Arrangement of a cesspool: how to make a drain or septic tank in a private house. Do-it-yourself sewer pit in a private house: features of various types of pits, stages of construction A drain pit for a house, which is better

In the first case, all the work will be done quickly and efficiently, but their services must be paid. It is because of this that many owners of private houses and summer cottages decide to make it on their own.

After all, this does not require numerous skills and any complex tools. So, consider how to properly make a drain pit on your own.

In order to build it, you will need to decide in advance how much it should be, choose the most suitable place, dig a hole and properly strengthen the walls.

For all this, there is no need for great knowledge in construction. You just need to do everything slowly, correctly, following the recommendations.

Volume and type of drainage pit

The first step is to decide what volume of the drainage pit will be most relevant.

Of course, if your family consists of only two people, then 2-3 cubic meters will be enough.

This volume will be enough for a summer residence, if they do not live on it permanently, but simply visit from time to time.

In addition, such a pit will need to be cleaned quite often, and this is a rather expensive and complicated procedure.

It is best to make a quality one that will need to be rarely cleaned.

As mentioned, its volume must be calculated based on how many people permanently live in the house.

If the family is large and there are a lot of drains, then the structure should be made of high quality and of a decent size.

Indeed, with permanent residence, water will be used quite often and in large quantities, since we all wash our hands, regularly take a shower and a bath, wash dishes. That is, if the pit is small, it will fill up quickly.

In addition, with regular use for various needs of a large amount of water, it is recommended to build septic tanks. They are ideal as they do not harm the environment and meet all sanitary standards.

But in this case, it is required to build several wells at once, and not just one pit. By doing this, you can achieve high-quality purification of the water used, and then drain it into the ground.

You also need to carefully consider where the drain pit will be located. After all, sooner or later, it will be necessary to pump out sewage from it, which means that there should be a convenient entrance for the sewage truck, or at least there should be a hose for pumping out to it.

In addition, this service is paid, which means that the more flights are made, the more it will cost you, since the distance has a significant impact on the price. That is, if the pit is shallow and of small volume, you will often have to resort to the help of sewers and you will need to fork out significantly.

When choosing a location, you should consider the following factors:

• The groundwater level, if any on the site, must be deep
• If there is any source of water, for example, a well, it is recommended to place it at a distance of at least 30 meters from it.
• There must be a possibility of access of special equipment
• The pit should be located at a distance of at least 5 meters from the residential

After it has been decided how much this structure will be required, and having chosen the place where it will be located, you should decide which structure is best suited. Let's take a look at the most versatile drain pit, the effectiveness of which has been proven over the years.

The most popular and widespread is a drain pit in the form of an earthen reservoir without a bottom. Despite its apparent simplicity, it is very effective.

First of all, this is due to the fact that since its bottom is earthen, and not flooded, for example, with concrete, the water in it collects slowly. After all, it is gradually absorbed into the ground.

It should be cleaned once every 3-4 months. There are some drawbacks though. In particular, drains will gradually pollute the groundwater and such a pit should not be placed closer than 5 meters from a residential building.

Due to the fact that silt accumulates at the bottom, the filtering properties begin to deteriorate. To avoid this, you should call the flusher from time to time and pump it out.

Usually the walls of this type of pits are laid out from. But you need to remember that there must be small cracks in it so that water can seep out.

But in recent years, ready-made concrete rings have been increasingly used for this purpose, which can be installed quickly and without any special problems. You can still find drainage pits with earthen walls, though.

But as the practice of their exploitation shows, they are short-lived.

In order for the process of decomposition of waste to occur faster, special strains of special bacteria should be poured into the water. They will gradually multiply and recycle waste. Thanks to this, the drain hole will become dirty much more slowly.

In recent years, ready-made tanks have been installed more and more often. They can be made from concrete, plastic or metal. But it is not recommended to use the latter.

This is due to the fact that iron will quickly deteriorate under the regular influence of an aggressive environment. The most suitable material is concrete. It is distinguished by its reliability and durability.

