Judging strictly from the Internet verbiage on the subject, it seems you’re pretty much not allowed to be a homesteader wannabe without fantasizing about making a septic system with 55-gallon barrels. I don’t know if they’re actually built half as often as they’re talked about. When I considered using one at the Secret Lair, I was hesitant because I saw a lot of plans but few long-term reviews. So when faithful commenter Phssthpok mentioned it this morning, it spurred me to do something I’ve been meaning to do for quite some time anyway.
I didn’t take many pictures of mine going in, but the plan I used was similar to this one. I’ll say, though, that in my opinion those instructions contain one major mistake. They’ve got you burying the whole thing and then filling the upper barrel with water. Actually you should fill both barrels well before you bury them. They’re supposed to be full of liquid anyway, and filling them first removes any danger that they’ll collapse from the weight of the dirt.
Mine has been in operation since sometime in 2011, absolutely trouble-free. You’ll find many warnings that this is a very small system and could easily be overloaded, and those warnings shouldn’t be ignored. I’m a single person with no guests, so I’m the perfect test-case. And my toilet is its only input: All my gray water goes elsewhere.
But clearly it could stand more use than I give it – I just went outside and dipped the upper tank, and my probe clunked straight to the bottom with virtually no resistance. Everything’s going quickly to soup, and no solids are building up in there. If things continue as they have, there will be no rented septic tank pumps in my future.
I suggest to anyone building one of these that you study how to lay out a leach field, because that’s really the key to success. I resorted to some improvisations I now rather regret, but even so there’s no smallest sign of trouble. It seems to drain just fine.
So in my not very humble opinion this idea is a keeper.
My first husband and I lived in a rented house for five years with these drums as the septic system. We didn’t put them in, and had no idea how it was done, but it worked ok for a while. The toilet was the only thing connected to the drums, but we had two adults, eventually two children, and assorted guests from time to time. All other water used in the house and barn was “graywater” and went to tree lines.
One very long, wet spring, the system backed up and we called a pumper company. Up to that point, we had no idea what the installation was. The men dug up the thing and found two very old metal drums that had begun to disintegrate. The set up had continued to drain for a long time because the leach field was good, and down hill… but the saturated ground from the prolonged rain finally put a stop to that too. It was “illegal” to simply replace the drums, of course, so the landlord had to install a “legal” system then. Rent went up like a rocket, unfortunately, so WE paid for it in a short time.
The newer plastic drums would probably last a lot longer – if you can get away with it at all.
At the house I’m sitting in right as I type this, we had a similar set up. That served the single woman we bought the house from for the 12 years she lived here. It didn’t serve us but for a few after that. Like MamaLiberty, the drums were of the steel and rust variety and we had three people living here.
A proper 250 gallon septic tank was installed when the back bathroom decided to harbor poop.
Leach field you say? Gutter on the street I say. We have a one way valve for when hurricanes try and send shit into the bathrooms.
WOOT!
Thanks for the update…time to stark hawking the free listings on Craigslist for poly drums! 🙂
Holy Crap! 😉 The local govt persons who who work in the govt agency where I live who harass you on such things would probably have heart attacks and die if they saw this post….hmmm, wonder if I can get their email addys…..
Yeah, I joke about it, but we just ended up shelling out just shy of 10,000.00 for and “approved” septic system and we got of cheap compared to a lot of others in the area. We just had the good luck of having our test holes dug where there was actually loam, not clay.
I loathe bureaucrats with all my heart.
I NEED to pump my 55 gal drum or at least some the liquids any ideas maybe drain to woods,drainage ditch or call pumping company?any ideas
This system has three major design flaws that can be fixed.
First of all, the gasses gets trapped in the second barrel and has to push it’s way back into the first barrel down through a foot and a half a water. This can cause vapor lock and gurgling and possibly make your barrel rupture and cause smells or maybe a fire or explosion if an ignition source is near by.
The fix: Drill a big hole in the top of the 90 on the outlet pipe inside of the first and second barrels.
The second is having two outlet pipes coming right off of the second barrel. You can never get them even so one will always get the lions share of the waist. Bad design.
The Fix: Just do one outlet and split them at the drainfield or just run one pipe in a horseshoe pattern.
Third is that the waist is dropping into the barrel from the top. Since a toilet causes a rush of water and waist to be dumped, it will easily mix the layers of waist and clear water inside the barrel causing you to push undecomposed waist and toilet paper into the second barrel and then into your drain field causing your system not to work properly.
The Fix: Put your inlets on the side, not top.
I have been reading and looking into small septic systems for quite some time now. I do agree with some of the comments made previously in this vine, but here are my adjustments to the current design shown.
