Septic tank made of two plastic barrels. How to make a septic tank with your own hands from barrels using plastic containers as an example. Visual step-by-step guide

If near your summer cottage No centralized networks sewerage and water supply, then for comfortable stay In the house it is necessary to build an autonomous water supply and a local treatment facility - a septic tank. Today we will talk about septic tanks. Thanks to them wastewater will be disposed of according to sanitary standards without causing harm environment. It’s easier and cheaper to make a homemade treatment facility from scrap materials, for example, a septic tank from barrels. The design can be designed for any volume of wastewater, depending on the number of people living in the house. In our article you will find a description of the nuances of making a cleaning device from this material, and the video at the end of the article will help you understand the process more clearly.

You can make a septic tank from a barrel yourself from different materials. The barrel can be plastic or metal. But last option not the best, since the metal quickly corrodes in conditions of constant humidity, so the design will be short-lived. It is better to make a septic tank for small dacha from polymer containers with a volume of 200-250 liters. If many residents will live at your dacha or the structure can be used year-round, then the volume of containers should be even larger.

Options self-construction There may be a lot of water supply and sewerage systems in a dacha. Thus, a water supply can be installed from a well or a borehole, and the choice of septic tank design depends on the characteristics of the wastewater, hydrogeological conditions on the site and the required quality of wastewater treatment. A septic tank from barrels can be:

• Single-chamber. This homemade septic tank, in fact, is ordinary cesspool. It can be with or without a bottom, depending on the type of soil and the groundwater level. Wastewater from the sewerage system enters a tank, where it is either pumped out by sewer trucks as it accumulates, or is filtered into the ground through a special layer of gravel and crushed stone at the bottom. This septic tank is suitable for a shower or bath without a toilet. The thing is that this septic tank will not harm the environment only if fecal waste does not get into it.

Important: structures without a bottom can only be used on sandy soils with good absorption capacity. On clay soils, wastewater is pumped into a filtration well using a drainage pump after settling.

• Two-chamber. A septic tank of two containers is more advanced. For a small dacha, two barrels with a volume of 200 liters are enough. The wastewater immediately from the sewer enters the first chamber, where it settles, as a result of which heavy components settle to the bottom. In the second chamber, clarified waters undergo a post-purification process. A septic tank of two containers can be made with a bottom in both chambers or only in the first of them. Then a filter layer is installed at the bottom of the second chamber, and the water is discharged into the ground.
• Three-chamber. Most the best option– sewerage system for a dacha consisting of three containers with a volume of 200-250 liters each. This design achieves the required degree of wastewater treatment, which does not contradict sanitary standards. Such wastewater can be discharged into the ground without the risk of deteriorating the environmental situation. Effluent from the sewer settles in the first chamber. Then the pre-purified water flows into the second compartment, where it is further purified biological method. A small precipitate of small impurities also falls here. Only then does the purified water enter the filtration chamber, where it is discharged into the ground through a layer at the bottom.

Requirements for a septic tank

To build efficient septic tank with your own hands from barrels, you must adhere to the following rules:

• For high-quality cleaning wastewater, the septic tank must be multi-chamber. As you understand, single-chamber septic tanks contradict sanitary standards. In a multi-chamber design, wastewater in the first compartment undergoes mechanical treatment under the influence of gravity, and in the second chamber it is broken down by microorganisms organic compounds. In the last filtration chamber, final purification of the liquid occurs, and the wastewater is discharged into the ground.
• The septic tank from the barrel must be completely sealed, with the exception of the bottom of the last chamber. This is the only way to guarantee the safety of the entire structure.
• When choosing a location for a septic tank, you should adhere to standard distances. So, from the source where the water for the water supply is taken, there must be at least 15 m. You should retreat at least 5 m from the foundation of the house. You should not lay sewer pipes close to the water supply. The septic tank should be located at a distance of 1-2 meters from highways and parking lots.

Advice: do not locate the treatment plant too far from the house, as there will be problems with maintaining the slope of the sewer pipes. As a result, it may turn out that they enter the treatment plant at a very great depth, so the septic tank will have to be deeply buried in the ground.

