Building a house is a labor-intensive and complex task. If you want to have a full-fledged autonomous sewage system, you need to equip a septic tank for drains and waste, and it can be made from plastic barrels volume of 200 liters each. Metal containers are not suitable; they rust and deteriorate quickly.
It should be recalled that such a septic tank purifies contaminated water; it cannot be done without pumping.
Stores sell already assembled septic tanks from different manufacturers. But their functions are identical homemade devices. Having decided to equip a septic tank with your own hands for a private home, you get the opportunity to appreciate the important advantages:
Among the disadvantages, experts call the limited volume of the chambers, so the owner of the dacha will have to pump out water quite often. But this is better than drawing it from a well, even with a pump. Most often, a septic tank is installed where wastewater is minimal.
For which premises is a septic tank made from plastic barrels suitable?
- Country houses used for temporary holidays during the summer season.
- Baths that do not have a jacuzzi, swimming pool or toilet.
- Buildings and utility structures to improve the comfort of use.
Where to install a septic tank
Focus on long distance from a well or other source clean water– according to the standards, sewerage should not pass nearby, otherwise the quality of the water will suffer. Also, retreat 5 m or more from the foundation of the house and provide 1 m as a distance from other buildings on the summer cottage. Consider the option of pumping out waste - if this special machine, provide convenient access to the septic tank under construction.
What is the simplest and at the same time effective scheme for arranging a septic tank?
- The product consists of 2 or 3 barrels, one of which does not have a bottom, due to which the component functions as a filter part.
- Each subsequent barrel is placed 10 cm lower than the previous one.
- The barrels are connected to each other by a pipeline. The pipe that enters the septic tank is located 10 cm above the outgoing channel.
- The barrels, which act as a settling tank, are placed on a sand bed, the layer thickness is 10 cm.
- To better purify the water, provide a bottomless barrel with a cushion of 30 cm of crushed stone and 50 cm of sand.
- The high groundwater level requires the installation of a filtration field instead of a filter well.
What materials are needed to create a septic tank with your own hands?
Based on the received drawings of the septic tank, we determine the materials that will be needed to build the product for a country house:
- Two barrels with a capacity of 200-250 liters. If a filter well is provided, prepare another barrel by cutting out the bottom. You should not refuse iron ones only if the septic tank is temporary - metal containers will last no longer than a couple of months.
- Crushed stone with small particles each 1.8-3.5 cm in size.
- Geotextiles.
- Pipeline for laying sewerage, the diameter of one pipe is 110 mm.
- Drainage pipes used in the construction of filtration fields.
- Angles that combine parts of the pipeline.
Preparing barrels for installation
First, prepare plastic barrels for work. Make recesses for incoming and outgoing pipes. In one barrel, the hole is made at a step of 20 cm from the upper base of the barrel. The entrance recess runs on the opposite side, with a 10 cm downward displacement.
In the first barrel, provide a hole for ventilation. It is advisable that the lid be removed, because this chamber will accept a larger amount of solid waste and therefore needs constant cleaning.
Now process the second barrel. Step back 20 cm from the top cover and make a hole for the incoming channel. The outlet is placed on the other side, focusing 10 cm above the recess of the inlet pipe. If the barrels are connected to drainage, experts recommend making two holes at an angle of 45 degrees to each other.
How to install a septic tank with your own hands
To install a septic tank, you need to prepare a pit. Focus on a value that exceeds the volume of the barrels; the drawings will help you determine the size. The gap between the plane of the barrels and the sides of the pit is left 25 cm around the entire perimeter.
What other nuances need to be taken into account when creating a pit for a septic tank?
- To make the bottom dense, lay out a sand cushion; the layer thickness should be 10 cm.
- Secure the result concrete mortar. Barrels require reliable fixation using mortgages metal hinges. If the septic tank is planned to be used on an ongoing basis, builders recommend powerful fastening using bandage belts located on a concrete base. The master's short-sightedness can lead to the barrels floating to the surface as soon as the spring flood arrives. Then you will have to say goodbye to the sewer system.
- Now install the barrels by connecting the pipeline. To protect the product from damage, add a mixture of sand and dry cement, the layer thickness is 30 cm. Compact it and fill it again. At this time, fill the container with water - this simple technique will avoid deformation of the walls. Use waterproofing agents to seal joints.