Before I go any further, I did change one thing across the entire design. I use toilet flanges on every location where I connected my 4″ lines. This required me to cut an access flap in the top of each tank to push the connections into the tank. When I finished I just sealed the cut and it worked just fine. To connect the toilet flanges to the tanks I drilled holes through the existing bolt holes in the flanges and used galvanized 1/4″ bolts that extended through both the inside flange and the outside flange, four per connection. I used a good silicone caulk between the flange and the tank wall. This created a very good seal and should last for years to come as well as give me a very strong connection of the pipe to the tank. For each of the pipe connections I used the correct PVC/ABS glue, don’t forget this important step.
To avoid the problem of the waste dropping in from the top and mixing the layers together unwantedly, I extended the top entry pipe below the intended water/waste line. This works like the suggested side entry but makes the connection easier.
To avoid the solids being able to transfer from the first tank to the second tank I installed a tee connection on the inside before the elbow that transfers the waste from the first tank to the second tank. This allows the liquid portion of the septic tank to be the primary flow into the second tank. To explain the septic concept, the liquids separate into three regions; a scum layer on top, a liquid section in the middle, and a solids section on the bottom.
Where the elbow enters the second tank I again mirrored the design of the primary entry into the first tank by extending the pipe below the water/waste line. This again helps from allowing the waste to mix and lets the solids settle if they make it to the second tank.
Next, where the outlets to the leach field leave the second tank I mirrored the design of the outlet from the first tank and installed a tee on each outlet to allow the liquid section of the septic to enter the leach lines in lieu of the scum layer. This should help keep the leach lines clears for many years.
The last and final thing I changed was in stead of just putting a barrier cloth on top of the leach field gravel I completely wrapped the leach field gravel with barrier cloth to keep the surrounding sentiments out of the leach field.
Hey anaonomys.u juat posted.what do.you.mean by a “T” you speak of do yoy mean a 90 with a short length of pipe extensing down below scum to midddle water? Plse explain. I like youidea of wrapping all the rock in landscape fabric what type of rock did you use? Kyl
Does anyone know what bbqbrad means when he says “Drill a big hole in the top of the 90 on the outlet pipe inside of the first and second barrels.” I don’t follow this. Thanks!
Each barrel has an outlet pipe, inside the barrel the outlet pipe has a elbow fitting or whats referred to as a 90. To keep gasses that are building up in the outlet pipes from having to push back down through the water, you just drill a hole in the 90 and the gasses escape and go out the toilet vent pipe.
I did build this system and it has been working great for several months and have pics.
Excellent! Thank for the very prompt reply! I’m getting ready to put one of these systems in for a small cabin in the woods. Very much appreciated.
Putting the entry pipe below water lever messes the whole system up. I tried a test on a clear barrel and it mixes the layers. You have to go into the side with a flange like I did. Anon got all complicated about it, best to keep it simple as possible.
bbqbrad, if you’ve got pix online how about a link? This thread gets read 50-100 times a day, and I’m sure people would appreciate it.
I posted a few pics here….
http://bbqbrad.com/sample-page-2/plastic-barrel-septic-system/
I can do a detailed pdf if someone shows interest.
I would live to see a detailed pdf since I haven’t started mine yet. Thanks!
You cannot tell by the pics but I had to cut the top of the rim piece off of the flange so the drop in pipe would be as close to the top of the barrel as possible. Do not use silicone, I’m a pool guy and know from experience it deteriorates underground quickly. I used a water friendly two part epoxy. It may not bond good on plastics but it does set hard and stops water. Use only stainless hardware.
The actual reason you want to fill the barrels with water when you build this, is the same reason they fill a concrete septic tank with water when they fill install one, is because without the weight of the water to hod it in place, the the tank or the barrels will actually float up and out of the ground,
I’ve been consider building a similar system. Do you have any concerns about the system freezing? I live in CT and getting this rig below the frost line seems like a real undertaking.
I had a septic tank in Michigan, and we usually didn’t have freezing trouble. The only part you have to worry about is the line between the house and the tank, because that’s pretty shallow, but even that is rarely a problem. Any rules that work for a full-size system will work for this one.
bbqbrad, I too would be interested in a full pdf if possible. I am looking to connet a camper to this system. 1 person use. Maybe one other person occasionally.
I have drawing the 2 barrel system.
Can I get a PDF on your drawing Hoosier.
the best way that i have created and the system can last to 20 or more years. instead of covering the barrels with dirt why not u cover them up with pea size gravel which will not cave in cause what gravel does is make the barrel still and it does not eat up the plastic as much as the dirt will. and for not emptying out ur system u should put a leach line in it and what u do is put gravel down first then rock and then ur leach line , rock, gravel, then dirt. u should have a drain out before the barrels which I put two 55 gallon drums and its running great.
good info !!!! do you have a drawing how the plumbing inside the drums look?
