own system without a license after the permit is paid.