Today you can easily buy ready septic tank industrial production or build capital treatment plants yourself. But if you need to organize temporary sewerage or volume Wastewater V country house is small, simpler and more affordable solutions can be used. For example, build DIY septic tank from plastic barrels . Such a treatment plant will help make life more comfortable and at the same time cope well with the wastewater treatment tasks assigned to it.
Building a house is quite a long process. In order not to give up your usual amenities during construction, you can build a temporary local sewer system - a homemade septic tank. It can be assembled from two 200 liter plastic barrels.
To build such an installation, you can use old, but leak-free plastic barrels. Usage metal barrels impractical, since the metal is quickly destroyed by sewage. An installation made from metal barrels will not last long.
A septic tank made from barrels is easy installation, but it’s still more convenient cesspool or storage. Such a septic tank purifies rather than heats the water, so the need for pumping occurs less frequently.
Today there are many different models of septic tanks offered by manufacturers. But they are all quite expensive to build, so in some cases it is advisable not to spend money, but to assemble a septic tank using plastic barrels. The advantages of this option include:
The main disadvantage of a septic tank assembled from barrels is the limited volume of chambers. The small volume that a septic tank has from barrels is the reason that there will be a need for frequent pumping of sediment.
Advice! It is clear that with a chamber volume equal to the volume of the barrel (200 or 250 liters), the amount of waste should be minimal.
A septic tank assembled from barrels is perfect in the following cases:
Even the construction of such a simple installation as a septic tank assembled from two barrels must begin with planning. You should choose the location of the septic tank, and also draw up a diagram of the future treatment plant.
Just like any other local sewerage installation, the septic tank should be located at a distance from the well or well from which production is made. drinking water. In addition, the septic tank must be located at least 5 meters from the foundation of a residential building and 1 meter from other structures on the site (bathhouse, garage, etc.).
The possibility of pumping out sediment should also be considered. If a sewage truck will be used for pumping, access to the septic tank must be provided.
If the cottage will be used by 2-3 vacationers, then you can choose the following septic tank design:
Let's look at how a septic tank assembled from barrels should be installed.
Advice! If a septic tank from barrels is built as a permanently operating installation, then it is recommended to secure the barrels to concrete slab using bandage straps. If this is not done, then in the spring during a flood the barrels may float and destroy the entire sewer system.
In order for the water settled in settling chambers to be completely cleared of impurities and contaminants, it is necessary to build filtration fields or a filtration well.
Advice! You can purchase already perforated pipes or make holes in regular pipes intended for assembling systems external sewerage. In the latter case, you will need to drill holes for water outlet yourself.
So, a septic tank made from plastic barrels is an inexpensive and practical solution for a bathhouse, construction shed or cottage. This installation cleans wastewater and does not require frequent pumping.
In a country house that is rarely used, an expensive industrial septic tank is usually not installed. An alternative is wastewater treatment plants made from inexpensive plastic or metal barrels. The article talks about design features similar structures.
Manufacturers offer cleaning devices with varying performance and a wide price range. Many owners of summer cottages prefer to make them themselves. This option is in demand for good reasons:
Review by Golodov A.N. At the dacha, I first built a septic tank from barrels for the toilet. Then I connected the bathhouse, kitchen, and washing machine. To do this, I prepared the connection points in advance: I cut the pipes into containers and plugged them for a while.
The homemade design consists of several containers located nearby. They are connected by pipes. Sections are filled sequentially, which is achieved by installing the overflow at different heights. Wastewater treatment occurs mechanically:
The bottom of the last barrel is cut out and a backfill of crushed stone, gravel or sand is made, which serves as a filter. Layer thickness up to one meter. The first containers remain sealed.
This is what it looks like two-chamber septic tank with exit to the filter fieldRemoving clarified wastewater into the ground provides optimal results, but if groundwater is close, the method is unacceptable. To ensure environmental safety, a filtration field is installed. These are perforated pipes insulated with geotextiles that are buried in trenches. The exit is made from the last chamber.
The most common and effective three-section scheme. If the wastewater is kitchen or comes from a bathhouse, washing machine two containers are enough. Such waste can also be cleaned immediately in the last chamber by connecting pipes directly to it, bypassing the previous ones.
