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Building a Septic System
Designing and installing a septic system is one of the most important phases of
building a house. It is the key waste disposal system and indeed it is hard to
imagine a home without the running water and drains which a septic system makes
possible. Building a septic system is not that difficult if done carefully.
Field design and approval.
In order to have a properly functioning septic field you must build it in
porous soil. To judge the ability of the ground where you want to put the field
to absorb water you must have a ‘perk test’ done. This involves digging a hole
to a specified level and dumping a specified amount of water into the hole and
timing how long the water takes to drain through the soil and disappear. This
test is usually done by the person who designs your septic field. Once the
soils ‘passes’ the perk test then a design can be done and submitted to the
local authorities for approval. Once approved, the construction can begin.
Some things to remember;
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Placement of the septic field is the single most important part of locating
your building site.
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The septic field needs to be ‘below’ your house (to accomplish gravity flow of
your waste water) and so you must take into account the elevation changes of
your lot.
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A septic field cannot be used as a driveway. It should be a grass, play or
garden area.
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There must be set backs from your lot boundaries. Check your local codes for
exact details.
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It cannot be close to your water line. Check your local codes for exact
details.
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Be aware of how the tank connects to the field and ensure that no space is
wasted. Otherwise you might unnecesarily restrict the design and
placement of your house.
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Clearing the Site
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This is what the site looked like at the start
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| It is hard to believe that the pioneers removed stumps with a shovel, an ax and
a fulcrum
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