If you are going to use sealed structures as a drainage pit, from which liquid will not come out and be absorbed into the soil, then you will need to take into account that they need to be often cleaned and water pumped out. For the latter, a regular hose is also quite suitable.

Well, sludge is removed using special equipment, which is available only to specialists providing such services. So take this moment into account, because it will cost you regular and substantial expenses.

As we can see, before starting work, you should think over everything well and choose the volume and type of structure that is best suited for your needs.

Installation procedure

In order for the structure to serve for a long time and effectively, you need to know how to properly make a drain pit in a private house.

The first step is to prepare a pit of the required size.

Those who do not want to spoil the landscaping of the site prefer to do it manually, but this is a rather difficult task and takes a lot of time and effort.

It is better to dig it out with an excavator, it will be much easier, although the existing garden plants may be damaged.

As a matter of fact, which option will be more acceptable needs to be decided by the owners.

It must be at least five meters deep. A special drainage pad should be installed at the bottom.

If the drain pit will be dug manually, the following will be required:

• Stairs
• Shovel and bayonet shovel
• Master OK
• Bucket
• Pegs for marking the edges of the pit

When digging a pit, it should be remembered that layers of sand and gravel must be poured onto the bottom, after which it must be tamped with high quality. If you do not plan to make it airtight, then it is recommended to fill up more rubble.

Thanks to this, the drains will be well and efficiently filtered. Well, in the event that you intend to make it airtight, then a ready-made concrete slab should be laid on a layer of compacted sand and crushed stone. You can also immediately pour the concrete screed directly into the pit.

Not so long ago, red brick or thick boards were usually used for the pit walls. But now they are used less and less, although their popularity is still great.

This is mainly due to their low cost and availability. In addition, if a brick is used, then it has a checkerboard pattern, which means that water will flow into the ground.

Thus, it will need to be pumped out much less often than if it is completely sealed.

Remember that if this particular technology is used, then you need to pour not soil around it, but finely broken brick or crushed stone. Thanks to this, the liquid will be absorbed much faster.

In addition, some craftsmen strengthen the wall using old tires from tractors.

You can of course try this method. But keep in mind, it is not so easy to find tires from a tractor in sufficient quantities.

Despite the considerable advantages of the method described above, in recent years, more and more often, for the construction of the walls of the drain pits, I have been using ready-made reinforced concrete rings manufactured at the plant. They are delivered to the right place using trucks.

But since their mass is quite significant, a loader crane is required for unloading. This means additional costs.

In addition, it is necessary to have a convenient entrance to the place where it will be located.

In the same case, if this is not possible, then after unloading the concrete rings are rolled. To install them, it is advisable to build a homemade, block lift.

It is not difficult to make it. This does not require a complex tool and special skills. The rings should be installed in stages, one after the other.

Since you are dealing with a rather heavy load, you should pay attention to safety precautions. During the work, everything must be properly secured.

You should not be negligent about this, otherwise, there is a high probability that you can get serious injury.

The work must be done in the following order:

• A hole is dug to a depth of 1 meter
• The first ring is installed with a block lift
• The soil is removed again, and props are placed under the already installed ring, which should prevent it from sinking deep into the pit
• After that, the second is mounted on the first product, and they are fastened together with metal brackets necessary to prevent jamming of concrete blocks.
• Next, we deepen the pit again, install the supports and perform the procedure described above and do this, after each new ring
• The last one to mount the partition with the hole available for the hatch
• We install a hatch, which, most often, is made of cast iron or plastic
• The bottom of the well should be covered with gravel and well tamped.

In order for the structure to be airtight, all joints should be carefully sealed with bitumen mastic. Do not forget about the hole for the sewer pipe.

The gaps also need to be properly lubricated. By the way, the pipe should not go in a straight line, but with a little. This will allow the liquid to drain better.

It is also necessary to remember about the formwork, which is made of concrete. Holes are made in it for ventilation and an inspection hatch. It is recommended to make it double, and fill the gap between the two parts with foam.

By the way, it is advisable, after the drain hole is ready, to improve the area around it. Of course, this is not necessary at all, but it will still help you achieve an attractive view of the place.