Important! The drainage from the toilet must be filtered according to a complete scheme.
Plastic or metal containers are suitable for sewage. To anticipate possible mistakes in installation, you should know about the advantages and disadvantages of materials. The comparison table will help you figure it out:
| Plastic | Metal | ||
| pros | Minuses | Advantages | Flaws |
| Light weight, easy to ship and install | It is required to be securely fixed to the foundation so that the spring flood does not destroy the system | Robust design, no additional fastening required | |
| Frost can compress the container | Tough, not afraid of exposure to cold | ||
| Completely sealed | Waterproof if the walls and bottom are intact | ||
| Are not afraid of corrosion and harmful effects chemical substances, which are contained in wastewater | Over time they are destroyed by rust, the service life depends on the reliability of treatment with an anti-corrosion compound | ||
Mostly products made from other liquids are used, which are sold wholesale and individually. Prices for used ones are low. There are few manufacturers of new barrels for the construction of a small septic tank.
It is better to buy unwashed barrels of fuel and lubricants. They have on inner surface a film is formed that protects against corrosion.
Manager of the Second-Tara company V.N. Martynov
Cost table for 200 liter barrels:
Standardized water consumption is 200 liters per day per person. The capacity of the septic tank is calculated for 72 hours. During this time, a structure of three 200-liter barrels processes this volume. With regular use of water large quantities this is enough for one person. In fact, consumption is lower and can be reduced by using, for example, a shower rather than a bath. Structures of this type are used mainly for summer cottages with temporary residence or for bathhouses. The volume is increased by installing three chambers rather than two.
The larger the camera capacity, the further its location from the house
The second requirement concerns sanitary rules. Distance from wells or boreholes is 30–50 meters, fruit-bearing trees, berry bushes, vegetable garden - 3 m. To the road - 5 meters.
Purchase materials. The main ones include:
It is advisable to buy thick-walled containers in order to achieve a rigid connection with the pipes. WITH thin material The seal may be compromised due to soil pressure.
Others are purchasing Consumables. They take care of the insulation of the chambers in advance to protect them from freezing - they buy thermal insulation. Need seam sealant . It is recommended to use automotive polyurethane, silicone is short-lived. The foundation for a barrel requires cement, sand, and crushed stone. The reinforcement can be made from any iron rods; there is no need to weld, just twist it with wire. Sand is required without clay and organic impurities.
After choosing a location and purchasing materials, construction begins.
They start by preparing the containers. In one filtration chamber, cut out the bottom using a jigsaw or grinder. All chambers are connected by pipes, so holes with a diameter of 110 mm are cut out in the sidewalls. The entrance hole to the first container is located higher, all the others are 10–20 cm lower than the previous one.
If you plan to build a filtration field, then two holes are cut in the last barrel at an angle of 45° to one another. Drainage pipes are subsequently connected here.
The depth of each trench exceeds the previous one by 10 cm Having outlined circles whose diameter is 25 cm larger than the size of the barrels, they begin to dig a pit. All containers are placed on the same line with a distance of 30 cm between them. First, dig a hole for the first barrel.
The bottom of the first sealed pits is covered with a 10 cm thick layer of sand and compacted. Next, the reinforcement is laid, slightly raised above the surface. The ends of the rods are bent and brought above the expected thickness of the concrete. Barrels are then tied to them, or the second option is used, when the hooks are filled with solution.
Advice. Alternative option– threaded rods. Hooks are made from them, metal plates are secured with nuts in a straight section, and fixed in cement mortar.
The last chamber is filtration. It is covered with a layer river sand 30 cm, on top - crushed stone or pebbles, expanded clay. The total thickness is adjusted to 0.8–1 m.
Start assembling the barrels:
Hatches are raised above the surface to a height of 20 cm Fill the pit with dry sand and cement. It is important to guard against mistakes. To prevent it from being crushed, add a little water into the barrel, fill the space layer by layer with the mixture and tamp it down.
It is easier and cheaper to purchase iron containers, especially if they have been used before, than plastic ones. Installation is almost no different, the procedure is the same. Larger volume chambers are constructed from metal barrels, stacked one on top of the other. Will need welding machine and the ability to own it so as not to attract outside help. Stiffening ribs are installed at the connection points. Their absence sometimes leads to squeezing of the container, especially with thin walls.
