If the house has a bathroom, toilet, plumbing, then a competent system for collecting and discharging wastewater must be made. This is especially true for private houses, since they, as a rule, do not have the ability to connect to a central sewer. Of course, it is good when there is a central drain nearby, to which you can connect with permission. But if there are no such amenities, you have to get out, mount the collection system yourself. It is quite simple to solve such a question - a cesspool is being made on the site.
Of course, you can install a septic tank (make it yourself or buy it ready-made), which can filter the water, and at the exit it can be used even for domestic purposes. But you can also make a simple cesspool with your own hands, all the water used will be dumped into it. The construction of such an engineering structure is not difficult; almost any materials can be used. We will talk about how to make a cesspool with our own hands in ourarticle.
Design Features
By type of construction, these structures can be divided into two groups:
- With absorbing (filtration) properties - the liquid leaves gradually into the soil through holes in the walls.
- Fully sealed structures - metal, concrete or plastic containers.
Many "specialists" argue that it is necessary to choose a design according to one indicator - the number of people living in the house. It depends on your daily water intake. If the total volume of water exceeds 1 cu. meter, it is best to use sealed containers.
But you can think and estimate. Let's say the depth of the pit is about 4 m (this value is quite enough, otherwise the sewage machine will not be able to completely pump out the water). It will take about a meter to deepen the highway. The pipe will be at a depth of about a meter. The useful depth is only 3 m. In the event that the diameter of the pit turns out to be impressive and the total volume is about 6 cubic meters. m, pumping will have to be carried out weekly.
From an environmental point of view
But if you choose a leaky structure in which water will go into the ground, then the interval between pumping can be increased several times. True, such a design in terms of environmental friendliness is the last among all types. Of course, if the hydrological indicators of your site allow you to make a cesspool for an unpressurized house, then use just such a design. It is also worth paying attention to the features of the landscape.
Sewage facilities have side walls and a top floor slab. A crushed stone pillow is laid at the bottom. It is with its help that water is filtered from sewage of a large fraction. Very often, perforations are made on the walls - this improves the drainage of liquid. With the help of a cover installed on top of the pit, the possibility of foreign objects (branches, debris, etc.) entering it is prevented. A manhole must be present - with its help you can monitor the level of wastewater in the pit, as well as pump it out.
Advantages and disadvantages of designs
The main advantage of even the best cesspool is that it has a very simple design, and construction costs are low. In addition, pumping out must be done much less frequently than when using a sealed system. But there are a lot of disadvantages:
- The volume of sewage that can be thrown into the pit during the day is limited.
- You cannot build such a system with high groundwater.
- The degree of wastewater treatment is extremely low.
- Over time, unpleasant odors appear around the pit.
- During operation, the filtration capacity decreases.
But many are not afraid of such shortcomings, as the virtues overlap them. Very often, when building pits, they literally use construction debris - what turned out to be unnecessary.
If we talk about hermetic structures, they are completely devoid of the shortcomings mentioned above. But for normal operation, you needregularly pump out waste. The main difference from leaky structures is that the bottom and walls are completely waterproof. A riser for ventilation is also required.
But the construction technology for both types of pits is similar, the difference is only in carrying out sealing work. When building a cesspool in the country, be sure to take into account the fact that a sewage truck should freely drive up to it (if you do not plan to pump out the tank yourself). If desired, various bacteria can be used - they are able to process all sewage and get almost pure water and sediment.
Materials for building a pit
As you understand, you can literally build a structure from any material. But if you care not only about the functional side, but also think about the appearance, you should pay attention to bricks, gas silicate blocks or even concrete rings. Often the walls of the pit are made of concrete, or metal containers with a cut off bottom are installed. Often you can find designs from car tires. Their appearance, of course, is not very respectable, but the tires do their job.
In the manufacture of sealed pits, concrete rings, plastic or metal tanks are used. It is also allowed to build brick walls, but on condition that the bottom is concreted. In this case, a completely sealed container will be obtained. Now let's look at all types of materials that are used in the construction of cesspools and sewers.
Brick
Structures built using bricks are the simplest and most inexpensive. After all, you can use the cheapest and low-quality material. With the help of bricks, you can lay out walls with or without a gap. And if there are holes in it, then there will be no problems at all. You can build a hole of almost any size - it all depends on which one you need.
But brick buildings also have disadvantages, they are typical for any leaky systems. This is, first of all, a negative impact on the environment and silting. Brick, when exposed to an aggressive environment, can quickly collapse - the maximum resource of a filtration sewer is about 20 years.
Car tires
If you need to reduce the cost of building sewers, then use the available material - car tires. Of course, it is best to use large-diameter tires, for example, from trucks. Slightly damaged tires can be found, unfortunately, on the roadsides and in forest belts near the road. At service stations, tires are often simply thrown away and burned as unnecessary.
To make a sewer pit from tires, it is enough to dig a pit of a suitable diameter. At the bottom, it is imperative to equip a layer of gravel. Then install the tires in the pit - they will not allow the walls to crumble. In this way, you can equip a cesspool for a toilet. But there are drawbacks - the likelihood of environmental pollution is very high.
Also, the system quickly silts up. To increase the filtration capacity, you can put spacers between the tires. The resulting gaps will allow part of the wastewater to be diverted through the soil on the sides of the pit.
In-situ reinforced concrete and rings
In the manufacture of a monolithic reinforced concrete system, it is necessary to install a crate. It is filled with concrete. The result is a durable and reliable pit in which the bottom and walls will be waterproof. Such a container will last a very long time, but it requires a lot of money and effort. Therefore, it is difficult to call this design the best. Today, these systems have almost completely replaced prefabricated reinforced concrete rings. It is not difficult to make a cesspool in a private house from rings - it is both cheap and you can buy materials almost everywhere.
