Do-it-yourself sewer pit in a private house: features of various types of pits, construction stages. Do-it-yourself cesspool: simple designs How to close a cesspool in a private house

Sewerage in a country or rural house is no longer an exception, but rather the rule, so the arrangement of such a blessing of civilization is attracting more and more attention from owners of private houses.

A drain pit is an integral part of any sewage system and you can build it yourself quite inexpensively, using improvised materials for this purpose.

Making a drain pit with your own hands will be discussed in our article.

Where to start building

Before starting construction, it is necessary to develop a plan

Before proceeding with the construction of a drain system, it is necessary to sketch out a plan on a piece of paper, respecting the scale and taking into account the following requirements:

1. The distance to the foundation of a house or other structure is not closer than 5 m.
2. The distance to a water well, cellar or well is at least 20 m, and preferably 30 m.
3. The distance to the border of the site is not closer than 1 m, and then if there is no neighboring water intake outside the border of your site.
4. There is a convenient entrance for a sewage truck, since from time to time the drains will have to be pumped out.

Pay your attention: the requirements listed above are SanPin requirements, but they must be clarified in the local sanitary supervision, since each region may have its own nuances.

Decide on the type of drain

It is necessary to determine the type of drain

Before you start building a drain pit, you need to decide on the type of drain. The type of drain pit depends on its design and happens:

1. Cumulative.
2. Filtering.

Cumulative type, as the name implies, serves to collect wastewater, followed by pumping. That is, the entire volume of wastewater is periodically pumped out by special vehicles and taken out for disposal.

A device of this type is simpler and therefore cheaper, but if 4 or more people permanently live in the house, then the operation will be quite expensive, since the pit will have to be cleaned quite often, and this service is paid.

filter type more difficult to build, due to the fact that a filtering system will have to be made, but then most of the drains will go into the ground, and pumping will be done much less frequently. Therefore, the operation of such a drain will be cheaper.

For the storage type, it is necessary to build a sealed well; such a well can be made from various materials:

• concrete rings;
• bricks;
• plastic or metal container.

In a concrete or brick well, it is necessary to concrete the bottom and seal the seams, this work is difficult and expensive, and the concrete rings themselves are expensive.

In addition, a crane is required to install the rings, for which you will also have to pay. Brick, somewhat cheaper, but high-quality masonry and especially wall sealing can only be done by a specialist, so these options are not considered by us.

It is much easier to make a well from a plastic or metal container, you just need to decide on the volume. It is usually taken as a multiple of the service car, 4, 6, 8 cubes and takes into account the number of people living in the house.

Stages

It is quite affordable to make a drain pit from a finished container with your own hands; for this, you only need desire and diligence. Let's take a closer look at the stages of construction.

1. We are preparing a pit

We mark the place for the pit under the container. The dimensions of the pit should be 15–20 cm larger than the container, and the depth should be such that at least 1 meter from the top of the container to the ground.

We place the container in the pit, if it is made of plastic, this can be done without the help of additional equipment, but using cables.

Having installed the container in the pit, you must make sure that the height from its top to the ground is at least 1 meter. If the thickness of the soil over the tank is less than 1 meter, then it is necessary, before backfilling, to make thermal insulation with any insulation with a thickness of 100-150 mm.

2. Digging a trench

We begin to dig a trench from the house to the pit, the depth of the trench near the house can be 0.5–0.7 m and have a slope towards the pit. This slope should be within 2–3 cm per meter of trench length.

Take note: the slope must be kept within these limits, because with a smaller slope, the flow worsens, especially of solid particles, and with a larger slope, the liquid part flows faster than the solid fraction moves and the pipes will gradually become clogged.

3. Pipeline laying



Pipeline Slope Control Device

A sand cushion of 20-25 cm is poured at the bottom of the trench, a pipeline is laid on it, controlling its slope. To control the slope of the pipeline, a special device is used, it consists of a building level, which is placed on a specially made rail 1 m long and one end 3 cm thick and the other 5 cm thick.

This rail with a level is placed on the pipeline and pouring or vice versa removing sand from under the pipe, they achieve a zero reading on the level scale.

4. Backfill

First, carefully, manually sprinkle the pipeline by 20-30 cm, lightly tamp, the final backfill, if possible, can be continued with a bulldozer, or manually. Having finished with backfilling and leveling, you can begin to operate the system.

As mentioned at the beginning, the operation of this system is quite expensive, so it can be improved by building a filter well, where the clarified water will flow, and the solid fraction will accumulate in the storage well. In this case, it will be necessary to pump out several times less often, once or twice a year.

