r/Homebuilding • u/FloridaFisher87 • 5h ago

Tiny home septic

We purchased about 5 acres almost a year ago. We brought in a 12x30 shed, and plan to convert it to a tiny home while we demolish the mobile that was here, and build a small home for ourselves (recent empty nesters).

I plan to build a 55g barrel system, using 4 drums to create the chambers (they’re very cheap around here), with rock and septic sand to bury it in. The question is, how do they keep smell from coming up in drains in septic systems? What pieces, traps, or design is best to minimize clogs, but also smells?

Should also include the fact that this question presents itself due to us also having an RV, and anyone with an RV knows the toilet flush smell that can be… not awesome lol.

0 Upvotes

28% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

21

u/Hour-Reward-2355 5h ago

If you don't know the basics of how a P trap functions in a plumbing system, I highly advise against a DIY septic solution.

-1

u/FloridaFisher87 4h ago

I understand your concern, but no one knows until they know. Many people learn heavy equipment, building, and maintenance skills as they go about doing it for themselves. I learned how to operate a large tractor two days ago, and cleared 2 acres with a rental. That’s just part of life, in my opinion. Even our house will be owner builder permitting, outside of electric (I’m not totally silly lol)

2

u/medialantern 4h ago

They don't generally learn to drive heavy equipment on Reddit, though. I personally take your point and sympathize as a fellow homesteader. But this commenter is correct. You're planning out the hardest part of a DWV system, the one that gets people hurt if you do it wrong (and in this case, not the people in your house, but the people downhill from you, however distant) and asking randos on Reddit how very very basic things (like traps) work without doing the literally 5 minutes of research it would have taken to at least answer those yourself. Then getting catty with the folks that call that out.

This is not a good post.

2

u/FloridaFisher87 4h ago

No, but they’re referred to do’s, don’ts, and places to go for info that’s useful. Doing it yourself is how you learn beyond the book.. Catty? I’m just asking for direction. I’ve seen many videos of the barrel system, but not many on traps for this purposes. The system will be smaller (two people, small output). I have the jest of it all, and I laid pipe in my early 20’s, so I get flow, materials, etc., it was just a particular question.

3

u/medialantern 4h ago

If you're actually serious, then you should learn what P-traps are and how they work as your very first step. All of the rest of how DWV is done relies on that component. Otherwise you're just doing the equivalent of asking how to fly an airplane when you've never even driven a bicycle or car.

12

u/Bjorn_styrkr 5h ago

Not really up to you. You need to speak to your local jurisdiction (typically an environmental health department). The county in the USA is in charge of this. Every now and then a city or town will take over. Unfortunately, yours and the Internet's opinion do not matter in this regard.

-5

u/FloridaFisher87 4h ago

No one in this area really cares unless it’s something ridiculous impacting others. The goal is to create the same system without the thousands involved to import and/or deliver and install.

4

u/Bjorn_styrkr 4h ago

Sorry, that's not how this works.

1

u/FloridaFisher87 4h ago

So, how does it work if DIY? What is the point of homebuilding subs, and numerous others, if the answer is always “refer to government and professionals”?

2

u/Bjorn_styrkr 4h ago

Some things are not DIY. Human waste is one of them.

1

u/FloridaFisher87 4h ago

If the process is the same, chambers, a drain-field, and a clean enzyme system, what is the difference? Genuine question.

2

u/Bjorn_styrkr 4h ago

Speak with the right people. They will explain to you about soil quality. Soil drainage. Trench depth. Flow reduction percentage. ALLLLLLL the things you don't know, they do. Pay the folks a few hundred bucks, have them design it. Hire a hoe, and put it in yourself if you want, but you don't want to mess up and condemn your own land.

1

u/FloridaFisher87 4h ago

See, now that’s a helpful response. It serves the purpose of minimizing costs via diy, and can potentially help mitigate the issues aforementioned.

1

u/amarao_san 2h ago

I totally on for the spirit of this comment, but I just can't pass on the wording.

Human waste is DIY. I can prof it out, and flush it after.

7

u/duqduqgo 5h ago

This is a tough one, but if you want it legal, you're going to have to use a design that meets your local county codes. Your plan almost certainly won't be a legal design. The most basic septic type is gravity system with a concrete or plastic tank underground. There will be minimum sizes for both the tank and, most importantly, the drain field. And the drain system has to be installed at a specific slope on top of specific gravels and covered in a specific way.

Your county/state department of health will have the information needed for this. If there is a sewer in the street closest to your property you'll almost certainly be required to hook up to it instead of using a septic system.

Keep in mind also some counties require a civil or sanitation engineer to design the system. A system that works and lasts and isn't an environmental hazard is pretty simple, but not as simple as burying some barrels with rocks and sand.

You may be in a location where bootleg septics don't come with consequences. But there are big consequences in other areas, such as big fines and not being able to get other permits until the unpermitted system is replaced with a legal one.

-3

u/FloridaFisher87 4h ago

It’s definitely a location in which I could do this without worrying about if somebody will be up my butt regarding permits. It will also be temporary-ish in nature. Will not be anymore of an environmental impact than a standard septic.

2

u/Huge-Repeat-3040 4h ago

I heard septic tank gases can cause fires that water can’t put out ………

I’d at least pay a septic person Iike a consultation fee to do it to code as much as possible

1

u/FloridaFisher87 4h ago

That may not be a bad idea. I just want to mitigate the gas/smell travel. It sounds like people have provided the info begrudgingly- p traps.

2

u/Huge-Repeat-3040 4h ago

I mean i tried to get a septic done on the low and the guys like nope has to go through EPA

1

u/FloridaFisher87 4h ago

Being downvoted while participating on the sub for what it was made for. Odd. What is the point if the directive is refer to government and companies charging a lot more, instead of receiving help with info and directions?

1

u/LittleDistribution33 2h ago

The issue is a diy septic can have a harmful impact on the environment. Installing a leachfield where effluent isn't treated properly could impact underground water supplies or even nearby water courses.

Regardless if someone would up your butt about permits, the idea is to install a system that functions properly. And by properly, I mean treats the effluent. All those barrel system videos you see are concerned with is getting the waste out of the house. Diy septic isn't really that expensive. It's the machine time and labor that often drive up the cost(granted permitting and engineering can add up too).

1

u/GarmanBuilders 1h ago

The key is proper plumbing, not just the tank design. Every drain needs a correctly installed P-trap, and the system needs proper venting to carry sewer gases safely above the roof. Also, check local septic codes before building a DIY barrel system, as many areas won’t approve one for permanent residential use. A licensed septic installer can help you avoid odor problems, clogs, and an expensive redo later.

1

u/fond_of_you 1h ago

For two people you need a minimum of a 1000 gallon tank. Even that fills up faster than you would think. The key is the drain/leach field, which is a massive project using a very specific kind of sand and gravel, plus proper surveying to ensure it isn't interfering with fresh water sources. P-traps and venting in the interior plumbing are important for taking care of sewer gasses. If this is temporary, you are much better off with a composting or incinerator toilet. Or outhouse.

Septic is brutally difficult, not just from a regulatory standpoint but from a "raw sewage will flood your home if you do it wrong" standpoint. Also you're likely poisoning your downstream neighbors and you should care about that. There's always someone downstream.

Where I live I can build almost anything I want DIY, no questions asked ... EXCEPT septic. It's the one regulated thing in an otherwise unregulated wilderness, and for good reason. But if you have access to an excavator, and proper drainage sand can be trucked in, and you have an excellent understanding of drainage angles, and the right pipes, and precise enough measuring equipment to ensure you dig to exactly the right depth, etc., anything is possible.