How to make a concrete septic tank on a country site

To create comfortable living conditions in the country or in a country house, it is important to provide your plot not only with electricity and running water, but also with an autonomous system for utilization of domestic wastewater. For these purposes, the easiest way to make a concrete septic tank with their own hands from the available building materials.

Today it is the most reliable, durable and practical type of autonomous treatment facilities, quite affordable for independent production.

Production of a septic tank from monolithic concrete

Currently, there is a huge amount of ready-made solutions for autonomous sewage, but this article will deal with the independent production of a septic tank of solid concrete for cleaning domestic wastewater of a small country house of permanent or seasonal residence.

A step-by-step instruction will be presented here that describes all the technological processes of manufacturing such a sewage treatment plant, designed to meet the needs of a small family.

Advantages of a concrete septic tank

Among the most common materials used for the manufacture of autonomous treatment facilities (metal, polyethylene, polypropylene, fiberglass, ready-made reinforced concrete rings) monolithic concrete is the most convenient and practical, as it allows you to make a design of any shape and size, in accordance with the water consumption.

In addition, the following facts can be attributed to the positive qualities of such a construction:

1. Monolithic concrete does not rot, does not melt, does not corrode, is not afraid of exposure to low and high temperatures, and is of no interest to rodents and harmful insects, that is, it is practically an eternal material that does not require any maintenance during operation.
2. Unlike light plastic structures, a significant sepa-
3. Compared with septic tanks from finished reinforced concrete rings, the monolithic design has no joints and seams, and therefore has absolute leak-tightness, which eliminates the ingress of sewage into open ground.
4. The relatively low price of building materials makes the construction of such a structure affordable even for owners of garden plots with a low level of prosperity.

The choice of design

When designing domestic wastewater disposal systems for the private sector, it is common to consider three basic options.

The most suitable of them is chosen depending on the number of people living in the house and the average daily water consumption.

1. Single chamber septic tank, in fact, is a simple settler, in which solid particles sink to the bottom, where they are decomposed by anaerobic bacteria. Fats, soap film and other light fractions rise to the surface, and water from the average level of the liquid goes through the drain pipe to the filter well, from which it enters the ground. This scheme is suitable for a small house, provided that the daily volume of wastewater is not more than 1m ?.
2. Two-chamber reinforced concrete septic tank implies the presence of a second sedimentation tank, which receives water from the average level of the first chamber for purification. In this case, the water that enters the filtration fields or into the filter well has a higher degree of purification, and the whole structure can provide a throughput of up to 3 m? per day.
3. Three-chamber scheme similar to the two-chamber, with an air compressor for aerating faecal masses in the middle intermediate tank. Air bubbles contribute to the growth and development of aerobic bacteria, which makes it possible to achieve a high level of wastewater treatment and to meet the needs of a full-fledged family in a residential home.

Table 1 shows the total working volume for a two-chamber septic tank in the house of permanent residence.

   Tip! As practice shows, for self-production most often used single-chamber or two-chamber scheme.

Foundation casting

First of all, to build a concrete septic tank with your own hands, you need to prepare a working draft, purchase all the necessary materials and determine the location of the sewage treatment plant, and then you can start working.

1. Remove the fertile soil layer from the land at the selected location.
2. In accordance with the project to dig a pit of the required size. Strengthen walls of a ditch from a collapse by means of boards, and carefully soil the bottom soil.
3. Pour a layer of quarry sand not less than 200 mm thick at the bottom of the pit, and pour a layer of crushed stone of middle fraction not less than 50 mm thick from above.
4. Along the perimeter of the base to install the formwork of the boards. Inside the formwork, on low spacers lay reinforcing steel mesh binding.
5. After that, pour the concrete solution of the grade not lower than M 300 and leave it for several days until complete solidification.

   Tip! Along the perimeter of the base, it is necessary to release upward the bars of the rebar for the welded joint with the reinforcement of the vertical walls.

Formwork and wall installation

The erection of the external walls and internal bridges of the septic tank can be started only after the concrete solution of the monolithic base has completely hardened.

1. To construct the reinforcement piping of the vertical walls and internal partitions from the reinforcing bar, connecting it using electric welding with the reinforcement of the base.
2. Install the inner and outer parts of the vertical formwork of cut boards and plywood of suitable thickness.
3. Fasten the internal and external parts of the formwork between them, as well as install external supports and internal struts to ensure its rigidity and fixed position.
4. Between the outer and inner parts of the vertical formwork, pour a concrete solution of a grade not lower than M 300 and compact it with an immersion vibrator.
5. Making sure that the monolith is fully poured and free of voids, leave the structure alone for at least two weeks.

   Tip! To ensure the integrity of the monolith and the tightness of the structure, it is advisable to fill the concrete solution of the external walls and internal bridges on the same day, in one working cycle.

Installation of floors and ventilation systems

To block the concrete septic tank from above, you can use a ready-made reinforced concrete slab, but it’s not a fact that it will be possible to find the required size.

Therefore, for the arrangement of the overlap, you can also use the technology of monolithic construction, which also allows you to manufacture on-site inspection hatches and ventilation openings in all cells.

1. After removing the vertical formwork, inspection inspection and elimination of defects of the external walls and internal partitions, it is necessary to install horizontal formwork to fill the floor.
2. In the locations of inspection hatches and ventilation openings, install vertical formwork of boards, plywood or sewer pipes of the required diameter.
3. Reinforcement of the ceiling to perform two layers of reinforcing mesh and supporting reinforcing bar with a diameter of at least 12 mm.
4. Inside the finished formwork pour the same concrete solution that was used for the construction of the walls, then leave for at least two weeks until complete curing.

It should be remembered that the liquid concrete solution is quite heavy, so before pouring it is necessary to make sure that the horizontal formwork is durable and reliable, and if necessary, install additional supports from below.

   Tip! To prevent cracking and uniform drying of the concrete, after pouring, it is recommended to cover it with plastic wrap and not to remove it until the solution hardens.

Conclusion

After reading this article, it becomes clear that to build a fully autonomous concrete septic tank without pumping with your own hands is quite within the power of any owner of a suburban area. For more information on this issue, watch the video in this article or explore similar materials on this topic on our website.