Drainage pit at their summer cottage can be improved

So, our system will consist of two parts:

1. Accumulative drain pit from a finished container that we have already built.
2. Filtering well, the construction of which we will now consider.

The filter well should not be sealed, on the contrary, water will go into the ground through the holes in it.

It can be made from brick, a metal pipe, and the easiest way is to use old car or tractor tires. The durability of such a well made of tires is at least 12–15 years.

To make such a well, you need:

1. Prepare tires. It is not necessary to choose them in the same size, the main thing is that they do not fall into one another. Their number will depend on the height of the well and the thickness of the tires. For example, if we take tires from the Don combine, 3 of them are enough.
2. We are preparing a hole with a diameter of 0.5 m larger than the tires.
3. We fall asleep at the bottom of the pit 30-40 cm of sand, then 30-40 gravel, carefully level and tamp.
4. We put the tires one on top of the other, and carefully fill the gap between the walls of the pit and the tires with soil, ramming it.

Builder Tip: the filtering well should be buried 0.5-0.7 m deeper than the storage tank. The pipeline cuts into the drive at a level ¾ from its bottom, and enters the filter well as high as possible, but this is not necessary.

5. To insert a pipeline in one of the tires, the higher the better, we cut a hole according to the diameter of the pipe. We lay, not forgetting about the slope, the pipe and carefully fill the soil.
6. We make a cover on the well from metal or wood.

Our custom drain system is ready.

It turns out that making a drain hole with your own hands will not be difficult, you just need to follow these not tricky rules. This will save you a significant amount.

The creation of a sewerage system in a private house will qualitatively change the living conditions in it, bringing it closer in comfort to a city apartment, and compliance with SanPin standards will protect nature from pollution and you from fines.

Detailed video instruction about how to build a drain pit in a private house with your own hands, you can here:

The cesspool for a private house has evolved somewhat over the past decades. In addition to the simplest design (a pit in the ground) and a structure such as a concrete well, septic tanks have been actively used privately for the last 10 years. The latter direction has a number of branches: pumped out sealed septic tanks and systems with wastewater treatment for further discharge. Further - more about each type of sewer facilities.

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Classmates

Calculation

For cesspools with a filtering bottom, a simple formula for calculating their volume is used - 0.15 m 3 per person per day living in this house. For longer use from cleaning to cleaning, if you are planning a sealed design, you can increase the volume by 50-70% for each person.

Do not get too carried away by increasing the volume, as this will entail additional construction costs, and the benefit of rarely calling the car will be blocked by the cost of cleaning the tank: over time, sludge accumulates in tanks / pits, which also needs to be removed. In a cesspool with a filtering bottom, this process also occurs: the soil eventually loses its ability to filter effluents - it becomes clogged with fats and non-decomposable waste fractions.

For sealed systems, it is recommended to take for calculation the rate of wastewater from 0.2 m 3 /person per day. This is the required minimum. The second calculation option is based on the maximum amount of wastewater based on the consumption rate of plumbing fixtures for 2 ... 4 weeks. This option is more reliable.

The consumption rates are as follows:

• 1 crane - up to 0.1 m 3 per day;
• Shower (taking into account the number of residents) - 0.08 m 3 per day for 1 person.
• Bathroom - up to 0.25 m 3 per week for each resident.
• Toilet bowl - from 0.04 m 3 per day per person.
• Washing (dishwasher) machine - 0.01 ... 0.02 m 3 each time it is turned on.
• Other plumbing fixtures - subject to availability.
• Reserve - not less than 30%.

Calculation example for a family of 4

For a day, a family of four needs

1. Domestic needs - 0.1 m 3
2. For a shower - 0.32 m 3
3. For taking a bath once a week: 0.25/7*4=0.14
4. Sanitary needs - 0.16 m 3
5. Washing 1 time in 2 days: 0.02/2=0.01
6. Total for daily use minimum required: 0.82 m 3
7. Taking into account the supply per day, 1.1 m 3 of capacity is required.

Then you consider how much you can afford, taking into account the cost of forced cleaning and the required space for construction. For a pit with a filter bottom, 6 m 3 will be enough. For a hermetic design with weekly cleaning, you will need a container of 6 m 3, taking into account weekly cleaning.

Simple and proven option

A simple cesspool in the yard is a mandatory attribute of any private house that does not have the ability to connect to a central sewer. The device of cesspools can be the simplest: in the presence of dense soil, compliance with the norms during construction, they dig a well and close it.