Often for this, various ornamental crops are planted in the ground. They not only delight the eye, but also mask the drain hole, making it invisible to others.

The whole procedure is not complicated at all and does not require any special skills. The main thing is to adhere to the recommendations, do not rush and observe safety precautions, and you will definitely succeed.

Chemistry for pits and arrangement of the entrance to it

After the structure is ready, you need to think about how it was needed as rarely as possible.

After all, as mentioned above, this procedure requires considerable costs.

Special chemicals, which are found in abundance on the shelves of specialty stores, can be of great help in this.

Thanks to its use, you can significantly speed up the process of decomposition of various waste, which means that the drain pit will become dirty much more slowly.

Similar chemicals are available in the form of tablets, powders, and liquids. Which of these is the best to choose, it is up to the owners to decide.

Since microorganisms that appear in water after the use of chemistry use all kinds of organic waste as food, they rapidly decompose.

In addition, they can be used to cope with unpleasant odors. Quite quickly, the water in the drain pit becomes clean, and all solid particles sink to the bottom, turning into silt.

These microorganisms are not able to damage the material from which the structure is made. They will not harm the human body either.

But from time to time it will be necessary to add chemicals to the liquid again, as they tend to gradually die. Thanks to them, you can use the water to irrigate your backyard, as the water is absolutely clean and safe for plants.

Before the drainage pit is built, you should also think about how the technique will best get to it.

This is not only a car of the sewers, but also the transport on which everything necessary for it will be delivered. If you think it over in advance, then in the future, the procedure for removing waste from it will be much easier and faster.

To do this, try to place this structure closer to the gate. It is desirable that it has a hard coating. Please note, if you do not know how to properly make a drain pit for a bath or at home, you need to find the necessary information, for example, on the Internet.

In addition, it is not worth planting flower beds and other plantings in the path of the possible following of the technique, since they will only interfere and most likely end up under the wheels of the vehicle.

The use of special chemistry will allow not only to significantly save on cleaning waste from the pit, but also to make the water clean and safe for, and by preparing the site for the entrance of equipment in advance, they will make the waste pumping procedure simple and quick.

As we can see, it is not difficult to build this structure yourself. You only need a simple tool, the material, strength and desire necessary for this. If everything is done correctly, then a positive result will be provided.

The stages of construction of a cesspool are presented in the video:

Today, a person lives in the era of the existence of all kinds of amenities and many residents, especially children and adolescents, it seems that these conveniences have always existed. These amenities include a sewerage system.

Being in the city, we cannot even imagine life without a central sewerage system, and in fact, in many localities of our country, such systems are absent. As a result, residents construct local sewer pits for one particular house or several residential buildings. In this article we will get acquainted with the process of independently setting up a sewer pit in a private house.

Types of pits

Sealed sewer pit

Our country is large and the soil is different, and the sewer pit is a depression in the ground for several meters. Therefore, there are many laws prohibiting or permitting the construction of certain types of sewer pits in various conditions.

Sewer pits differ in material of manufacture, cleaning methods and other parameters. Most experts subdivide sewer pits into two types:

• Leaky sewer pit. For natural drainage, soil is used, or a cushion of rubble, which is not filled with cement screed or other material that does not allow water to pass through.
• Sealed sewer pit. This type of pits is used in places where groundwater flows at a shallow depth, and the creation of a pit without a bottom can lead to the fact that harmful substances from the sewage system will enter the groundwater. The latter will lead to danger for flora and fauna.

Due to the danger of soil contamination in some places, the law prohibits the construction of sewer pits without a bottom, permission is given only for sealed pits. An airtight pit is the same as a filling well that does not allow water to pass through, only instead of filling with clean water, such a pit will be filled with sewage.

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Read about the technology of cleaning the well with your own hands in

Choosing the right place

After you have decided that it is necessary to make a sewer pit, go around your site and choose its location.

The right choice of place depends, firstly, on safety for humans and the environment, and secondly, on ease of maintenance. Approach this issue responsibly and consider the following factors:

• • Remoteness. The sewer pit should be located at a certain distance from residential buildings, as well as from the place where clean water is taken. When making a pit without a bottom, it must be located at a distance of 20-30 meters from the well or well and the living quarters. If a sealed pit is used, it can be located 5 meters from the same structures. Compliance with these factors will allow you to avoid the ingress of harmful substances into the drinking water and unpleasant odors into the apartment.

