Owners of suburban real estate often face the problem of equipping septic tanks. And in order not to buy a rather expensive structure, many decide to dig a hole with their own hands and independently install a septic tank from concrete rings. Such a sump, if built correctly, will last for many years, while not requiring serious renovations, but only cleaning.
The device and the advantage of a septic tank from rings
Despite the laboriousness of the procedure, a concrete septic tank is much more preferable than, for example, an ordinary cesspool. Lack of cleaning, frequent pumping out of accumulations, damage to the site - all these are the "advantages" of a simple drainage ditch, a septic tank in this case is much more profitable and practical.
Representing two or more tanks connected by overflow pipes, the structure collects all waste streams, purifies them using biological compounds and removes gases. For better post-treatment, you can always install an additional tank, equipped with a filter element and get almost perfectly clean water for technical needs.
Today, manufacturers offer ready-made structures that only need to be connected to the sewer pipe. It can be both plastic and concrete monolithic sedimentation tanks. But the price of the product is high, so choosing a self-made cleaning tank is the right and profitable decision. Forming a reservoir, the rings are tightly pressed against each other, and, supplemented with a sealant, the structure will definitely not leak and will not let waste into the ground.
The top of the tank is equipped with a hatch, a pipe for evacuating gases. The filter element is made of pebbles, gravel and coarse sand. The advantage of the structure is the ability to build a septic tank of any volume with your own hands, which is necessary for a comfortable stay in a private house.
Calculation of volume, installation of a sump
It is necessary to calculate the volume of the tank to determine the flow of effluents, the treatment of which will be assigned to the system. It is not worth measuring how much water the washing machine or the spouse spends, take the standard indicator as the norm - 200 liters per day per person. In a family of 3 people, the total daily volume will be 600 liters or 0.6 m3. Professionals advise taking not a daily rate, but a triple one, which means that the volume of the tank cannot be less than 1800 liters or 1.8 m3.
The dimensions of concrete rings are standard, they have dimensions of 0.8 m in height and 1 m in cross-section, and the inner diameter is 0.63 m3, which means that for a family of 3 people a sump of 3 rings is needed.
Advice! A hole for the rings should be dug at a depth of at least 3.5 meters, leaving 0.5 meters for laying the inlet pipe.
When equipping the sewage system with your own hands, it is worth considering that the second chamber should have a volume of 75% of the first chamber, and if water consumption is more than 10 m3 / day, you will have to build a third chamber, the volume of which should be at least 50% of the volume of the first chamber. Of course, these calculation examples are approximate and should be adjusted to suit the needs of each individual family.
Requirements for a pit prepared for arranging a septic tank from concrete rings:
- The dimensions of the pit must take into account the number of chambers of the cleaning system;
- The bottom of the pit is leveled, a cushion of sand and gravel is equipped, then the site is concreted to prevent untreated wastewater from entering the ground;
- The filtration layer should be within 0.5-1 meter of thickness.
The next stage is the installation of reinforced concrete rings. You can carry out the procedure without the use of special equipment, with your own hands. And at the same time, do not even prepare the foundation pit in advance. As it will be:
- Digging a hole to the depth of human growth;
- The first ring is installed;
- The next ring is placed on it, fastened to the first;
- Then the hole is dug deeper, the soil is pulled up, and the rings settle under their own weight.
Important! This method requires strict adherence to security measures. Do not work alone, be sure to stock up on insurance. It often happens that when digging a septic tank, it breaks through the groundwater and concrete rings fall on a person.
It remains only to seal the joints both from the inside of the mine and from the outside, and connect the chambers with pipes. The last step is to cover the pit with soil. It is best to use part of the sand for filling, so that in case of an emergency breakthrough, the sand mixture serves as an additional filter, excluding the ingress of untreated wastewater into the ground.
It takes a little time to close the tank. As a rule, hatches are sold ready-made and come in both cast iron and plastic. In the absence of covers, a reinforcement structure filled with concrete is suitable. After that, the correct septic tank is covered with a layer of soil, and do not forget about the ventilation pipe in the first tank! The height of the pipe is standard - 4 meters above the tank level. This is enough to prevent unpleasant odors from spreading to your and neighboring areas.
As for the place of installation of reservoirs for sewage treatment, it is not worth installing them near the house and outbuildings, near the source of water intake and next to the highways.
Tips for equipping sedimentation tanks with your own hands
In order not to be mistaken and to complete all stages of the work correctly, take note of the following tips:
- Construction equipment for mounting rings will not harm;
- The bottom ring can be purchased immediately with a concrete bottom;
- It is better to purchase the upper rings with holes for the pipeline;
- You can fasten the rings to each other with metal plates, while sealing is required. If you "sew" the rings with each other with your own hands, this will save the reservoir from displacement during ground movements;
- If the backfilling is done not just with soil, but with a mixture of cement and sand, while each layer 30-50 cm thick is carefully trampled down, the tank will not only sit firmly, but also remain inactive even with serious shifts in the soil layers.
How to make a septic tank from concrete rings with your own hands is a settled question. Faithful observance of all the rules will allow not only to quickly complete the cycle of work, ensuring the proper comfort of suburban real estate, but also to minimize the risk of waste water loss. Remember that all septic tanks need to be cleaned from time to time, which means that when determining the location of the tank, it will not be superfluous to ensure the passage of the sewer.