Location Options

• at least 5 meters from the house and more;
• no further than 1 ... 4 m from the fence;
• no closer than 30 m to the nearest body of water;
• from the source of drinking water - no closer than 50 m.

It is desirable to fence the site, but leave access for the sewer service car.

The location of the cesspool relative to other objects on the site

This design of a cesspool with their own hands is ineffective. Construction is associated with a number of difficulties: it is necessary to get to the bottom of solid layers of soil, and then additionally remove from 2 to 4 m 3 of rock. The last disadvantage of the design is the low volume of wastewater that it is able to serve - up to 0.5 ... 1 m 3 per day. There is only one advantage: it is cheap and you can do it yourself alone.

Do-it-yourself work order for a cesspool without pumping out:

Conclusion: the simplest cesspool, without strengthening the walls, is suitable for use with a small amount of wastewater. This option is acceptable for giving, but not for permanent residence.

Brick / concrete sewer well

Prefabricated sewer wells are dug in the same order as a simple cesspool. Their difference is the main walls made of bricks or ready-made concrete rings. Brick today is practically not used in such structures.

These designs are of two types: sealed and with a filtering bottom (do-it-yourself cesspool without pumping). In the first case, the well is concreted and sealed. Ventilation is required. In designs with a filter bottom, it is left open, the soil under it is a filter for wastewater.

The order of work is similar to the first section, only the operations of laying concrete rings (laying bricks) are added. A do-it-yourself cesspool using bricks can be built independently; you will have to hire equipment to lay concrete rings.

A cesspool made of concrete rings is strictly limited in size. There are three main sizes of these products for private courtyards: 70, 100, 150 cm. In industrial construction, rings up to 2 m in diameter are also used.

Instead of a do-it-yourself cesspool for a private house, you can build a more modern structure - a septic tank. With a sealed septic tank for 1 chamber, you are not so limited in choosing the location of the structure - this is its advantage. But the construction will be a little more expensive than for option 1, but much cheaper than a cesspool made of concrete rings.

The second version of the septic tank is multi-chamber with several levels of water purification. In essence, this is the minimum water treatment plant, the product of which can be returned to the soil, used for irrigation or discharged into a reservoir. The conditions for using this design - you must constantly monitor the state of discharges, control the quality of treated water. For this, a number of both technological measures (filtration systems) and special preparations (chemical and / or biological treatment) are used.

This version of a do-it-yourself cesspool is more expensive, but excludes the constant use of forced cleaning services.

How to install a septic tank

1. Preparation of the pit (according to the dimensions of the tank, taking into account the pillow).
2. Backfilling of crushed stone pillow - from 0.5 m.
3. Sand laying (up to 0.1 m)
4. Tank installation. Expansion structures must be installed on the outside of the tank. They can be performed in various ways: scald the tanks with reinforcement, line the pit with bricks, etc. The main task here is to prevent the soil from outside pressing on the walls of the container, otherwise it may burst and depressurize.
5. After installing the septic tank, the free volumes around the tank are covered with sand, and the soil backfill is laid on top (again - on the protective structure, so as not to push the tank now from above).

Note. For round tanks, a protective unloading casing can be omitted. For "cubes" - a must.

In conclusion - the basic rules for laying pipes (as a reminder):

• Calculate the angle of inclination for all communications: for each meter of sewage, the slope must be at least 2% (level difference 2 cm). With a pipe length of 5 meters, the difference should be at least 10 cm. For longer sections of pipelines, it is desirable to set a larger slope angle of 3 ... 4 cm per meter.
• Consider the depth of freezing. Sewerage is a “warm system”: reactions are constantly taking place in it with the release of heat. But it must be insulated (in case of long downtime), and buried to a depth of at least 1 m for temperate latitudes.
• Pipes are laid on a sand cushion, after laying they must be covered with bricks. Plastic under the pressure of the soil will not bend, but under constant pressure it very often cracks. An example of such an impact would be the constant passage of a car over a pipe. For protection, it is enough to lay out a protective tunnel with walls made of bricks, old concrete curbs, stone and cover the pipe with the same materials. The pipe in the tunnel can be covered with sand. Another option is to fill the structure with concrete, and then backfill the trenches. But he's not comfortable. If you need to repair / clean the pipe. Or in the case of adding a new branch to it from a guest house built after 3 ... 5 years.