An important condition: the remoteness of sewer pits from residential buildings and places of water intake should be 5-30 meters, depending on the type of pit.

• Availability. No matter how voluminous the sewer pit, the moment will come when it will need to be cleaned. For this case, your pit should be located in a place accessible for the entrance of sewage equipment. And do not listen to conversations that some of your friends have been using a septic tank for 10 years and the pit has never been filled, you still have to clean the pit.

Construction stages

Before starting the construction of the pit, it is necessary to make calculations and determine the required volume of future sewerage. These calculations are simple, but depend on several factors:

• Temporary home. If you are going to build a sewage system in places of temporary or seasonal residence, for example, in a country house, you can calculate the volume using the formula 0.5 cubic meters per tenant. That is, if 4 people live, this figure will be 2 cubes.
• Permanent home. In the case of constant use of water, dishwasher and washing machine, other water-consuming elements, the formula will be different - from 1.5 to 2 cubic meters for each tenant. That is, with the same four tenants, the required volume will increase to 6-8 cubic meters.

Advice from experienced builders: when calculating the volume of the pit, it should be borne in mind that its depth should be no more than 3 meters. Otherwise, the sewage equipment will not reach the bottom, as a result of which a thick residue will accumulate in the pit.

This completes the preparatory work and you can proceed to the direct construction of the sewer pit. The process itself consists of four stages:

How to make a porch in a private house with your own hands:

• . After the calculations of the volume, you will already know what dimensions you need to prepare the pit. Please note that the container will overlap from above, so add about half a meter to the depth.
• Sewer pit device. This is the most important and crucial moment. You need to choose which type of container you will use:
  • • An ordinary leaky pit. This option is only suitable for non-permanent residential buildings.

  

  Diagram of a sewer pit made of tires

  • • A device made of car tires. It is common in rural areas, since the price of old tires is low, and in some cases it is possible to purchase them free of charge. When stacking tires one on top of the other, the joints must be coated with bitumen for tightness, and the bottom can be poured with a concrete screed, as a result - a ready-made container.
  • • Brickwork. A more expensive and laborious type of container is brickwork. Round or rectangular walls are laid around the perimeter (as convenient), the bottom can be left out of the ground or filled with a concrete screed.

  

  Sewer pit made of concrete rings

• Reinforced concrete rings. The disadvantage of concrete rings is that it will be necessary to call a crane for installation, since they cannot be installed manually, but the process itself will be much faster than the previous type of device. With the bottom, you can do the same as with the above proposed option.

An important point: containers made of bricks and reinforced concrete rings outside and inside are treated with a moisture-resistant coating. Inside - with bitumen, outside - clay barrier walls are created.



Plastic drive

• Metal and plastic drives. The most convenient types of sewer pits will be ready-made metal or plastic containers. You will not have any difficulties in finding such containers - they can be purchased in shops for the garden and home. The volumes of such containers are different - from 1 to 10 cubic meters. Metal containers should be treated with anti-corrosion agents to increase their service life.
• Plastic containers, along the perimeter, are protected by concrete walls to exclude the possibility of deformation, and are also fixed with cables to the ground.
• Installation and supply of pipes. At this stage, a sewer pipe is laid from the living quarters, the preferred option is a plastic pipe with a diameter of 100 mm. In addition to this pipe, it is necessary to make a gas outlet so that gases do not accumulate in the sewer pit.
• Installation of overlap. The final stage in the construction of a sewer pit is its overlap. Most often, reinforced concrete slabs are used in the form of a floor, combining strength and durability. Some craftsmen cover with iron sheets, but their service life is noticeably shorter than that of the first option. The joints of the plate and the container must be sealed. As a sealant, you can use all the same bitumen or liquid clay.

Cleaning methods

Science does not stand still, and even in such a matter as cleaning the sewage system, progress is being noticed. Until recently, there was only one way to cleanse a septic tank - a mechanical one. Today, two more species have been added to them - chemical and biological.