• It is necessary to correctly determine the dimensions of all containers treatment plant. The volume of the first chamber of the settling tank must be equal to the volume of daily discharge, which is determined by taking into account that one resident consumes 200 liters of water from the water supply per day. This number must be multiplied by the number of residents and by 3 (the number of days the wastewater is in the septic tank). As a result, we will get the working volume of the septic tank. The actual volume is usually a little more, but not less.

Necessary materials

After performing preliminary calculations - determining the volume of the septic tank, the length of the sewer pipeline, the hydrogeological state of the soil, freezing depth, dimensions of the pit and the required slope - you can begin to build a septic tank from plastic barrels.

For work you will need the following materials:

• Two or three barrels of polymer material volume of 200 liters or more. In addition, you will need a corrugated plastic pipe or another barrel for the well.
• To close the barrels from above, you should take three sewer covers(also made of plastic).
• Pipes for laying sewerage with a diameter of 110 mm. The length must be determined by taking into account the distance from the house to the septic tank plus a couple of meters of reserve.
• Ventilation pipe with a head with a diameter of 110 mm. Pipe length no more than 1.5 m.
• Angle fittings and tees for the diameter of the pipes used.
• Flanges and couplings.
• Small crushed stone with a fraction of elements not exceeding 40 mm.
• Sand.
• Adhesive for joining PVC elements.
• Epoxy based sealant.
• Rubber seals for sealing the entry of pipes into the septic tank.
• Cord and pegs.
• Shovel.
• Roulette.
• Bulgarian.
• Level.

If the groundwater in your area is very high, then the bottom of the pit will have to be concreted. For this you will need cement-sand mixture, electric mixer, mixing container, fittings and steel cables for fixing barrels at the bottom.

If the soil is loose, then the walls of the pit will need to be strengthened wooden formwork or steel fine mesh. To insulate the treatment plant and sewer pipeline you will need mineral wool for pipes, penoplex or polystyrene foam for treatment facilities.

Installation

Before starting excavation work, the sewer pipe must be removed from the house. It is from this place that you will dig a trench with a slope towards the septic tank. Next, we make a septic tank from a barrel in the following sequence:

1. From the place where the sewage system exits the house, we dig a trench 1 m wide to the place where the septic tank is installed. At the same time, we make a slope of the bottom of the trench taking into account a 2 cm drop for each meter of length. We are digging a pit under the septic tank. Its dimensions should be 20 cm larger than the size of the barrels. At the bottom of the pit we make ledges 10 cm high to install each communicating container at different depths. The first camera will be located above everything.
2. Since the septic tank has impressive dimensions, but light weight, groundwater can easily lift the container to the surface. To prevent this from happening, a concrete pad is made at the bottom of the pit. To do this, first mix cement-sand mortar, then a sand cushion 10 cm high is made at the bottom of the pit. It is leveled and compacted. After this, a reinforcing mesh with outlets for attaching the septic tank is laid at the bottom. The bottom is filled with a layer of concrete 150-200 mm high.
3. After the concrete pad has hardened, you can begin installing the barrels. Each barrel is mounted on a separate step so that the next container stands 10 cm lower. There should be a distance of 100-150 mm between the cameras. We attach the barrels to the reinforcement outlets in the bottom using a steel cable.
4. In the first chamber, at the required height, we cut a hole for a supply pipeline with a diameter of 110 mm. We put a rubber seal into the hole and additionally seal it with mastic. Now insert a tee into the resulting hole. Then we will connect the supply sewer pipe and ventilation to it.
5. At a height below 100 mm from the first hole, on the other side of the first barrel, we make another hole for overflow. We also seal it with a rubber seal and insert the corner fitting.
6. Cover the first barrel with a lid and install a ventilation pipe.
7. Now we cut a hole on the side of the second chamber and insert the corner fitting into it. We seal the hole with a rubber gasket. We connect two daughters with fittings with an overflow pipe.
8. WITH reverse side make a hole in the second container at the level of the middle of the barrel to install an overflow into the third chamber. Install the cover.
9. The third chamber is a sealed well with a hole for overflow from the second chamber. We connect the second and third chambers with a pipe. We install the cover. If instead of the third camera is used drainage well, then to arrange it you need to take corrugated pipe with a diameter of 1 m. A hole for overflow is cut in its wall, and a gravel-sand layer 300 mm high is arranged at the bottom. It is better to lay a layer of geotextile under the layer. Through it, water will filter into the ground.
10. Backfilling of the septic tank is carried out with alternating layers of sand and concrete. After making a layer 200-300 mm thick, it is moistened with water and compacted.