It is quite simple to make sewerage from rings - you dig a pit, place parts of the structure in it and cover it with a slab with a hatch. The cost of the material is relatively small, but we must not forget that it will be necessary to hire special equipment, with the help of which the material is loaded, transported and unloaded. You can’t even move the concrete ring by hand - its mass is very large. Of course, you can listen to Archimedes and apply leverage. But this work will be painstaking.
But on the basis of the rings, you can create both sealed and absorbent systems. On sale you can even find rings whose walls are perforated. Such cesspools in private homes are not uncommon lately - they are quite cheap and available.
Plastic and metalcapacity
But it will be easier to bury a barrel of a suitable volume at a certain depth. And you can make at least a sealed system, at least absorbent. Make holes in the barrel - get the liquid out of it. Additionally, you can cut off the bottom - the liquid will be absorbed into the soil much better. But in this case, it is necessary to pour a layer of rubble at the bottom of the pit.
Choose the size of the sewer
Of course, one cannot do without preliminary calculations of the entire structure. In order for the operation to be as efficient as possible, no emergency situations were created, it is necessary to perform several preparatory actions. First you need to calculate the dimensions. They directly depend on how much water is consumed per day by people living in the house. It is also necessary to take into account the presence of pumping, soil type, mode of use. Now let's talk about how to make a cesspool and what to consider during construction.
Things to consider when calculating:
- Average value of stocks per person. The use of the toilet, bathroom, washing machine is taken into account. This value, so as not to count independently, is taken equal to 200 liters. Sometimes this figure can be reduced to 150 liters.
- The calculation must be carried out according to the maximum value of water consumption.
- When calculating the volume, it is necessary that the pit contains three times more water than is thrown out in a day.
The dimensions of the well must be chosen so that it is convenient not onlybuild, but there was also the possibility of supplying the highway. It is desirable that the depth be about 2 times greater than the diameter (or the larger of the sides, if the shape is quadrangular). If you plan to use anaerobic bacteria for cleaning, these proportions will be sufficient.
And if a sealed container?
When building a storage system, it is necessary to use the same data as in the previous case. But the volume of sewage produced by the family per day must be multiplied by the interval between pumpings. For example, if you plan to pump out twice a month (and this is about 1 time in two weeks), then you need to use a container for a family of three, the volume of which is at least 6.3 cubic meters. m. How did you count? Very simple - multiply 150 liters by 3 (the number of people living permanently in the house), and then by 14 (the interval between pumpings).
But, before making a final conclusion about the dimensions of the sewer, you need to consult with public utilities (or those people who pump out sewage). Most of the sewer trucks cannot pump out more than 4 cubic meters. m. True, there are models of machines that immediately take up to 8 cubic meters. m. But you definitely need to make a small margin in terms of volume, because the sewer machine can be delayed for a couple of days due to a breakdown.
How to choose a place for sewerage?
When choosing a place for the construction of a sewerage system, it is necessary to be guided by the construction SNiP, the norms of the current legislation in the field of sanitary and epidemiological issues, as well as common sense. If all recommendationsput together, the list will be quite large.
But let's highlight the most basic ones that need to be considered when building cesspools on the plots:
- The pit should not be in a low place - otherwise it may be flooded during floods or heavy rains.
- Filtration facilities cannot be built in areas where groundwater occurs at a depth of less than 4 meters.
- The distance from the pit to the foundation of the nearest building is at least 10 m; from trees and the road - more than 4 m; from fences - over 1 m.
- From wells to sewers, it is necessary to maintain a distance: for loamy soil - more than 30 m; for sandy or sandy - over 50 m; for clay - from 20 m.
- As mentioned earlier, it is necessary at the stage of choosing a place to take into account the possibility of a car approaching for pumping out sewage. After all, cesspools should be pumped out a couple of times a month.
Most of the recommendations apply to seepage pits. If we are talking about a sealed container, then when choosing a place, it is enough to be guided by common sense. The main thing is to stay away from the place of residence so that the smells do not spoil the mood.
At the very end, you need to draw up a detailed action plan and draw, if not a drawing, then at least a sketch - it indicates all dimensions, distances from objects (houses, fences, roads). Be sure to indicate the points at which the sewer lines enter the pit. Evenif you are completely confident in your abilities and consider all construction work to be trifling, it is recommended to make a small sketch anyway. It will not be superfluous during construction.
Quick Building Instructions
After you determine the location of the pit and make all the calculations, you can start earthworks. When making sewers from a plastic or metal container, as well as from rings, bricks, it is necessary to dig a pit. It can be made using both machinery and shovels.
Of course, the easiest way is to use the services of companies that provide earthmoving equipment - spend a little more money, but save your back. After the pit is made, a container or concrete rings are placed in it. Such a cesspool device today can be found quite often. But keep in mind that the ring must be installed strictly vertically. When working, you will need the following tool and material:
- Sand and cement - mortar is prepared from it.
- Crushed stone and rubble of fine fraction - a pillow is made from it at the bottom.
- A metal rod or fittings - a cover is made from it.
- Hatch and frame - the cost of such a product in stores is no more than 1000 rubles.
- Waterproofing material.
- Trough and mortar buckets.
- Level, plumb line, cords.
- Bayonets and shovels.
You may also need a drill, puncher, drills. With this set of tools andmaterials, you can begin work on the construction of a cesspool. Feedback on designs of this type is only positive. System maintenance is minimal. And if everything is done correctly, then the sewage system will serve faithfully for a long time.