The volume of the septic tank is doubled by placing one barrel on top of another You can use plastic pipes by sealing the seams with sealant. To cut holes, it is better to use a jigsaw and a metal file. Bulgarian is more difficult to achieve round shape. Before installation in pits, protect the surfaces on both sides with bitumen or anti-corrosion paint. It is advisable to remove rust earlier. Anchoring the containers is not necessary, but it is better to do it - it is not difficult and easier than with a plastic barrel.
Question No. 1. Is it necessary to secure the filtration chamber, since there is no foundation at the bottom?
It is better to fix it to avoid being squeezed out by frost or soil waters. It is done in a slightly different way. 3-4 iron rods are driven into the bottom. A barrel is tied to them with belts.
A do-it-yourself septic tank from barrels is usually built on suburban areas, where people live periodically - for example, in summer period, and also as temporary sewerage at construction sites.
Nowadays it’s quite easy to buy ready-made autonomous system collection and treatment of sewage, manufactured in the factory. It can be used as a permanent structure for country house. But for installing a septic tank in a country house, where you only relax periodically and do not live permanently, there is no point in purchasing such a system due to its high cost and complexity of installation.
It is much easier and more reasonable from a financial point of view to make a simple sewer system with your own hands, using metal or plastic barrels (both used and completely new) for these purposes.
Such a septic tank is constructed from containers with a volume of 200–250 liters. It is clear that such tanks are not capable of containing a large number of drains. This fact is considered the main disadvantage of septic tanks made from barrels. But the described structures also have many advantages. They are very easy to install. All work on sewerage installation is done by hand.
Containers with a volume of 200 liters
The most labor-intensive operation when installing barrels is considered to be digging a pit for them. You can do this yourself or order special equipment. In the first case, the costs will be minimal, but in the second, the work will take very little time. The choice is yours.
If you want to use tanks or barrels made of metal, you should immediately take care of treating them with special anti-corrosion compounds. Such containers have low resistance to aggressive influences Wastewater. Without additional protection There is no point in using them due to rusting - in just a couple of seasons they will fail.
But a septic tank made from plastic barrels with your own hands will last you much longer and without anti-corrosion protection. True, the installation of such tanks will be more difficult. This is due to the low weight of plastic containers. They will have to be additionally secured to eliminate the risk of barrels being pushed to the surface during spring floods.
About the process of constructing a septic tank from plastic products we will talk in great detail. It is precisely these autonomous temporary sewers that are most often built in dachas. Now let’s briefly talk about the principles of constructing a septic tank from iron tanks.
When installing a septic tank from iron containers, you need to dig a pit suitable sizes and it is mandatory to concrete its bottom. Then prepare two barrels and drill holes on their sides. You will insert the outlet of the drainage pipe and the inlet of the overflow pipe into them. Remember - the pipe product coming from the house is always inserted into the first barrel with a certain slope. Due to this, wastewater will flow by gravity into the septic tank without any problems.
Important pro tips to follow when installing a sewer system made of metal barrels:
Construction of a sewer system from metal barrels
If you want to increase the volume of the structure in question, it is possible to install several barrels on top of each other and weld them together. In addition, additional iron jumpers can be mounted. They will provide more reliable fastening of the barrels. All joints between barrels should be thoroughly waterproofed. For this, hot bitumen is most often used.
Let's say it right away. No matter how you arrange the system from iron barrels, after 3-4 years, metal tanks will have to be replaced. They will begin to rot and rust under the influence of aggressive wastewater.
Despite the ease of installation of such sewers, you will have to clearly plan all the activities. First, decide where exactly you will install the septic tank. It must be removed from the garage, sauna and other outbuildings by 1–2 meters, and from a residential building by 5 meters (at least). The wastewater collection facility is not built next to a well or well, from where clean water is supplied to the house.
Next, select your scheme autonomous sewerage. For several people using a country septic tank in warm time year, a system of three barrels that are connected in series with each other is recommended. Note! The first two containers must have a bottom (they act as settling chambers), the third - without it. The last barrel is essentially a filter well.
Barrel sewer system
Principles for installing plastic containers:
If at your dacha groundwater are located quite high, instead of the third barrel, filtration fields are installed.
