How to Build a Filter for Sewage Drain Overflow
The enzymes in your septic system digest the effluent and gray water from your house. Gray water, gas and sludge are the byproducts of this digestion process. The gas leaves the septic tank through a vent, and you have to remove the sludge every few years, excess gray water overflows and drains into a system of perforated pipes that distribute it throughout a leach field. The leach field filters the gray water sewage as it seeps through the dirt. Construct a proper leach field filter to make sure your sewage overflow does not contaminate the groundwater or areas beyond the field. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Dig trenches 1 foot wide and 2 feet deep, with 6 feet between each trench. The number of trenches and their length depends on the size of your home, the type of percolation pipes you select, and local soil conditions and building laws. Consult your local government for information about how many feet of trenches you need for your filter system.
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Lay about 6 inches of gravel in the bottom of the trench. You need gravel sized between 3/4 inch and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. A quarry will sell you a gravel mix with appropriately sized stones.
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Lay your percolation pipes on top of the gravel in the trenches. Keep the holes in the pipe facing toward the bottom of the trench. You can buy percolation pipes at most hardware and building supply stores.
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Pour more gravel into the trenches until the percolation pipes are covered by a layer of at least 6 inches.
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Spread hay over the gravel that covers the percolation pipes. Place a sheet of plywood over the hay and walk across it to tamp it down. Remove the board and add successive layers of hay until you have a 5-inch layer of hay over the gravel. This prevents dirt from working down between the pieces of gravel and clogging your sewage overflow filter.
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Fill the remainder of the trenches in with the dirt you dug out of them. This is called backfilling in the construction business. Place sod or spread grass seed over the trenches. You are ready to connect your septic tank to the sewage drain overflow filter field.
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Tips & Warnings
Never drive a vehicle over your sewage filter system. It could cause the percolation pipes to burst.
Avoid walking on the bottom of the trenches before you have gravel in them. It compacts the dirt, which makes the filter less effective.
Laws vary by municipality about sewage drain overflow filter systems. Consult your local government before you begin building.
References
Resources
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