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There are two extremes in arranging a toilet in the country. One is a booth in the yard with a “point”, the justification for which is the phrase from the famous Soviet film: “There are no bushes nearby!”. The other is a system for the accumulation and disposal of sewage in a septic tank - equipment that does not require pumping out waste products. The first is associated with inconvenience, the second with the high cost of installation. A properly equipped cesspool looks like a compromise between them, which you can build with your own hands.

The best place for a hole

In some (if not most) village houses, a cesspool is dug within the boundaries of the foundation of the house, directly under a latrine located somewhere in the depths of a passage or corridor. On the one hand, it is convenient: you do not need to go outside; the design does not require the arrangement of a drain and drainage sewer communications. On the other hand, such a pit cannot be used for domestic drains (from the sink, bathtub, shower, etc.), and the smell in the toilet and around is unpleasant.

The best solution to the problem is to equip the drive in a site not far from the building, where sewage will be drained from the home toilet through the sewer pipe.

But even in this case, digging a pit is not possible everywhere. Sanitary standards stipulate that the sewer pit should be at least 5 m from a residential building, 30-40 m from a water intake (well, natural reservoir), and 2 m from a neighbor's fence. Work should also not be carried out near fruit trees planted Location on.
In addition, it should be remembered that the pit is still intended to be a cesspool, that is, the contents, as it is filled, must be raked out and transported. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate in advance the availability of the entrance of sewage equipment at their summer cottage.

Photo: layout of the cesspool at their summer cottage

Volume calculations

The device of a cesspool in the country needs preliminary calculations. The base indicator here is the daily water consumption per person (taking into account not only visiting the restroom, but also washing, bathing, washing, washing dishes, etc.). The minimum figure is 150 liters. Another thing that needs to be decided is the frequency with which sewage is planned to be pumped out of the pit. Let's say once a month.

It remains to calculate the required volume of the storage tank (in cubic meters) using the formula: V = nNVl / 1000, where n is the period between emptying the pit (in days), N is the number of people permanently residing in the house, and Vl is the daily water consumption per person. Thus, for a family of four, the cesspool should be 18 m3. It is useful to add another 20 percent here - taking into account the guests.

The ratio of the depth and length of the walls of the pit for a given volume does not really matter, but it is still better if the depth is twice the sides of the square-shaped pit. For example, for 18 m3, the inner length of the walls is 1.5 m at a depth of 3 m. By the way, it is advisable not to dig the drives deeper than three meters: there is a risk that the hose of the sewage equipment will not reach the bottom.

For those who have forgotten the school mathematics course, we recall that the volume of a round pit (cylinder) is calculated by the formula V = πr2h (h in this case is the depth of the pit). That is, for a storage tank with a volume of 18 m3, you will need 6 concrete rings with a diameter of 200 cm and a standard height (0.9 m).

We build with our own hands

How to make a cesspool in the country? Concrete rings, often used for arranging wells, are one of the best ways to build the walls of a cesspool with your own hands. True, “our own” here is very conditional: they will have to be transported and installed with the help of special equipment, because the weight of one such, with a diameter of 2 m and a height of 0.9 m, is 2.3 tons (price, for those who are interested, 4800 rubles).

The bottom of the prepared pit does not provide for drainage, it must be poured with concrete reinforced with a mesh and, after drying, lay rings on it. When preparing the mortar, it is advised to add crushed stone in a ratio of 6: 1 to the cement. After installing all the rings, the seams, including at the base, must be sealed with a sealant to make the structure waterproof. It is important at this stage not to forget about the technological hole for the sewer pipe.

And more importantly: it is better to make the well cover double - one directly on the upper ring, "submerged" 20-30 cm from the ground level, the second - at the level of the turf. Between them should be placed a heater (technical wool, polystyrene, etc.). Of course, both covers must have hatches for pumping out the contents, as well as holes for a ventilation pipe, which it is desirable to raise along the wall of some adjacent outbuilding to the roof level.

Another way to build a cesspool on the site with your own hands is from brick. The laying of the walls is no different from the usual. It is better to fill the space between the edges of the pit and the walls with clay - for additional sealing and protection from groundwater, which can rise significantly in spring.

Common as cesspool wall material and concrete. Their construction is also classical: formwork, reinforcement, pouring. In any case, the bottom of the pit should be filled with a screed.

Pit "bottomless"

A cesspool in the country can be built with your own hands and in another way. Moreover, it will be less than the calculated volume, but without compromising performance. This is the so-called absorbing cesspool. It has no bottom. That is, there is a bottom, but it is not airtight, but is a drainage consisting of two layers - sand and gravel.