Now purchase the materials that will be required for the construction of a septic tank (barrels, geotextiles, fine crushed stone, angles for connecting pipe products, 110 mm sewer pipes, sand) and proceed to next stage planned event.
The pit for the septic tank is dug manually or using vehicles. According to its parameters, the pit is made larger geometric dimensions used plastic containers. Along the entire perimeter of the pit, the distance between its sides and the barrels is maintained at 0.25 m.
The bottom of the dug pit needs:
Experts advise additionally attaching plastic tanks to concrete base using special belts (they are called bandage belts). They provide a 100% guarantee that during a flood the barrels will not float to the surface.
Fastening plastic tanks
Now let's move on to plastic containers. In the one that will be installed first, we make a hole (it must be at a distance of 0.2 m from the tank lid) for the pipe coming from the residential building. Another hole is cut on the opposite side of the chamber (relative to the first one, it is shifted down by 0.1 m).
Also, another hole is made in the first container. It will be needed to connect the ventilation riser. Important tip! It is advisable to equip the first barrel with a removable lid. After settling the wastewater, a huge amount of solid waste always remains in this tank. This means that you will have to clean it more often.
Drill holes in the second plastic container in the same way. If you plan to build filtration fields, you need to cut two holes in the second barrel, placing them at a 45-degree angle to each other. These holes are needed to install drainage pipes.
The installation work flow diagram is as follows:
Your septic tank for your dacha is ready!
If, instead of a filtration well, you planned to construct filtration fields, the arrangement of the latter is carried out as follows:
All you have to do is fill the ditch with soil. Fields for filtering wastewater have been made.
If near your summer cottage If there are no centralized sewerage and water supply networks, then for a comfortable stay in the house it is necessary to build an autonomous water supply system and a local treatment facility - a septic tank. Today we will talk about septic tanks. Thanks to them, wastewater will be disposed of according to sanitary standards without causing harm environment. It’s easier and cheaper to make a homemade treatment facility from scrap materials, for example, a septic tank from barrels. The design can be designed for any volume of wastewater, depending on the number of people living in the house. In our article you will find a description of the nuances of making a cleaning device from this material, and the video at the end of the article will help you understand the process more clearly.
You can make a septic tank from a barrel yourself from different materials. The barrel can be plastic or metal. But last option not the best, since the metal quickly corrodes in conditions of constant humidity, so the design will be short-lived. It is better to make a septic tank for small dacha from polymer containers with a volume of 200-250 liters. If many residents will live at your dacha or the structure can be used year-round, then the volume of containers should be even larger.
There can be many options for independently constructing water supply and sewerage systems at your dacha. Thus, a water supply can be installed from a well or a borehole, and the choice of septic tank design depends on the characteristics of the wastewater, hydrogeological conditions on the site and the required quality of wastewater treatment. A septic tank from barrels can be:
Important: structures without a bottom can only be used on sandy soils with good absorption capacity. On clay soils After settling, the wastewater is pumped into a filtration well using a drainage pump.
To build an effective septic tank with your own hands from barrels, you must adhere to the following rules:
Advice: do not locate the treatment plant too far from the house, as there will be problems with maintaining the slope of the sewer pipes. As a result, it may turn out that they enter the treatment plant at a very great depth, so the septic tank will have to be deeply buried in the ground.
After performing preliminary calculations - determining the volume of the septic tank, the length sewer pipeline, hydrogeological condition of the soil, freezing depth, pit dimensions and required slope - you can begin to build a septic tank from plastic barrels.
For work you will need the following materials:
If the groundwater in your area is very high, then the bottom of the pit will have to be concreted. For this you will need cement-sand mixture, electric mixer, mixing container, fittings and steel cables for fixing barrels at the bottom.
If the soil is loose, then the walls of the pit will need to be strengthened wooden formwork or steel fine mesh. To insulate the treatment plant and sewer pipeline you will need mineral wool for pipes, penoplex or polystyrene foam for treatment facilities.
Before starting excavation work, you need to remove sewer pipe. It is from this place that you will dig a trench with a slope towards the septic tank. Next, we make a septic tank from a barrel in the following sequence:
Important: as backfilling progresses, the barrels must be filled with water 20-30 cm above the backfill level. This will protect the septic tank structure from deformation under soil pressure.