Important: as backfilling progresses, the barrels must be filled with water 20-30 cm above the backfill level. This will protect the septic tank structure from deformation under soil pressure.

Country house, small sauna, a summer camp site or temporary living quarters being equipped for the period of construction of a capital structure - will not be comfortable enough for living without a sewerage system. But purchasing an expensive local treatment plant is not always advisable.

As alternative solution you can consider a simple septic tank made of light polymer barrels, which are very easy to bring to the site and short time install it yourself. There are also metal barrels, but due to exposure of this material corrosion, their use is not recommended. Wooden containers are even less durable. Their service life is no more than two seasons.

Principle of operation

Since a septic tank is a system in which domestic waste and waste not only accumulates, but undergoes purification. For construction, you will need two or three barrels, which will become loading and secondary cleaning chambers. To make the system as efficient as possible, it is worth thinking about installing a drainage or storage well into which purified water from the septic tank will flow.

Let's consider the principle of operation of a two-chamber septic tank made of barrels, equipped with a storage well.

1. Used water (from the shower, toilet, etc.) flows into the drain hole, from where through the pipes of the internal and external sewerage flows by gravity into the first loading barrel-chamber.
2. The first chamber is called a “settlement tank”, since here, with the participation of constantly active forces gravity, sedimentation of wastewater occurs. Light fractions and fats float to the top, heavy particles precipitate. In the center of the container, a layer of primary purified technical liquid is formed, which is transported through the overflow pipe into the second chamber-barrel.
3. The second post-treatment chamber is designed for more high-quality processing drains. Here, in an airless environment, colonies of microorganisms “work” (they are formed 2-5 weeks after the system is put into operation). For greater efficiency, preparations can be loaded into the post-treatment chamber to quickly decompose all sewage into water, sediment that falls to the bottom, as well as gases escaping through the ventilation pipe.
4. The degree of purification in the first two chambers can reach 80-90%. To increase the quality of cleaning, you can install another septic tank chamber, which will work on the principle of a post-treatment chamber. If the result suits you, then this measure is not relevant, and technically purified water will be transferred to a storage well.
5. The storage well has a sealed bottom, preventing water from penetrating into the ground. Disposal of liquid from the well is carried out using a sewer truck or drain pump subject to installation of filters.

Instead of a storage well, you can install a filter (drainage) well. In this case, all the liquid enters the well container, where, passing through a crushed stone filter, it is absorbed into the soil. The method is not applicable when high level groundwater and clay type soils with low filtration capacity.

Where to begin?

Any sewerage construction requires drawing up minimum project. As prescribed by the standards, cleaning chambers must not only be located at a distance from green spaces (at least 3 meters), the foundation of the house (5-10 m), reservoirs and wells (30-50 m), but also at the same time be located within the reach of a sewer truck. place. Of course, if you plan to carry out preventive cleaning of the septic tank with a drainage pump or bucket, last rule loses relevance.

Note! The septic tank should not be too far from the building to avoid the need to lay an excessively long pipeline. It is also not recommended to plan the laying of pipes with turns, as this may cause pipe clogging and an additional need for installing a rotary (inspection) well. The best option is a septic tank located 7-10 meters from the house and connected to the system internal sewerage direct pipeline Ø110 mm. For a pipe section of 10 meters (the difference between the opposite ends of the pipe) will be 20 cm.

It is important to have information about soil type and groundwater levels. The nuances of installation and the method of disposal of the purified liquid will depend on this.

Septic tanks differ from conventional sewage systems in the volume of wastewater processed. If when connecting to central system the volume of water consumption does not matter, then small installation from barrels implies economical use water (maximum washbasin, shower and toilet). At the same time, about connection washing machine there is no longer any talk. A septic tank with three chambers with a volume of about 250 liters is quite suitable for temporary living arrangements for 2-3 people. For more Users are advised to select larger capacity barrels.