So how is drainage done? The bottom of the pit is lined with an even layer of sand (25-30 cm) and covered with a special material - geofabric, so that free edges remain. A 15-cm layer of crushed stone of medium "caliber" (30-50 mm) is poured onto the fabric and is also covered with geotextile. Both layers of fabric are fastened together or glued to the wall with mastic. Drainage is ready. A few words about matter. The geotextile for drainage allows liquid to pass through, but retains solid fractions, which can gradually “clog” its flow through the drainage. The material does not rot, does not grow moldy even in a wet environment, neither insects nor rodents spoil it.

The absorbing cesspool has one more feature: in addition to the absence of a sealed bottom, its walls must be with holes. If it is a brick, the masonry is done so that there are gaps of several centimeters between the bricks. If concrete, then it is better to make holes. It is clear that they, like drainage, are designed for a faster outflow of contents.

True, when building an absorbing sewer pit with your own hands, there is one “but”: sanitary and epidemiological standards prohibit its use with a system capacity of more than 1 m 3 of liquid per day.

How it flies into the pipe

In conclusion, a few words about the installation of a sewer pipe through which sewage enters the storage tank. It is better to use plastic, with a diameter of 100-150 mm. It should be placed in a trench for drainage, without bends, at a depth below the level of soil freezing (for central Russia - 50-70 cm). When laying, it is necessary to maintain a slope of 2-3 cm per linear meter. It is better to wrap the pipe with thermal insulation or cover it from above, for example, with pieces of foam plastic.

The fact is that the sewer pipe is a kind of “weak link” in the system. In winter, the drains in it cool quickly and precipitate on the walls, gradually narrowing the diameter and making it difficult to drain. Therefore, experts recommend laying a “understudy” pipe in the same trench, to which you can switch the main one in case of difficulty in draining. Moreover, thanks to the microflora that lives in the sewer, the efficiency of the first is restored without the intervention of the owner in 2-3 months.

Depending on the amount of drained water, you can choose the appropriate option:

• a pit without a bottom (drain) is a suitable option to make a drain in the bath;
• sealed cesspool - for a large number of drains;
• septic tank - for partial treatment and draining of wastewater.

Which is better - a sealed or drain cesspool?

If the daily amount of discharged water does not exceed one cubic meter, a drain pit can be used. This is convenient, for example, when organizing a drain in a bath. It is enough to dig a pit with a volume of 3 m³, lay a pillow of 30 cm of sand and 50 cm of stones on the bottom, strengthen its walls with brick, concrete or even tires and close the hole.

If much more water is drained, it does not have time to seep and be cleaned. Then you can make a completely sealed cesspool. Ready-made containers are sold, which can be immediately buried.

The only drawback of such a pit is the monthly pumping of waste.

A septic tank is the best cesspool

If the amount of drain exceeds one and a half cubic meters per day, but it is unprofitable to order a monthly pumping out of the pit, the best way out is to make a septic tank in a private house. It filters waste quite well, polluting the environment much less than the usual latrine with a pit. Ready-made systems are sold, which are enough to bury on the site, or you can do it completely on your own.

Advantages and disadvantages of a homemade septic tank

A do-it-yourself septic tank has a number of advantages over ready-made solutions:

The final cost is significantly lower;
+ does not require a large area for the organization of the filtration field;
+ you can organize one septic tank for two houses;
+ depending on the type of wastewater, pumping is required every few years;
+ It is possible to carry out a complete cleaning once every ten years.

But the disadvantages of such a septic tank are also present:

- significant labor costs - it is problematic to cope with the device of a septic tank alone;
- time - pouring cement into the formwork and its hardening takes about a month;
- additional equipment - to simplify the process, you will need a concrete mixer or a drill with a mixer.

Site selection

The requirements for a septic tank are the same as for a cesspool - no closer than 15 meters from the well and 30 meters from the reservoir. At the same time, do not forget about the neighbors - the distance to their well should also not be less. But to the house it can be placed almost close - 3 m from the foundation with a one-story building, and 5 m - with a two-story building. In addition, this is how the issue of insulating the drain pipe is solved - the greater the distance to the pit, the deeper you will have to dig a trench and insulate the pipe.

Be sure to take into account the direction of groundwater and flood water - they should not go from the septic tank to the house or well. At the same time, it is also undesirable to arrange a septic tank in the lower part of the site - melt and runoff water will flood it. To protect the septic tank from flooding or raise it above the groundwater level, it can not be buried completely in the ground, insulating the above-ground part to prevent freezing.

