Fish rooms and septic tanks

[deeda]

Agree with other members concerns but want to add it may also depend on what septic system you have as there are quite a few different types out there. You will also want to know how old the system is in the house you want to buy and whether the local jurisdiction may require an update which can get expensive.

The usual concern with septic tank usage is wrong materials being flushed down the drain AND excess water that can overwhelm the biological process it was designed to operate under. Most septic systems are designed with the number of bedrooms (people) and bathrooms in that particular home.

You also might want to see how the neighborhood you are considering deals with storm water runoff such as roofs and paved areas as some may have roadside ditches where runoff water can be directed.

 

[ReApEr666]

Depends on the capicity of ur septic tank...mine can only handle around 500gal a day... i installed a sump pump just for my drips drains as i use 800-900gal a day in drip water.. i pump the water out 24/7 into 100' of 6" pvc out to a storm drain. biggest issue with a sytem like this is power outtage. they make battery backups for sump pumps tho.

 

[skjl47]

Depends on the capicity of ur septic tank...mine can only handle around 500gal a day... i installed a sump pump just for my drips drains as i use 800-900gal a day in drip water.. i pump the water out 24/7 into 100' of 6" pvc out to a storm drain. biggest issue with a sytem like this is power outtage. they make battery backups for sump pumps tho.

Hello; At 500 per day that would be 15,000 gallons in 30 days. Much more than an estimate of the OP's water use. Of course this will likely be different at his new location.
I will be interested to know if such a large volume of water thru a system actually does any harm if the OP ever finds out for sure.

I had my tank emptied a little over a year ago at the cost of $350. I will save some on the cost as I marked the location of the lid for the tank. That way I can avoid the extra cost of a backhoe and them digging around to find it. My tank is made of concrete and has a small concrete plug for a lid. It worked out that a cinder block stood on end is just the right height to mark the opening and is right at ground level.

 

[Charney]

Thank you everyone for your replies

Depends on the capicity of ur septic tank...mine can only handle around 500gal a day... i installed a sump pump just for my drips drains as i use 800-900gal a day in drip water.. i pump the water out 24/7 into 100' of 6" pvc out to a storm drain. biggest issue with a sytem like this is power outtage. they make battery backups for sump pumps tho.

Two questions about pumping the water out through pvc. Do you live in an area that freezes? This is one concern of mine. The second is this is a lake community and i am not sure if i am thrilled with the idea of my discharge tank water going directly to the lake

 

[twentyleagues]

Thank you everyone for your replies



Two questions about pumping the water out through pvc. Do you live in an area that freezes? This is one concern of mine. The second is this is a lake community and i am not sure if i am thrilled with the idea of my discharge tank water going directly to the lake

That is a legitimate concern. And thank you for being concerned.

 

[ReApEr666]

Thank you everyone for your replies



Two questions about pumping the water out through pvc. Do you live in an area that freezes? This is one concern of mine. The second is this is a lake community and i am not sure if i am thrilled with the idea of my discharge tank water going directly to the lake

yup im in an area where it freezes for half the year... i run lower temps than most in my tanks at 70-74°. the discharge water is still warm enough to keep my lines warm/clear in winter no prob. the 100' of pipe out to the storm drain is buried maybe a foot underground and it melts the snow above it every year. ive been running this system for about 8 yrs now trouble free. im in the north/heartland area so we get pleny days below 0°. ive thought about ur 2nd concern also. passing pathogens into larger bodies of water. not much u can do there. my septic overflows into the same storm drain that goes into larger bodies of water. it does have a uv filter but im sure even that doesnt get everything out.

regardless of ur lake close by id still run the water into a storm drain if possible. i tried "leech" type beds/ponds for a few yrs before buryng pipe out to the drain. it was a mess. never soaked up enough of the water even with bog type plants and i had 3' tall grass in the area where it spilled over.

if ur opposed to possibly spreading pathogens into the lake def. get the water as far away from ur property as possible. with a constant drip/discharge. the water stacks up quick into a marsh/swamp land lol...

 

[PYRU]

Your field lines will disperse it just like a normal drain right? There's really not a difference unless I'm missing something.

I do it just like down spouts. I dig a pit then put rocks all around then cover it back up.

Now I use a pump on a timer. Before I moved I had a corrugated pipe routed through my flower beds that the water was pumped into.

 

[twentyleagues]

In the summer I have a pump that I use for water changes and pipes in my gardens outside, the water gets there via a pipe through a basement window. In the winter my water goes to my basement sump and is then pumped out of the house.

 

[skjl47]

Your field lines will disperse it just like a normal drain right? There's really not a difference unless I'm missing something.

Hello; Yes the extra tank water will progress the same as any other, I think the main question is if the total volume from the entire home will overwhelm the drain field. I have soil with a substantial clay content which takes in water slowly. If I were to overload the field lines the water would likely pool and might even work up to the surface. I have seen this in my neighborhood. The effluent would be mixed with human waste products. My guess is simply pumping the excess tank water out into the yard would be better than this.

Had a long dry spell a few years ago and the only place my grass grew was over the drain field. A nice green patch of grass surrounded by brown grass.

All of our speculation is interesting but may be a mute point if the soil drains well. I lived in NC for a couple of years where the soil was sandy. It could rain big time and 30 minutes later you could not tell because the water drained away quickly. There was a housing boom back then and most new homes had septic fields. The neighborhood had sandy soil but a different sort of sand was hauled in by truckloads to be put around the septic fields. It was code and I guess there was some good reason for the different sort of sand. When I left around the year 2000 there was a big problem around Wilmington NC because too many homes and other buildings had been built and the soil was oversaturated in several places. I do not know what they ever did.

Maybe the OP will be lucky and have soil that perks well.

 

[fishdance]

On my septic system, only sewage goes to the septic tank with the usual leech field to accommodate extra water. The grey water (shower, dish washer, house taps etc) go to a different drain which disperses over my land.