It is also theoretically necessary to register the fact of installing a septic tank in the SES, but this design from casks is unlikely to be approved, so obtaining official approval is left to the discretion of the owners.

Preparation of materials and tools

On a small summer cottage there is no point in installing an expensive septic tank. Moreover, if the dacha comes to life only in the summer, and the number of people living in it is small. You can make a septic tank from barrels at your dacha with your own hands. Previously, 200 liter metal barrels were used to build septic tanks. Over time, plastic barrels appeared on sale. They are much lighter and more durable. As a result, demand quickly shifted from metal barrels to plastic ones. Of course, a good owner not to carry extra costs, will use the barrels that he has. In this article we will look at how to make a septic tank from barrels, using both metal barrels and plastic barrels.

Choosing a place for a septic tank

When choosing a place for a future septic tank, pay attention to the location of wells with drinking water and residential buildings. According to the standards, the septic tank must be located no closer than 5 m from the living space and 15 m from the source of drinking water.

Installation of plastic barrels

So, you have chosen a place for installation and decided to build a septic tank from plastic barrels. You can start doing the work:

1. For a small summer cottage, two or three barrels with a capacity of 200-250 liters are enough. Taking a little more space than the diameter of the barrels, mark the place for the pit. Keep in mind that the distance between the barrels should be 25 cm and they should be in one line.
2. Get started with the hardest soil work. The depth of the pit is dug in steps. First, a hole is dug to the height of the first barrel. Each next barrel will be installed 15 cm deeper than the previous one.
3. The bottom of the first two holes is covered with a sand cushion 10 cm thick. After this, it is well leveled and compacted. If your finances allow, the bottom can be concreted. Concrete is poured into the reinforcement, bent in the form of a loop with a protrusion outward. The barrels will then be tied to these loops.
4. The bottom of the hole under the third barrel is covered with a layer of sand of about 50 cm. A layer of crushed stone of 30 cm is poured on top of the sand. This layer will filter the wastewater that goes into the ground.
5. Place barrels with bottoms at the bottom of the first two holes. They will serve as settling tanks. If the bottom is made of concrete and there are hinges, then using belts we fasten the barrels to the hinges. This device will protect the barrels from floating in the spring.
6. Install the first barrel with a removable top lid. You will use it to clean the container from sediment. From the top of the barrel, remove the riser from sewer pipe with a diameter of 50 mm for the release of gases.
7. If the design of the septic tank provides a filtration field, then cut holes in the second barrel located one above the other at an angle of 45 °. Pipes leading to the filtration field will be connected to these holes.
8. In the third barrel, cut out the bottom with a jigsaw or grinder, and place it on the filter bottom of the pit.
9. The barrels will be connected to each other by overflow pipes. Therefore, holes with a diameter of 110 mm must be cut in the sides of the barrels for sewer pipes. The hole of the pipe leaving the barrel should be 10 cm lower than the incoming one.
10. Using a sewer pipe, connect the barrels together. Seal the joints with sealant.
11. After the entire installation procedure, backfill the pit. The pit is backfilled in layers. As the layer is added, water is poured into the barrel so that the pressure does not crush the barrel. And fill the space between the walls of the barrels with a dry mixture of sand and cement. Each layer is compacted as it falls asleep.

Photo

Filtration field

If the groundwater is deep, a filtration field can be added to the septic tank installation. In this case, installing a third filter barrel is impractical and is not installed. Let's take a quick look at how to make a filter field correctly:

1. Near installed septic tank a trench is dug. Its width should accommodate 2 perforated pipes, and its depth should be about 70 cm.
2. A geotextile fabric is laid in the trench.
3. Placed on top of the canvas perforated pipe and connects to the second barrel.
4. The top of the pipe is covered with crushed stone and covered with the remaining edges of the canvas. The edges of the canvas should overlap each other by 15 cm.
5. The wrapped pipes are covered with soil. If desired, the filtration field can be seeded with lawn grass.

Installation of metal barrels

If you have metal 200 lying around liter barrels, you can save on buying plastic ones. The fact is that you can also make a septic tank from metal barrels. The installation diagram and procedure are the same as when installing a septic tank from plastic barrels. Just to cut holes in the sides of metal barrels you will need a jigsaw with a metal file. You will also need a welding machine, which can be used to weld overflow pipes and a pipe for the release of gases from the first barrel. To increase the capacity of the septic tank, the barrels can be welded vertically with each other. Jumpers are welded at welding points for strength. Metal tends to rust quickly, so it is advisable to treat the surface of the barrels before installation protective composition. This could be bitumen or any other similar product sold in a hardware store.

