Working on my new house, getting close to crunch time, needing to get a septic put in. Im limited on the money I want to spend, and I'm trying to figure out average prices for aerobic and conventional setups. IMO Id like to avoid the aerobic because where it is I will have cattle and donkeys grazing. Dont think a sprinkler system would be ideal. But I also know that in my county they try to push aerobic systems on everybody, and it becomes dependent on the outcome of my soil sample. I also know that if they try to push the aerobic on me I can take it to my commissioner and hopefully get a conventional system accepted. Just needing advice to make this as cheap but well thought out as possible. Looking for the pros who know about this, and how much $$ Im looking at.

Also, Will septic installers allow me to get most of the digging done myself to cut costs? I have access to a backhoe and certification to run one, and Im good with measurements. Just need the things I cant legally do done by the licensed guys. Any help is appreciated guys

 

I cant help you because I know our laws are different. Around here you can do the entire thing yourself.
However, if you sell the place later on it will be tested. If the testing fails it can cost more to replace it than it would have been to have a pro install it.

 

Its on property owned by me and my sister, inherited through many generations. I'll live here til I die if i can help it, was born and raised on this land. Not that I wanna cut corners, just wanna cut money down on things companies charge big money to do. If I can do some of it myself, I will do it right for sure.

 

You can do it yourself, just keep asking around until somebody "knows a guy" that is willing to help you out. Just make sure he is legit.

My old ski patrol boss owned a septic design business that sent kits to Mexico and other third world countries. they were anaerobic systems meant to leave no hazardous waste and easy to maintain. I may see him this weekend so I will ask him isf he still does it.

You will want to dig a few leach test holes in the area you plan to have the leach field. Run a hose into them and let teh water sit overnight to see if it soaks away. The rules change if the water is still standing after 24 hours out here...

They aren't that difficult to do yourself, its just that most people don't want to deal with poo and will pay handsomely to not to...and the septic guys know this!

 

You can look up the septic laws thru your county enviromental dept. You wil need to do a perculation test to see if conventional is possible. If your close to any surface water source their gonna want a anaerobic system. Last time i had one done which was in 04 it cost 7k. I would lay odds over their by giddings their not as strict yet.

 

Allot of counties with a large rural population only require one inspection when building a home and that's the sewer inspection. That said, it sounds like you're not in one of those places. It also sounds like you have rock or another extremely dense material near the surface, say less than 5 feet. That's typically why an alternative design is used. You mentioned this is old family property, means nothing, you still have to play by the same rules as everyone else. As to a contractor letting you do the work, it's a big risk to them because they would have to pull the permit in their name and if you screw it up they catch the heat. A conventional system is normally installed in "undisturbed" soil. If you cut the trenches incorrectly you loose the entire drainage field area and have to use your secondary area, if you have one. Now you're talking more money because everything is harder, further away, might need a gray water pump, etc. Where I live you need a certification from the county stating you have the know how to install a system and are licensed to do the same. Do your research, know what you're talking about and keep looking for somebody in the good old boy network that might trade with you.

 

Can't help you with Texas specific laws, but when I did mine in 03, I acted as the subcontractor, hired a septic guy to do the digging and connections, did the perc test myself ( failed the first time because it drained too quickly ????? REALLY? ), and arranged and paid for my own tank. I did mine a little differently, specs said I needed a 1000 gallon tank and 210 feet of leach field, I did 1500 gallons and 455 feet of field because I absolutely wanted no problems down the road. It is easier to spend just a wee bit more today than to spend much more later.

I also found that once the county ( who ran the inspections ) found out I was going over spec, rather than trying to cut corners, they were much more accommodating.........

Also, think out your leach field layout, I first had a F style laid out, where the main run just had runners out. My Septic guy asked why I was limiting myself, then he draw up where it looked like a TV UHF antenna, basically he brought the tank discharge into the center of the lowest rung, and made a square out of the rest, that way, the effluent has 2 ways to go if on gets plugged.

Little things like that can make a world of difference.

 

I was told if it drains too fast it doesnt allow the soil to filter it as well..

 

Yep. Installed many a system back in Pennsylvania. Out here they don't even use rock and sand, just a perforated pipe with a hood built onto it. Course it can be quite a haul to get stone here, too.

 

A place I sold in Chugiak still had the original homemade wooden crib from the 50's. It still worked great.
Only problem is you need to have a fairly deep (50' or more) water table to be safe.

 

The ground here is for the most part rocky with blackland/sandyloam. My bro in law who lives on the same property had 3 tanks put in, and 600ft of leach to 2 90* turns, and some gravel added, but this was over 10 yrs ago. In our county our inspector is kinda of a hardball player, he wants to push aerobics and is friends with some of the installers, who "recommend" it. Im getting the sample taken next week, so i will get an idea, but hopefully with the rockier ground it will point more towards a conventional. I cant stand the thought of broken sprinklers when Im gone for a week at a time, timer or not. Im thinking of putting the brute of the parts on my tab at the lumber yard, at least for the tanks and lines, and try to just get the pros to do the labor.
Our water table is at 100', at least our well pump is anyways. Thanks for the replies so far

 

If you want to hire part of it done and do the rest yourself you'll probably end up with having the machine work done, then the labor yourself.

Back east the sewer inspector is supposed to check the work at several stages, but once you get a reputation for doing it right, they would generally let you do the work, leave it open enough overnight that they could do a visual in the morning, then close it up.

2 guys who know what they are doing can have a tank set, pipes run, and leach field in in about a day-day and a half, depending on size and location.

 

The aerobic sprinklers are just plain ole lawn sprinklers. Like i said each county is different. Here we can maintane the system ourselves now as long as there havent been any complaints. I know other counties have varied rules on it but i still think it all has to be done by a liscened installer. Call the county courthouse and find out...