Mechanical cleaning of a sewer pit

Mechanical method. It consists in pumping out sewage with sewers. It is carried out quickly and is not very expensive at cost. But there is a big drawback.

In the case of using the mechanical method, the drainage system of the bottom of your sewer pit is not cleared, as a result of which it will be filled each subsequent time faster than the previous one.

Chemical and biological method. If you are interested in deep cleaning and decontamination, use a chemical or biological cleaning method. As a result of the use of chemicals and biological bacteria, the following occurs:

• decomposition of large compounds;
• disinfection of effluents;
• cleaning the drainage system;
• decrease in precipitation;
• elimination of odors.

Of the chemicals used for sewage cleaning, four groups can be distinguished:

Chemical cleaning of the sewerage system

• ammonium compounds;
• nitrogen fertilizers;
• formaldehyde;
• bleaching powder.

Biological preparations are represented by a fairly wide selection, for example, "Vodogray", UNIBAC, others.

The difference between biological drugs and chemical drugs is in their harmlessness. They do not harm the animal, flora and the container itself, which is in the sewer pit.

The result of the work carried out will delight you for a long time. Agree - home comforts are much preferred yard comforts, especially in our harsh climate.

The presented types of sewer systems can be built on almost any site with minimal cost, and the alternation of cleaning methods will allow you to keep the sewer system in good condition for a fairly long period of time.

If there is no centralized sewerage nearby, then as an effective solution to the problem, we suggest you learn how to make a cesspool with your own hands.

In any country house or dacha, where there is a toilet and a hot and cold water supply, it becomes necessary to collect and drain sewage. And below we will consider the most important points when arranging a cesspool:

	Choosing a place for a cesspool in a private house.
	Construction of different types of cesspools with your own hands.
	What materials can be useful in the work.

A cesspool is the simplest sewerage option in a private house or in the country, which you can implement with your own hands.

Attention! Your site may require drainage, and you can buy everything you need for it at a discount in the online store https://www.drenaj-shop.ru/. But be sure to indicate that you have entered from our site "Remontik".

Where should a cesspool be located in a private house?

First of all, you must choose a place for a cesspool, while being guided by the following requirements:

• the pit should be located on the territory that is adjacent to the cottage or private house;

• it is allowed to construct a cesspool no closer than 10 m from the foundation of the house and other structures on the site and to structures located in neighboring areas.

Attention! This requirement, first of all, is explained by the fact that with a close location of the cesspool, the foundations of nearby buildings and structures may collapse and their flooding will occur:

• the distance from the cesspool to the fence is regulated and must be at least one meter;

• the depth in no case should be more than 3 meters (when choosing it, you must take into account the depth of the groundwater);

• the pit should be located at a certain distance from drinking wells (25 meters).

This distance directly depends on the type of soil on the land:

• With sandy and sandy soil, the cesspool should not be located closer than 50 meters from the well.
• With a predominance of clay soil - not less than 20 meters.
• With loamy soil - no closer than 30 meters.

How to make a cesspool with your own hands? Main types

To date, there are two options for arranging a cesspool:

• sealed cesspool;

• an ordinary cesspool that does not have a bottom (drainage).

In a drainage pit of this type, wastewater goes into the ground, where it is purified by anaerobic bacteria. A striking example of such a cesspool would be an ordinary village toilet.

• With a daily large volume of wastewater (more than 1 m 3), a sealed pit will be needed, which must be pumped out from time to time.

This requirement is directly related to the fact that the presence of the bottom in the cesspool, water goes into the ground and is cleaned by microorganisms that live in the soil. However, their capabilities are limited during processing.

With large volumes of wastewater, microorganisms cannot cope with their treatment. In this case, wastewater will contaminate the adjacent soil and it is possible that it will enter the water-bearing layers of the soil with further contamination of drinking water.

If it is necessary to utilize a large volume of wastewater, you can think of a septic tank with filtration fields.

How to make an ordinary cesspool with your own hands

A simple cesspool is very easy to do:

• A hole is dug 2 m wide, up to 2 m deep and 2.3-3 m long.

