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Chapter8:SepticTankDesignandConstruction
Thischapterisalsoincludedinthefieldmanual,FerrocementTankConstruction.
Thesedesigngraphicsillustrateaferrocementseptictankwhichwasbuiltin1975.Ithasbeenusedcontinuouslyandremainsinperfectcondition.Contraryto
theexperienceofmanywellrespectedsewageplantengineersandoperators,thecementhasnotdeteriorated.Perhapsthisisduetothehardnessofthemortar,
describedinchaptersoneandnine550to850kgf/cm2fortheferrocementplastermixversus175kgf/cm2forstandardconcretemix(8,000to12,000psivs.2,500
poundspersquareinch).Theoldestferrocementsepticsystemknownatferrocement.comwasbuiltin1968.
Wallthicknessvariesbetween3.8to7.5cm(11/2to3").Thelightgreyarearepresentsfloatingorganicmatter.Sludgeismostlycomposedofmicrobialremains
heavierthanwateritisadarkergreycoloratthebottom.Largearrowsindicatewaterflowdirection.Smallarrowsindicateflowdirectionforgassesof
decomposition.
Thisseptictankdidnotreceivegreywaterfromlaundry,sink,orbathdrains.Itwasemptiedintheyear2000estimatedremainingcapacitywasapproximately
fiftypercentafter25yearsofuse.Thebottomsludgewasusedforgardenfertilizerandthetopmatoforganicmatterwasleftinthetank.Biodegradabletoilet
tissuewasalwaysusedandnochemicalorbacterialproductswereintroduced.
Thefirstchamberis55percentoftheemptyvolume.Thesecondchamberis30%andthethirdis15%.Whenthefirstchamberishalffullofsludgeandfloating
organicmatter,therelativelyclearwaterinbetweenisapproximatelythesamevolumeastheclearwatervolumeinthesecondchamber.
Mostseptictankdesignsincludeonlytwochambers.Thethirdchamberaddstoprotectionofthedrainagearea,whichisanexpensiveanddifficultpartofseptic
systemconstruction.
Sewagewaterremainsinthistankforanaverageof45daysitisheldinthefirstchamberforanaverageoftwoweekswhenthechamberishalffull.Most
codesrequireonlyonedayretentiontimeofclearvolumeinthefirstchamber(at50%full).Thisinsufficienttimelimithascausedcontaminatedgroundwater
inmanyurbanareasoftheUnitedStates.Homeownersarerequiredtoinstallmunicipalsewersystemsafterthisoccurs.Anewsourceofdomesticwaterisalso
oftennecessary.
Septicsystemsarenotpracticalinareasofdensehumanhabitationunlessthedischargeisdirectedtocommunitytreatmentfacilitiesratherthanindividual
drainageareas.Thereisalmostalwaysenoughareatousegreywaterforgardenandlandscapeirrigationwheresepticsystemsaresuccessfullyutilized.
Localcodesdonotusuallyrequiremixingofgreywaterandsewagewaterwithintheplumbingsystembeforeitleavesthestructure.Plumbingsystemsthatdo
notpollutegreywaterwithsewageareenvironmentallywise.Greywaterisalargerquantitythanactualsewagewater.Theadditionalplumbingcosttokeep
themseparateisnotlarge.Checklocalbuildingcodesforgreywaterutilization.
Dischargefromindividualorcommunityseptictankscanbedirectedtoamunicipalsystematmuchlesscostthansewersystemswhichcarryallgreywaterand
organicmatter.Sewagecollectionaccountsfor70to90percentofmunicipalsewersysteminstallationwhenallwastewaterandraworganicsewageare
combinedandthensentdirectlytoacentrallocation.Toxicchemicaldumpingthroughthesewagesystemisalsoeasiertolocatewhensewagesludgeis
harvestedfromindividuals.
Individualseptictanksoverflowtoadrainfieldasillustratedbelow.Thewidth(X)timesthelength(Y)providesanareaofpercolation,whichisdeterminedby
soiltestsforabsorptionrate.Thedistance(Z)indicatesthegravelbedbeneaththedrainpipe,1015cmiscommon.Thetrenchisfilledwithgraveltoasimilar
distancefromthesurface.Connectedarchesareoftenusedtocreateacaveatthebottomofthetrench.Thistechniquereplacesbothpipeandgravel.Plasticarch
piecessufficientforaresidentialsepticsystemeasilyfitinthebackofasmalltruck.
Depthtothedrainpipe(P)mustbesufficienttopositionthedrainpipebelowrootswhichwillclogit.Theleachfieldcannotbeinanareaofdeeprootedtrees.