Video

In this video you will find instructions for making a bath drain from a plastic barrel:

In a city apartment, running water and sewerage are the norm. I also want to go to the dacha plot comfortable conditions stay. However, outside the city there are not centralized treatment systems everywhere. You have to install the septic tank yourself. There are many options for this, but a do-it-yourself sewer system in a country house made from a barrel is the simplest and cheapest of them.

For a private home, it is better to buy a factory-assembled septic tank with a large capacity and using bioenzymes. And for use in the country, a small barrel sewer with mechanical cleaning and soil treatment is quite enough.

How to choose the right place for a septic tank in your country house

For country house characterized by a small volume of wastewater. They do not live there all the time, but only on short visits, on weekends. However, sanitary and building codes one for everyone.

Sewerage from barrels - best option for a summer cottage

Septic tank autonomous sewerage at the dacha should be removed from:

• reservoirs, drinking well or borehole 30 meters;
• vegetable beds by 10 meters;
• house foundation 5 meters;
• underground pipelines with gas at 5 meters;
• green spaces (shrubs and trees) by 3 meters.

Attention! Compliance minimum distances to sources drinking water– the key to preventing their contamination and the spread of infections.

If the septic tank is placed too close to the country house, then the water will certainly begin to destroy its foundation. And the corresponding sanitary standards are prescribed for a reason. Failure to comply may result not only in health problems, but also in legal liability.

Also, when choosing the location of the septic tank, you need to consider:

1. Properties and composition of the soil - sand easily allows moisture to pass through, and clay soil you will have to equip a sand cushion.
2. The terrain of the site - the sewer pipe should be laid at a slope from the house to the barrels, the water should move by gravity.
3. Depth of groundwater.
4. Climatic conditions – maximum possible negative temperatures air in winter and the level of ground freezing.
5. The inevitability of the arrival of a sewage truck - containers must be accessible for cleaning and pumping out sewage.

Scheme of the simplest sewer system from a pair of containers

The simplest sewer system at the dacha - this external pipeline and a couple iron barrels as a septic tank. Pipes for self-installation you can take it plastic diameter 110 mm. A smaller diameter will not cope with the peak volume of wastewater, and for a larger one you will have to overpay.

Remember! Septic tank made from barrels as a base sewer system at the dacha it is recommended to install only when groundwater no higher than 3–4 meters.

The slope of the sewer pipeline for reliable gravity flow must be at least 0.03 (vertical 3 cm/ linear meter pipes). When laying pipes above the freezing level, it will be necessary to perform insulation using moisture-resistant thermal insulation materials.

Barrel sewage system

Which containers are better to use: iron or plastic?

When arranging a sewer system in a dacha with your own hands, you use barrels made of plastic or metal. The first option is easier to install and more resistant to corrosion, but when the soil swells, the plastic container will be easily crushed.

Iron barrels of 200 liters are more popular among Russian summer residents. After firing, this metal container for paints and varnishes becomes an ideal container for creating a sewer sump. It is durable, cheap and light weight, which allows you to do all the work yourself.

Iron two-hundred-liter barrels are popular among domestic summer residents due to their availability

The only drawback of any iron is its susceptibility to corrosion. However, you can always treat an iron barrel for sewage bitumen mastic or other anti-corrosion compound.

Advice! To make a metal sump tank last longer, it must be coated anti-corrosion protection(bitumen, paintwork materials).

Another nuance of choosing between an iron and a plastic barrel is their weight and the need to pour a foundation underneath them. Plastic is light, it will have to be fixed on a pre-prepared concrete pad, otherwise the plastic sump may simply float during floods. There are no such problems with heavier iron.

According to SNiP, the volume of a septic tank must accommodate three daily measures of wastewater from the house. This is with a water consumption of up to 5 cubic meters/day - just for country sewerage. But it must be understood that these data are indicated for regularly cleaned sedimentation tanks. They must be cleaned at least twice a year, removing accumulated silt and debris.