• The soil walls are laid or strengthened.

• A layer of gravel is laid on the bottom.

• A protective cover with a hatch is installed on top.

The main advantages of a pit without a bottom:

• simple and quick installation;
• low cost of operation and construction;
• simplicity and ease of use.

Some disadvantages of a drainage pit:

• unsuitable for the use of large volumes of wastewater;
• environmentally hazardous;
• spreads an unpleasant odor;
• possible unplanned overflow due to the ingress of rain or melt water;
• the water table may be below the sump level.

How to make a sealed cesspool with your own hands

A sealed storage tank (cesspool) is a sealed container where wastewater flows through pipes. Sewage water, as the container is filled, must be pumped out with a sewage machine.

The main advantages of a sealed pit:

• does not depend on the level of groundwater;
• environmentally friendly, since waste water does not enter the environment;
• the location of the pit does not depend on the types of soil on the land plot.

Main disadvantages:

• high construction costs;
• monthly operating costs (you have to regularly call a sewer truck, on average 2-4 times a month);
• a smell is possible if the drive is made in the form of a well.

Calculation of the size of the cesspool

V pits = number of days x number of people x V people x 0.001, where:

Pit V - the working volume of the cesspool, calculated in cubic meters;

number of days - the frequency of calling the sewer truck to clean the pit;

V person - the norm of water for one person per day, measured in liters. Accepted 100-200 liters per person.

The house is home to a family of 5 people, and you are going to order a sewer truck once every two weeks. We accept V people - 150 liters per person per day.

As a result, the required volume of the drain pit:

V pits = 14x5x150x 0.001 = 10500 liters, or 10.5 m 3.

What materials can be used for a cesspool

Consider different options and types of cesspool structures that you can build with your own hands. It should be said right away that they are all divided into permanent and temporary.

1. Tires.

If you require a toilet cesspool at minimal cost, we recommend building one yourself using old car tires.

This is a quick and cheap option for building a drain pit. It has a simple design. First, a pit is prepared, where the tires are stacked (one on top of the other). Crushed stone is laid at the bottom of the pit; if necessary, you can make additional sealing of the tires with a clay lock.

Advantages:

• simplicity, low cost and fast construction speed;
• durability;
• easily restored if necessary.

Flaws:

• tires are rotting;
• fast filling with irregular cleaning, as a result of which you will lose useful volume;
• with a heavy load on the pit, it negatively affects the environment.

1. Concrete rings.

We propose to consider the possibility of building a cesspool using concrete rings.

This is another good option for quickly building a cesspool. By its structure, it resembles a well. Concrete rings are stacked on top of each other. If desired, the joints between the rings are sealed with a concrete screed.

According to the principle of operation, a pit made of concrete rings is more likely to be a sealed type of cesspools, therefore it is necessary to empty it in a timely manner. Although it is possible to build a septic tank from concrete rings.

Advantages:

• relatively low cost;
• durability;
• ease of construction of a protective cover with a hatch;
• the possibility of constructing a cesspool with your own hands.

Flaws:

• the need for regular emptying;
• high labor intensity of work;
• the possibility of an unpleasant odor from the ventilation pipe.

1. Brick.

A brick drain pit is a good and optimal solution if you need a bath drain or a toilet pit.

Advantages:

• simplicity in construction - any summer resident will be able to cope with brickwork;
• economic security - the contents of the pit implies regular removal by a sewer truck or can be cleaned right on the spot.

Flaws:

• periodically there is an unpleasant odor (you can cope with this problem by regularly cleaning the drive, and by using drugs that accelerate the decomposition of biological waste);
• short service life (about 15 years), as a result of degradation of brickwork in unfavorable pit conditions;
• flooding (flooding can be avoided by regularly pumping out the liquid that collects in the reservoir).

How to make a cesspool out of a brick with your own hands: a description of the main stages

First of all, decide on where the cesspool will be located, taking into account compliance with all requirements and ease of use.

Then decide on the design. A brick cesspool, depending on its purpose, can have a square, round or rectangular masonry.