Step by step instructions on how to make a septic tank

After choosing a place for a septic tank, work begins on its organization. It is necessary to calculate the required volume of the main chamber and the overall dimensions of the pit. So, for four people, the main chamber will be at least 150x150 cm, and for five or six - 200x200 cm. In this case, the depth should be at least 2.5 m, but not deeper than 3 m. This is done for the convenience of future pumping. The second, or drainage, chamber cannot be less than a third of the main one.

If there is a shower in the house and it is used daily, the size of the chambers must be increased by another 50%. It is also better to leave a small margin, since the filling of the working chamber should not exceed 2/3 of the total volume per day. In addition, the drains in the working chamber should settle a little, and not immediately overflow into the drainage chamber. The optimal volume of a septic tank is the daily amount of drained water multiplied by 3.

1. After determining the size of the chambers, markings are made and a foundation pit is dug. The upper fertile layer is removed - it can be used to cover the septic tank and arrange the beds.



2. The trench for the drain pipe is dug at the same time as the foundation pit. The slope of the pipe is 3 degrees per meter. So that the masses do not stagnate, the pipe must be laid without straight and sharp corners.
3. It is desirable to get to sandy or sandy soil. On clay soil, a sand and gravel cushion is made. First, 30 cm of sand is poured and tamped, and then the same amount of crushed stone of a fraction of 5 cm. Thus, for a septic tank 2.5 m deep, you will have to dig a pit 3.1 m deep.



4. The rest of the formwork is done on top of the pillow. The formwork along the walls is one-sided - the second side is the earth.



5. A drain pipe with a diameter of 100 mm is inserted into the formwork at a height of at least 80 cm from the bottom. If it is above freezing of the soil, the pipe must be insulated.
6. A tee is inserted into the wall formwork between the chambers, through which settled water will drain into the drainage chamber. It should be 20 cm below the drain pipe.
7. Concrete can be kneaded both manually in a trough with a chopper, and a concrete mixer. To give the mixture elasticity and frost resistance, you can add a tablespoon of ordinary washing powder to each bucket of water.



8. Concrete mixed with crushed stone and stones of different sizes is poured into the formwork, and the mixture itself is bayoneted, removing air bubbles. The pipe and the tee are poured so that after the formwork is removed, there is a monolithic wall around them.



9. As soon as the concrete hardens, you can make the top floor. It is most convenient to use corrugated board for formwork. It is laid so that it goes halfway onto the walls of the septic tank - so that when pouring, the roof and walls merge into a monolith.
10. A technical hatch with a diameter of 1 m is made, around which formwork is installed. It is necessary to make two holes above the chambers and insert pipes. In the main chamber there is a pipe with a diameter of 100 mm and a reverse slope for pumping out sludge, which does not reach the bottom by 20 cm. A vacuum release hole is made at the end of such a pipe. A ventilation pipe with a diameter of 50 mm is inserted into the second.





11. An overlap with a minimum thickness of 15 cm is poured with the obligatory addition of stone and bayonet. After hardening, the septic tank is covered with waterproofing and can be completely covered with earth, leaving only a technical hatch. So that in winter the septic tank does not freeze through this hatch, it is covered with foam plastic and covered with another lid.

An improved do-it-yourself cesspool is ready to go. After some time, the bottom of the main chamber becomes silted, bacteria develop there, increasing the filtration capabilities of the pillow, and the final cleaning of the drain water takes place in the second chamber.

And how to make a simple cesspool is described step by step in the video:

Sewerage is one of the most important benefits of civilization. Without sewerage, washing, showering, taking a bath and going to the toilet are accompanied by difficulties and inconveniences. But it is not always possible to connect to a centralized sewer system - it is not available for remote villages, summer cottages and cottage villages. The way out of the problem is the arrangement of their own facilities for the collection, treatment and disposal of wastewater. The simplest and cheapest solution is to build a cesspool without a bottom with your own hands.

How is a cesspool without a bottom

There are two types of cesspools:

• sealed;
• leaky, without a bottom;

The first are the simplest structures made of concrete, brick or plastic, completely waterproof. They collect liquid and solid waste coming through the sewer pipe. Regularly, on average 1-2 times a month, a sewage machine should pump them out of a sealed drain pit. The services of such specialists are expensive, because some owners are thinking about how to partially dispose of sewage with the help of soil purification.