The principle of operation of a country septic tank made of two barrels

A standard two-chamber septic tank for a summer residence consists of a pair of metal barrels:

1. Sealed primary settling tank rough cleaning.
2. Tanks for soil purification.

An option with one sealed tank is possible. But then he must be much bigger size and it will have to be constantly cleaned. And for this it will be necessary to call vacuum cleaners with special equipment, paying for their work. This type of sewage system is more suitable for a small cottage, but for a summer house it is better to use an alternative of a pair of iron barrels.

In this case, the wastewater first enters the first tank, where it is clarified and coarse sediment (sand, vegetable peelings and other debris) settles out. As soon as this tank is filled to capacity, the partially purified water begins to flow into the second barrel, which has no bottom. As a result, the moisture, passing through the sand filter and further purified, goes into the ground.

Conditional diagram two-chamber septic tank

The first barrel should be located slightly higher than the second. This way the water will drain naturally without any pumps. Also, in the first container you need to make a lid and a ventilation outlet. Sooner or later, solid sediment will have to be cleaned out of it. And ventilation is needed for anaerobic processes to occur.

Technology for arranging sewerage systems in the country

At first - excavation. It is necessary to dig a trench for a sewer pipe from the house and a pit for iron barrels. The top of the container will be sprinkled with soil 20–30 cm thick. The hole will have to be dug quite deep. There should be a gap of 25 cm on the sides.

If you plan to use a sewer system made by yourself from barrels in your dacha in the winter, it should be insulated. But in this case, at least a third of the tank must be below the freezing zone, otherwise the water in the tank will freeze. And this is an additional deepening of the pit. You may even need to call an excavator to dig.

1. In the first: on top there is an inlet for the pipe from the house, and on the side there is an outlet for overflowing into the next tank.
2. In the second: on the side - an incoming overflow, and from below - into the entire bottom for drainage into the ground.

The inlet should be located 10–20 cm above the outlet, otherwise the water may flow back if it overflows.

Advice! In order not to have to weld metal, it is enough to cut even holes and insert them into them rubber seals appropriate size. And already enter into them plastic pipes and coat everything with sealant.

All pipes inserted into the barrel must be thoroughly sealed

A cushion of sand and gravel 10 to 30 cm thick is poured onto the bottom of the pit and compacted thoroughly. Then the barrels are installed and connected with a jumper. If necessary, they are covered with insulation (foam or expanded clay).

Before connecting the sewer pipe, the containers must be filled with soil on the sides. The earth should be thrown in layers of 20 cm and each of them compacted.

All that remains is to connect the sewer pipe from the country house. It is inserted into the first tank using a tee, the free end of which is intended for organizing the ventilation of the septic tank. Finally, everything is sprinkled with soil on top.

Septic tank maintenance and cleaning

Gradually, the first settling barrel will be filled with solid waste and sludge from their decomposition. To clean it, you will have to call a sewer truck.

On average, the volume of sludge increases by 60–80 liters over the summer. But with constant visits to the dacha, the septic tank may overflow long before the end of the season.

Vacuum cleaners should be invited regularly

To prevent this, special biological additives are used that significantly accelerate the decomposition processes and reduce the volume of waste. However, at least once a year, barrels must be cleaned by professional vacuum cleaners.

Video: general principles of sewerage installation in a country house

You can install a sewer system in your dacha using metal barrels with your own hands. There is nothing complicated here, everything necessary materials will be found on construction market. Such a septic tank will cost inexpensively. However, it is not always worth saving unnecessarily on safety and health. Pollution of soil and water bodies with untreated wastewater is punishable by law. Consultations and advice from professionals on the issue of installing a sewer system will never hurt.

In a city apartment, sewerage and running water are the norm. As for the dacha plot, there are no such conditions there, but people still want comfort. Outside the city it is not always possible to use centralized treatment systems, which is why many property owners outside the city install a septic tank on their own.

The solution of the problem

To do this, you can use one of many technologies, but most often sewerage is installed using barrels, which are convenient to install and easy to get. It is better to purchase a septic tank for a private home pre-assembled. But if we are talking about a dacha, then barrel sewage will be sufficient, which involves soil or mechanical purification.