We calculate the volume, determine the dimensions and prepare the foundation pit.

In the case of a rectangular pit, we make the bottom slope towards the location of the hatch. We put a 10-15 cm thick sand pillow on the bottom, after which we fill it with concrete mortar. You can also use a ready-made concrete slab of the required size. A cement mortar screed is made from above.

We carry out the laying of walls, the thickness of which should be at least 25 cm. It is best to lay the walls in half a brick in a checkerboard pattern. A quarter brick masonry is also permissible.

As soon as the walls are ready, you need to build a clay castle on the outside or cover them with bitumen mastic for a more reliable seal.

Plastering of the inner surface (if necessary). For plaster, you can use a mortar of sand and cement in a 2 to 1 ratio.

Installation of cover and hatch. When the base of the pit is ready, we install its overlap with a hatch. It should be no less than half a meter to overlap the pit from different sides.

In the role of overlap, it can use densely laid logs or reinforced concrete slabs. When arranging the overlap, it is necessary to foresee in advance a place for the hatch, the diameter of which should be 0.7 m.

On top of the coating, waterproofing is made of polyethylene film or roofing material. We fill the waterproofing with a layer of slag or soil, 40 cm thick.

Attention! In order to exclude the spread of odor from the pit, as well as its freezing, the hatch is made double. The top cover should be level with the ground and the other at the floor level. The space between the covers can be filled with heat-insulating material (slag, expanded clay, polystyrene, etc.).

• Barrel.

A drain pit from a barrel is an excellent option for arranging a sewage system with your own hands. It can provide natural wastewater treatment in case of small runoff volumes (up to 1 m 3).

• Take a 200 liter barrel made of non-corrosive material, make the side walls in it staggered with a drill or grinder. These will be the drain holes. They are recommended to be done in 10 cm increments.

• We prepare and attach a branch pipe to the bottom of the barrel for fixing the drain pipe. Use silicone sealants to ensure a good seal. The place of connection of the branch pipe is covered with bituminous mastic.

• We wrap the barrel from different sides with geotextile and fix it with a non-heating twine. This is necessary to ensure high-quality protection of the barrel from the penetration of foreign particles and soil into its capacity, while maintaining the efficiency of drainage.

Preparation of a pit for a barrel and installation of a sewerage system:

• dig a trench and lay sewer pipes there with a slope;

If a person lives in a house, there must be a sewage system in it, since waste of life still needs to be removed somehow. And it's hard to disagree with that, isn't it? Modern industry offers many solutions: from multi-section septic tanks to neat dry closets. But the usual cesspool in a private house is still relevant and in demand.

But, before proceeding with the construction of a cesspool on the site, you will have to weigh the pros and cons. After all, the wrong place, and the very design of the cesspool, subsequently threatens to turn into many problems. The most common of these is the appearance of an unpleasant odor. We will tell you how to avoid this problem.

In the article, we have collected and summarized information about the types and design features of cesspools. In addition, here you can find useful tips and advice on how to choose and build the right sewage system on the site. The material is accompanied by thematic photos and videos.

A cesspool is perhaps the oldest and simplest type of sewer. It is a recess in the ground in which waste water is accumulated and partially processed.

Any waste contains a certain amount of bacteria that absorb and transform these accumulations. Part of the filtered effluent passes into the underlying soils.

Anything that has not been processed and left in the underlying layers should be periodically removed from the cesspool so that the container does not overflow.

Image gallery

Owners of country houses often have to master the wisdom of how to make a cesspool. This design allows you to solve the problem of wastewater disposal in places where there is no common sewage system.

Sanitary regulations require that the wastewater facility is located:

• 1 meter or more from the fence separating adjacent land plots;
• 12 meters (no closer) from a residential building;
• 30 meters from the source of water intake (if you plan to build a pit without a bottom with your own hands).