And the simplest option is leaky cesspools. They are a shallow well, assembled from bricks, old tires or concrete rings. They do not have a sealed bottom - either the soil itself is located there, or a filter pad made of sand, gravel or crushed stone. Also, many holes are created in the walls of the cesspool for the purpose of drainage. Through them and the bottom, liquid sewage partially goes into the ground and undergoes natural soil post-treatment. The rest remains in the well and is pumped out by a sewage machine 1-2 times a year.

You may be interested in information about what it looks like

Such a structure is suitable for solving the problem of waste in a country house visited during spring and summer, or for a village house where 1-2 people live. For a large family without a bottom, they are not an effective and environmentally safe solution - in this case, it is preferable to build from several concrete wells.

Advantages and disadvantages of a cesspool without a bottom

Let's briefly consider what is good and bad design of a leaky cesspool. Its advantages include the following.

1. The extremely low price of the structure compared to the cost of a full-fledged septic tank - both factory-made and home-made, built from rings or monolithic concrete.
2. Ease of creation - a pit and a trench are dug under the pipe, the walls of the cesspool and the lid are installed, the connection is made. Without any problems, all these activities can be performed independently.
3. The speed of construction - it is quite possible to equip a cesspool without a bottom from concrete rings in a couple of days.
4. Lower costs compared to a sealed cesspool - you can call a sewage truck not every month, but only 1-2 times a year.

Due to its simplicity and maximum cheapness, such a sewer structure has serious drawbacks.

1. Problems with the environment - if this is placed near a source of drinking water, then over time the latter may become unusable - sewage seeping through the soil will poison it with E. coli and other microorganisms. It is possible to drink from such a well, but it is not safe.
2. Possibility of conflict with neighbors - those who live near you are unlikely to enjoy the existence of a potential source of pollution. But, as practice shows, this is a problem only for well-maintained cottage settlements and garden partnerships - in other places, most likely, neighbors have the same or even simpler facilities for collecting sewage.
3. Problems with SES. If the sanitary and epidemiological service comes to your site with a check, then it may consider that you have a cesspool with seepage of sewage into the soil as a violation of the norms, with corresponding consequences.
4. The fragility of work - it should be understood that such a cesspool is unable to function for a long time - over time, the soil around it will silt up and stop passing water in the same volume. As a result, the structure will fill up with drains faster, so you will have to move it to a new location or replace it with a full-fledged septic tank. Or more often turn to the services of vacuum cleaners.

Choosing a location for the cesspool

It was mentioned several times above that a cesspool without a bottom is not the best solution in terms of ecology and compliance with sanitary standards. But a competent choice of a place for its construction will minimize possible risks and avoid poisoning of reservoirs and wells.

It is worth saying that the current sanitary and building standards do not give a clear answer to the question of the admissibility or, conversely, the inadmissibility of building a cesspool without a bottom. Below are some excerpts from various documents.

So, an unsealed cesspool, if possible, should be created on soils with good water permeability and in places where the groundwater level is at least 1 meter below the bottom.

The list below gives the minimum distances between a similar structure and various objects:

• from the cesspool to the drinking well - at least 50 m;
• to the reservoir - at least 30 m;
• to trees and gardens - at least 5 m;
• to the road or the border of the site - from 2 to 4 m;
• to residential buildings - 5 m.

Advice! Before starting construction, familiarize yourself with how the facilities for collecting sewage from the nearest neighbors are arranged. Also, if the case takes place in the country, discuss this issue with the chairman of the partnership. This will avoid unnecessary conflicts and reduce the likelihood of a visit from the sanitary service to your site.

Construction of a cesspool without a bottom from concrete rings

The most popular material for self-arranging cesspools without a bottom, drainage wells and septic tanks are concrete rings. They have sufficient strength for such a structure, their installation does not take much time, and the low price makes these products affordable for any household. The process of making a cesspool without a bottom from concrete rings with your own hands is given below in the form of step-by-step instructions.

Important! Before starting excavation work, determine how many concrete rings, and what size you need. For convenience, the main characteristics of the most popular products are summarized in the table.

Table. Dimensions, weight and volume of concrete rings made in accordance with GOST 8020-90.

Step 1. Start the construction of a cesspool without a bottom by determining the place where it will be located. This is discussed in more detail in the previous section of the article.

Step 2 At the selected location, mark and define the boundaries of the future pit. Its diameter is made 20-30 cm larger than the outer diameter of the concrete ring.