Choosing a location for a septic tank

If you decide to install a septic tank from a barrel with your own hands, then it is important to choose the right place. The system should be removed from the wells, drinking wells and reservoirs at least 30 m. The distance from the beds should be 10 m, from underground pipelines - 5 m. Work on arranging such a sewer system should begin at a distance of 5 m from the foundation.

Concerning green spaces according to the type of trees and shrubs, the distance to them should be 3 m. It is important to maintain a minimum step to sources of drinking water, this will prevent their contamination and reduce the likelihood of the spread of infection.

Before starting work, it is important to remember that wastewater will enter the system in a small volume, because usually the owners of suburban real estate do not live in such houses permanently, they may visit the site on weekends or be present during visits. However, it is important to comply with construction and sanitary standards.

When building a septic tank from a barrel with your own hands, you should not place it close to the foundation, because in this case the water will begin to destroy the foundation. Sanitary standards are prescribed for a reason; if they are neglected, this can lead to health problems and liability under the law. When choosing a location for a septic tank, you should consider:

• composition and properties of soil;
• relief of the site;
• climatic conditions;
• the need to arrange an access road for a sewer truck.

What is important to consider?

Before starting work, it is important to study the composition of the soil. As for sand, it allows moisture to pass through quite easily, whereas clay soil should be supplemented with a sand cushion. It is important to pay attention to the terrain features of the site. The pipe must be laid at a certain slope from the house to the receiving barrels, then the wastewater will move by gravity.

If you are building a septic tank from a barrel with your own hands, then it is also important to take into account the climatic conditions. Experts recommend studying how much the air temperature drops in winter period, because this allows you to find out what the level of soil freezing is. If the septic tank is planned to be pumpable, then it is important to ensure that there are access paths for the sewer truck.

The most simple system for a summer cottage consists of two iron barrels and an external pipeline. Pipes can be made of plastic, and their diameter can be 110 mm. If the diameter is smaller, the system will not be able to cope with the peak volume of sewage. A septic tank made from barrels can only be installed when it is lying groundwater at a level of 4 m.

The slope of the sewer pipeline should be 0.03, this will ensure gravity flow. The vertical value should be 3 cm per linear meter. If pipes are supposed to be laid above the soil freezing level, then they should be insulated using moisture-resistant thermal insulation.

Sewage device

Quite often lately, consumers have been building a septic tank from barrels with their own hands. You too can follow their experience. At the first stage, it is important to choose the material of the containers; it can be plastic or iron. The first option will be easier to install; in addition, it is resistant to corrosion, but swelling of the soil can lead to deformation of the structure.

Among Russian summer residents, iron barrels with a capacity of 200 liters are more common. After firing, this container becomes ideal for a sewer sump. The container is inexpensive and durable, and is also lightweight, which allows you to carry out the work yourself. One of the main disadvantages of iron is its susceptibility to corrosion. But the walls of the product can always be treated with an anti-corrosion compound similar to bitumen mastic.

How to avoid mistakes?

In order for the container to last longer, it should be covered with bitumen and paint and varnish material. If you decide to install a septic tank with your own hands from a barrel for country toilet, then it is important to consider the choice of material from the point of view of the need to fill the foundation. The plastic is quite light, so it must be fixed on a concrete pad, otherwise the product may float during floods.

With iron such problems will not arise. According to sanitary standards and rules, the volume of the septic tank must accommodate wastewater in the amount of 3 daily norms. This is true for water consumption in the amount of 5 m 3 per day, which is relevant for country sewerage. However, it is important to remember that these data are for cleanable sumps.

Arrangement technology

If you are thinking about the question of how to make a septic tank from barrels with your own hands, then at the first stage you need to carry out excavation work. They involve preparing a trench for laying pipes that will run from the house. For reinforced concrete barrels it is also necessary to dig a pit. The top of the container is sprinkled with soil. The pit should be deep enough; a gap should be left on the sides, the width of which is 0.25 m.

When setting up a septic tank from barrels in your country house with your own hands, you must decide whether you will use the system in the winter. If this is the case, then thermal insulation work should be carried out. In this case, the containers must be located below the soil freezing line, otherwise the water will freeze. This approach requires additional deepening of the pit; an excavator may be needed.