Got one that lasted 30 years then I replaced it with a plastic one when the metal one rusted out.
bbqbrad could you send me detailed plans of this system . Pics?
I too would be interested in a pdf
I too would like a pdf. Almost finished with the cabin framing. thx
I would like the PDFs also, working on the cabin design. Thanks
if you understand the premise of how a septic tanks works you maintain it .keep chemicals out that would kill the biodegradation .they are awesome very clean.mother nature is awesome. i dug up an old septic tank that finally broke from the top…hole in the ground..in the bottom contained around 22 buckets of tar looking stuff..smelled like yeast ..septic tanks are not for where ground water is close to surface..out in the woods or desert on hills .good designed drain field ..cleaner that the sewer you use .
Great info but I’m not clear on putting it together properly with all things considered.
Could really benefit from a PDF plz and thx ..
Pingback: Gorgeous Small Septic System For Cabin Ideas : Cabin Ideas 2018
anyone with the pictures or drawing I would like a copy tks
Could i get a pdf and the pics also? Im just starting building mine, and ive got lots of questions. Tje first one is that i cant find any abs at the big box stores, so im going with pvc. However, im confused about the toilet flanges. Specifically the first tank, on top…is the toilet flang supposed to go upside down so thst the pvc nipple faces up, whicj is what you connect your main drain pipe into? Bexause putting the flange rightside up, the pvc pipe doesnt fit in the hole…
Thanks,
Mark
Have you seen these this site? It may be helpful.
https://www.wikihow.com/Construct-a-Small-Septic-System
Yes this is good stuff.
I bought a newer house that had an old house on the property from the 40s. It was rented, I still have a renter in it, but that house had a single wooden box aprox 50 gallons. It was lined with plastic, probably somebody’s fix. It rotted and we replaced it with a 1000 L tote. That was four years ago, and it still working great.
Is there a lot of gas build up in these 55 gallon tanks
I looked at that Don Jensen septic he didn’t tell me anything
William: None at all. The upper barrel is vented and the lower one goes out to the leach field, so even if gas forms it has places to go.
That Jensen fellow is a spammer who’s unhappy with me because I didn’t hawk his book, and apparently has nothing better to do than troll the comment thread. I banned him once; this must be a new address.
Thanks Joel I figured the same thing with that other guy
Joel I put those orange tablets into my holding tank on my trailer is that enough to put into that septic tank
I need a new septic can you plese send me a email with how you build your septic tank here thanks
Hello, I’m hoping you can help me. I need to build a small septic system for my garage that I just put a bathroom in. Is there any way you can show me anything about exactly how you did the one you talk about on ths page? I do appreciate any info you can give.
Did anyone here get the pdf plans? I’m not sure I can do this but willing to try but I need plans. I did look at the wiki septic but saw a lot of bad comments on it. If anyone here sees this and has the pdf plans please let me know. Thanks and God Bless.
I’m looking to put in one of these 55 gallon systems. I found your page here in google but unfortunately the information is quite lacking. Can you tell more about how you put in the system?
Hello from Australia. I don’t know if anyone will see this?? But I’d like some drawings for this system. I see in the comments there is a PDF file somewhere. If someone happens to see this message could you please email me at niarfor@gmail.com
Why even have this page if you’re not going to actually provide some solid advice on the design you used? I read through these comments and I don’t understand why you even have a comment section at all.
This is probably a shot in the dark but I’m also looking for some blueprints I can use for a small septic tank. I watched YouTube videos but none of them go into enough detail. I don’t trust any of those videos. So if anyone knows where to find some good blueprints can you respond?
Devin, the link in the post still works, and the information there is fine.
Click here.
Joel, thanks for replying to my comment. I didn’t forget about you or this page I’ve just been busy. I’ve also been spending a lot of time researching how to make a small septic system.
So I’ve looked into that septic system that you also linked to at the top of the page and I found a lot of posts about all of the problems that design has. I found a detailed article that went over all of the problems of that system but I can’t find the page again and I don’t remember what site it was on. So I don’t think we’re going with that because after everything I’ve read I don’t trust it. Plus it would cost way more than we’re looking to spend for a small system. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
Okay. I can honestly say I used that information on my septic system in 2010 and it has worked fine for me.
I’m just now doing this and got excited seeing the corrections to the above system, but also never found the instructions. If anyone has these or it’s been redone, please send me a link??? Thx rnmom34@aol.com