Step 3 Start the actual extraction of the soil. If the cesspool is supposed to be shallow, and there is enough time, then earthwork can be done manually. It is advisable to do this in pairs - one digs, and the other lifts the extracted soil up. The work is greatly facilitated when using a bucket with a strong rope and a garden wheelbarrow (or walk-behind tractor).

Important! If, when digging a pit by hand, it turns out that the soil is prone to crumbling, then for reasons of your own safety, work should be stopped immediately. Otherwise, there is a risk of suddenly being covered with earth. In such situations, you will have to involve an excavator.

Step 4 Regularly measure the depth of the pit with a tape measure. For cesspools without a bottom, this depth does not exceed 3 m. Also remember that there must be a distance of at least 1 m (preferably more) between sewer drains and groundwater.

Step 5 Delivery of concrete rings is usually carried out by the manufacturer, while they are brought on a truck with a crane. Check the availability of all ordered products and their quality.

Step 6 With the help of a crane-manipulator, immerse the first concrete ring into the pit.

The ring is lowered into the pit

Important! For better fixation of the rings with each other, apply cement mortar to their ends before laying a new product.

Step 7 In the same way, put the second and subsequent rings on the first ring. At the same time align them relative to each other.

Step 8 Complete the laying of concrete products with the installation of the upper round slab, in which a hole is cut out for the hatch.

Step 9 In loamy conditions, effective drainage will require a large contact area. If you live in an area where the soil does not absorb water well, drill a series of medium-sized drainage holes in the bottom of the cesspool. Their total area should reach 10% of the total area of ​​the internal surface of the structure.

Important! Often, a cushion of crushed stone with a thickness of 30 to 50 cm is poured into the bottom of such a cesspool. Its use allows at least a little cleaning of the sewage that goes into the ground. At the same time, the filler of such a pillow requires regular replacement or washing, which is not the most pleasant and easy job. Each homeowner must decide for himself what is more important for him - the ability not to pollute the surrounding land and groundwater too much, or the absence of the need to go down to the cesspool and replace the crushed stone filter pad. Instead of the latter, you can use ordinary sand.

Step 11 Fill the space between the walls of the pit and the concrete rings with earth or sand.

Step 10 Complete the arrangement of a cesspool without a bottom made of concrete rings by connecting a sewer pipe and installing a hatch.

Prices for concrete rings

concrete rings

Video - Cesspool

Construction of a cesspool without a brick bottom

Another, no less popular option for a cesspool is a brick structure. It should be understood that it will require more time and effort than the construction of concrete rings. But if you have a lot of unused bricks left on your site after building a house, a fence or a barn, then it makes sense to put them into action and make a cesspool without a bottom completely with your own hands, without involving third-party people and construction equipment. The step-by-step instructions with photos below will help you in this matter.

Step 1. The construction of a cesspool made of bricks, like any other sewer structure, start with earthworks - choose a place and start digging a pit of the appropriate size.

Important! The presence of a simple lifting device will greatly facilitate the process of extracting soil from the pit.

Step 2 Check the depth and diameter of the pit with a tape measure.

Step 3 Get rid of the earth excavated during the construction of the pit. At the same time, leave a part of it for the subsequent backfilling of the cover of the structure.

Step 4 At the bottom of the pit, build a flat ring of bricks, as in the image below. It will play the role of a kind of foundation under the walls of the cesspool.

Step 5 Proceed to laying the lower part of the walls of the brick cesspool. If you have not previously dealt with such material, then the construction of this structure will be a good practice for you, during which you will gain basic skills in working with bricks.

Important! Silicate bricks absorb water well and at the same time gradually collapse. If you want the cesspool to last longer, replace them with ceramic ones.

Step 6 Continue laying and climb higher and higher, to the edge of the pit. Fill the space between its walls and the brick with sand - it absorbs water well and partially filters it before it enters the ground.

Step 7 Finish laying the walls of the cesspool of bricks, not reaching a little to the surface of the earth.

Step 8 Take the sewer pipe out of the house into the cesspool.

Step 9 Reinforce the pit with a metal bracket installed as shown in the image below. Instead, it is allowed to use a wooden beam, but the latter will not last too long - over time, the material in an aggressive environment will begin to collapse and rot.

Step 10 Fold the same flat ring of brick on top as at the bottom of the cesspool.

Step 11 Seal the cesspool on top with a concrete slab, prefabricated or poured on site. Do not forget about the hole for the hatch, through which sewage will be regularly pumped out.

A cesspool without a bottom is a quick and economical solution to the problem of sewage disposal. But, if possible, replace it over time with a full-fledged septic tank produced at the factory or.