Work methodology

At the next stage, holes should be made in the barrels. In the first container, one of them should be located on top; it is intended for the pipe coming from the house. The second hole should be on the side; it is the outlet and is used to overflow into the next tank.

In the second container, a hole is made on the side, and the second - from the bottom. To be precise, the second barrel must be deprived of the bottom to allow drainage into the ground. This will allow you to make a septic tank from a barrel with your own hands without pumping. The inlet hole should be located 20 cm higher than the outlet hole, otherwise the water may flow back. In order to eliminate welding work, it is necessary to cut a hole and install rubber seals, plastic pipes are inserted into them, and the connections are treated with sealant.

A cushion of sand and gravel must be poured onto the bottom of the prepared pit; its thickness can vary from 10 to 30 cm. The preparation is well compacted, barrels are placed on it and connected by a jumper. They can be lined with insulation, which is sometimes expanded clay or polystyrene foam.

Before connecting the barrels, fill the sides with soil. The soil is poured in layers of 20 cm and compacted. At the next stage, the pipe that comes from country house. It is inserted into the first container using a tee; its free end will be used for ventilation. On final stage everything should be covered with soil.

Features of a septic tank made from metal barrels

If you are constructing a septic tank from iron barrels with your own hands, then it is important to concrete the bottom. The second container should be located slightly lower than the first. For work, it is better to use barrels of 200 liters or more. It is recommended to insulate the septic tank on all sides; this process should not be neglected, laying the material only at the bottom of the pit. After backfilling is completed, the system should be covered with roofing felt, iron or wood covers, the latter of which are needed to provide access to the containers if it is necessary to pump out wastewater.

Volume increase

If you want to increase the volume of the structure, you can stack several barrels on top of each other and weld them together. Additional iron jumpers can be mounted to securely fasten the products to each other. The formed joints must be well waterproofed; hot bitumen is usually used for this. No matter how well a septic tank is built with your own hands from a barrel of fuel and lubricants, after 4 years the tanks will have to be replaced, because they will begin to rust and rot under the influence of aggressive wastewater.

Features of preparing a pit for installing plastic barrels

Quite often, country property owners build a septic tank from plastic barrels with their own hands. You can see photos of such systems in the article. When preparing a hole for installing containers, you should be guided by parameters that will be greater geometric dimensions used compartments. Along the perimeter of the pit, the step between the sides and the barrels should be 0.25 m. The bottom must be well compacted, covered with sand and filled with concrete solution; if necessary, formwork should be used.

Mortgages can be installed into the resulting base metal elements, which will help fix the barrels. They must be made with loops. When making a septic tank from plastic barrels with your own hands, you must additionally secure the tanks to the base using special belts, which are also called bandage belts. They allow you to achieve a 100% guarantee that the barrels will not float during a flood.

When making holes in plastic containers, you should step back 0.2 m from the lid of the first tank. The pipe from the residential building will be installed here. On the opposite side of the chamber, another hole should be made, which is shifted downward by 0.1 m. In the first container, you will need another hole for the ventilation riser.

If you decide to make a septic tank from plastic barrels with your own hands, then it is recommended to add a removable lid to the first compartment, because a huge amount of solid waste will accumulate in it, which will have to be cleaned out from time to time. If you do not plan to construct it, then holes are made in the second barrel, which are located at an angle of 45 ° relative to each other. These holes will be needed for drainage pipes.

Conclusion

A septic tank made with your own hands from plastic barrels (200 liters) may require the presence of filtration fields instead of a filtration well. For pipes, it is necessary to prepare trenches that have a slope of 2 cm per meter. Geotextiles are laid at the bottom of the trench, and its sections are thrown over the sides of the ditch. Next, backfilling is carried out with crushed stone, on the layer of which the drainage pipes. The trench is filled with crushed stone, and geotextiles are laid on top again. At the final stage, the ditch is covered with earth, at which point we can assume that the filtration fields are ready.

During operation, the first compartment will be filled with sludge and solid waste. For cleaning, you should use the services of a vacuum cleaner. The volume of sludge will increase by 80 liters over the summer, however, with constant visits to the dacha, the system may overflow long before the end of the season. These operating features, of course, must be taken into account before the system is designed.