Thedepth(P)isalsorelatedtotheslopeoftheterrain,ahillsideleachfieldrequiresgreaterdepthsothatwaterdoesnotsurfaceonthedownhillside
(FerrocementHouseConstruction,p.2).
Percolationtestsforsoilabsorptionratesfollowprocedureswhichmayvaryindetailfromonelocaletothenext.Thebasicideaistodetermineanabsorption
areathatwillbesufficientfortheplannedusage.Thisisusuallyaccomplishedbydiggingapreliminaryholelargeenoughtoworkin.Thepreliminaryholeis
locatednearpoint(L)onthedrawing.Itisdugtofulldepthandislargeenoughtoworkin.Asmallertestholeisthenduginthebottomoftheworkarea.This
holeisfilledwithwaterandtheabsorptionrateismeasured.Ifthereisvariationofsoiltypeinthecomputedlength(Y),additionalabsorptiontestpitsaredugat
eitherend.
Theprimaryreasonforvaryingmethodsofcalculatingatotalabsorptionareaisthatanaerobicorganismsgrowonthebottomandwallsoftheleachareaasit
maturestoequilibriumwiththeareasoillife.Theseanaerobicorganismsdieandareconsumedbyaerobicorganismsinthesoil.Thegrowthofthislivinglayer
isonthetrenchbottomandwalls,wheregravelmeetssoil.Itslowswaterflowoutoftheleachfieldandalsoaccomplishesfinalpurificationofthewastewater.
Soiltemperatureandbiologyhavealargeeffectonthislayerandexplainmuchoftheregionaldifferencesinformulasemployedforcalculatingthetotal
requiredleacharea.
Ifleachareacalculationsarebasedonausagefactorwhichincludesallgreywaterandrawsewage,theleachareawillbelargerthannecessary(shouldgrey
waterbesubsequentlyutilizedforirrigation).Amethodofdividingthewaterflowsothathalftheleachareais"rested"whiletheotherhalfisusedcanbe
installedthenifdesired.Installanoutflowpipefromtheseptictanksothatwatercanbedirectedtodroppipesforeitherseparatedhalfattheleachfieldmid
point(Y).Aclaybarrierinthegravelbetweenthetwohalvesimprovesseparationefficiency.
Ferrocement.comadvisesusinggreywaterforirrigationinthesurfacesoilandinsunlightwheneverpossible.Surfacesoillifeandsunlightrapidlyconvertgrey
watertobiologicalusefulness.Aslongasthiswaterdoesnotpoolandbreedmosquitositisrelativelysafe.Localbuildingcodeswillprovidedetailed
informationforeachlocality.
Constructionofaseptictankinthegroundissimilartotheopentoptankexceptthereisnoneedforanouterlayeroffinewire.Cornerpiecesaremadeas
shownonpage28.Havingasupplyofthesereadywillgreatlyspeedupfabricationofthearmature.
Numberthreebarona3045cmgridbetweentwolayersof15by15cmsquareweldedwireisanadequatesteelschedule.Thereinforcingsteelbarsinthe
chamberseparationwallsneednotbebentsotheyoverlapintotheouterwalls,theweldedwirecornerpiecesareadequateattachmentforinnerchamberwalls.
Twocentimeterthicksupportblocks,withwiresinthemforattachingtothearmature,aresufficienttokeepthesteelfrombeingincontactwiththesoil.
Ferrocementobjectswithstraightwallsareeasiesttobuildusingweldedwiresoldinflatsectionsratherthanrollsthiseliminatestheneedtostraightenpieces
cutfromaroll.
Atwocoatcementisciouswatersealproductthatcuresinonedaywasusedinsidetheseptictankillustratedinthischapter.
Sanitaryteecanbeinspectedandcleanedthroughsmallhatchfromabove.
Thesmallledgedeflectsstrongcurrentssothebottomsludgeisnotdisturbed.
Lookingdownontheentranceplumbingandthedispersionledgebelowit.
Thesquareopeningatthetopisthehatch,itcanbewoodorferrocement.
Hatchcoversareverysimple,theyonlykeepdirtfromfallinginside.
Theupperwhitepipeisforreturnflowofgassestotheventingsystem.
Asecondarysmallhatchformanualcleanoutoftheentryfittingisrecommended.
Aturneddownellforwaterflowtothesecondchamberhelpskeepdownwarddriftingsolidsfrompassingthrough.
Steelisomittedonthenearsideforphotography.