Wastewater facility

A competent calculation of the geometric parameters of the structure for collecting waste is carried out taking into account the following characteristics:

• The number of people who use water in the house all year round. One person consumes up to 180 liters of liquid per day. If 3 people live in the house, it is recommended to build a drain pit for 18 or more cubic meters.
• Distance between the top of the sewer and the surface of the ground. This value should be at least 1 m.If you equip a pit without taking into account this requirement, the likelihood of sewage flowing out of the cesspool structure increases, which will lead to soil poisoning and the appearance of an unpleasant odor on your site.
• Soil type. When rocks occur in the ground that do not allow water to pass through well, the volume of the sewer pit is taken so that it is higher than the monthly rate of wastewater. If the soil allows water to pass through without problems, the volume is taken approximately 40% of the amount of wastewater. This is important for those who want to know how to make a cesspool.

Important advice from the pros! Do not make a cesspool pit more than 3 m deep. As it fills, you will have to call a sewer to pump out the waste. Effective disposal of waste products is precisely ensured at a depth of up to 3 m.

If about 1 cubic meter of waste flows into the pit per day, it is quite possible to equip it in the simplest way - to dig a small pit in the ground, coat its walls with clay and additionally strengthen it with wooden boards. Such designs were widespread in the past. They are built with their own hands in our days.

It is clear that these types of holes do not meet the requirements of sanitary services. It is quite possible that you will even be given an administrative levy if you decide to build such an elementary structure. This, of course, is not needed by anyone. It is better to equip a normal cesspool that will effectively cope with the tasks assigned to it. These include structures of two types:

1. Sealed tanks (pits with a bottom).
2. Absorbent structures without a bottom.

Wastewater facility

It is easiest to make the second pits with your own hands. In them, drains (their liquid part) are filtered when passing through pieces of brick, gravel, which are poured at the bottom of the pit. The wastewater then goes into the ground. This system is easy to install. In addition, bottomless pits are rarely cleaned due to (partial) infiltration of water into the soil.

Absorption structures are usually installed when the volume of effluent is relatively small. Such cesspools are good for homes where there are no washing and dishwashers, baths, and so on.

In other cases, it is recommended to install sealed tanks. They are containers of a closed type, from which drains do not fall into the ground. Such tanks are erected from gas silicate and concrete products, plastic, brick. The disadvantage of these pits is the need for frequent call of sewers to pump waste from a closed container, their advantage is the complete absence of unpleasant "odors".

We build a drainage structure with our own hands - step by step instructions

We figure out how to make a cesspool correctly. All work is best done according to the following scheme:

1. Dig a pit with the required dimensions. This operation will be quick if you hire an excavator. But the cost of renting special equipment is high. Therefore, you can dig the hole by hand using a shovel.
2. You leave about one and a half cubic meters of soil (we will use it to backfill the cesspool after all the work is completed), and take out the rest of the land. The fertile topsoil can be poured into the garden.
3. Concreting the bottom of the pit, wait 10-12 days until the mixture is as strong as possible. Concrete may not be used. But experts advise to spend their time and energy on arranging such a bottom.
4. Lay out the walls with bricks. The masonry is allowed to be made of not very high quality - it will be hidden from prying eyes, the main thing is that it reliably restrains the soil from shedding. The corners of the masonry must be tied up, and the bricks should be mounted in a checkerboard pattern. So the liquid part of the effluent will be more efficiently sucked into the ground.

A reliable overlap must be installed on the laid masonry. Do it yourself like this:

1. Dig in the soil on all sides of the brickwork (by about 0.2 m).
2. Do either from professional sheets.
3. Mount the reinforcement cage. Tie the rods with wire, the optimal distance between the structural elements is 10-15 cm.
4. Fill the floor with concrete. It is advisable to bayonet the supplied mixture with a shovel, then the reinforcing cage will be well filled with mortar.
5. Wait about a month for the overlap to harden.
6. Remove the formwork supports, lay out its walls with ordinary bricks, plaster them outside. Additionally, you can treat the walls with bitumen so that moisture from the atmosphere does not get into the pit.
7. Fill up with earth a do-it-yourself structure above the hatch, tamp the soil, level it.

So we figured out how to make a cesspool correctly. Note that you do not need to own any special skills to perform such an operation with your own hands. The whole procedure is carried out quite simply, and its high labor input is fully compensated by the low cost of the structure.