A more better, low cost DIY Septic system for an "off grid" cabin or camper. Part 1 

Thanks Jeff! I just heard that from another viewer a couple of days ago. Great idea and I would never have thought of it! But now I know. Thanks for watching and thanks for the tip! Barry

TBS Good advice! No washing machine at our little cabin but I think I will keep the kitchen sink hooked up. We don’t cook much so it is mostly water. Thank you for watching and thanks for taking the time to comment. Barry

​@@barrylukebuilds7894gray water

That’s actually probably the best thing you could do

By law depends on where u live the kitchen must be tied into the system cause it’s food particles check your code

A good fix is just pump every 4 years to get the solids out

Sounds like a good situation to me! Thanks for watching and thanks for sharing, Barry

Wow, that’s good to know. Thanks, this gives me confidence for our setup.

Well I am 70 so 20 years sounds pretty good.

​@@barrylukebuilds7894Look into Cabin Obsession septic tank treatment. It's affordable and offers protection for about 2 bucks per month by flushing a packet. It is all natural with billions of bacteria inside that break everything down to keep things flowing. We have a similar setup like the one in this video and haven't had any problems.

Would you please tell that to my wife!! But seriously, thank you very much. Kind words are always appreciated. Barry

So it’s not just me?

@@barrylukebuilds7894 absolutely not!

TMM I am glad you found some value in the video. Thank you for letting me know. Barry

Thanks for letting me know at least someone appreciates my hummer .

Thanks User! I don’t think I have invented anything here. It has all been done before. Except maybe melting the plastic to shape it. That might be a Barry original. Barry

Thank you Robin. The cuts were a little sketchy but if you know that going in you can take precautions.

Thank you chugaaa! It should make her happy, for a minute.

Thanks John Hard to argue with success and as this will be the first septic system in my life a should listen to experience. Thanks Barry

Yup one 1 oz packet of bakers yeast. Monthly it’s what rid x is

Ken, you are the man. I will always try something once, maybe twice. After that I loose interest and move on. Story of my life. On fortunately, that is one thing I am running out of. But I am not going to go down quietly, lots of stuff to mess with yet! Thanks for watching and thanks for taking the time to respond. Barry

John Well said! Thanks Barry

Jeff Sounds Like quite a project! No harm in a little extra work as long as it solves the problem. Thanks for watching! Barry

If you are having grading withdrawal symptoms you are welcome to come grade out my 60’ of wash stone for the leach field. I won’t even charge you!

@@barrylukebuilds7894that’s a deal

Oggie Thanks for the kind words and I wish you success if you choose to go this route

Look into Cabin Obsession septic tank treatment. It's affordable and offers protection for about 2 bucks per month by flushing a packet. It is all natural with billions of bacteria inside that break everything down to keep things flowing. We have a similar setup like the one in this video and haven't had any problems.

Thank you Mike! Kind words always appreciated.

Thanks Kirk!

Thanks Ron! Your views are no doubt better than mine but I am going to guess that my soil is easier to dig, right?

Thank you BW! Hopefully the government has better things to do. Hard to say I am teaching when I am just showing how I am muddling through some unknown territory. But I appreciate the kind words, that’s for sure. Barry

@@barrylukebuilds7894 teaching me a lot

Tell 'me they'll have to dig up their own evidence ; )

Depends on the local laws,some places have no building code

Thank you very much!

Yep... I was working on a project, but started wandering and looking for a tool that I couldn't remember where'd I'd left. Found the tool I was looking for a week ago, and caught myself working on a prior project ; )

Michael Thank you for watching and thank you for the kind words! Barr5y

Wow! You are very welcome, glad you enjoyed. Barry

Thanks Donnie!

Thank you Carol!

Thank! Like I said in the video a good seal is important and that was all I could think of. Barry

Thanks Salty, a compliment on a plumbing project from a real plumber carries more weight than most. Thanks for watching and thanks for your comments. Barry

Thank you and good luck with your project!

Thanks Joe That makes at least 2 of us!

Never ending!

Universally called the "honey do" list. 🤣 All wives have them. 🤣

@@keekersif was Trump I would say my wife has an incredible list, possibly the best list ever, an excellent list.

@@barrylukebuilds7894 My honey-do list is longer than my anticipated functional life span ; )

Arcanus Thank you very much!

Thank man! Love your channel name.

Sounds like a simple plan! Thanks for sharing.

Dang, that is the best tip I have heard in a long time! Thank you Barry

Thank you very much, I am glad you enjoyed!

Thanks for the kind words! Barry

Douglas The little macerator pump is almost history! Thanks and I don’t envy anyone hand digging a hole like that but it has been done. Silly me, I am thinking the rest will be easy. Time will tell.

@@barrylukebuilds7894 I'm really interested in what you will use for the lines themselves. I need a cheap off the shelf solution like 4" or 6" black drain pipe or something to that effect. TNX. Appreciate the video!

I was leaning towards a composting toilet a while back but went a different direction. Whatever works is my life story. Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching. Barry

@barrylukebuilds7894 You're welcome and one more thing: Cedar bedding material "covers" chicken poo oders in my hen house so well, I use the small flake in my composting toilet as well. Visitors are always aghast when they discover that the wonderful aroma is in my home, is MY TOILET !! 🤣

@@WhatDadIsUpToduring our bucket potty months there were always sawdust in liner. Not cedar unfortunately but mostly cypress. Helped to make a less than perfect situation a little more manageable.

Thanks man! I will keep that in mind.

Quite welcome!

AMO Thanks for watching and thanks for taking the time to reply. I know nothing of frost lines and basements so I will take your word on that stuff. Leach fields typically process the liquids through the soil downwards. That is why the perk test is so important to people. It will dictate the size of the leach field or if they are allowed to use a leach test at all. Concerning the effectiveness of our tanks it is important to realize we don’t live there. During the heat of the summer I only spent one night a week which means one flush and a little kitchen sink water(we seldom cook there). So I am going to go out on a limb and say with 100% confidence that our little system will do just fine. The tanks are set on a slope so I do not believe there will be a sediment issue in the connections. Again, time will tell. Barry

Most people use tees, I am just a cheap skate!

Our laws often are written for the 99.99 percent but the other .01 percent gets frustrated. Thanks for watching!

Remember the law, out of sight, out of mind.

I might steel that quote from you in the future!

Sad thing is my impact was on my work bench. Never thought of it. Good luck with your project and thanks for the comment! Barry

@@barrylukebuilds7894 well didn't mean anything negative , Just I'm always looking to make things just a bit easier I'm sure you can relate . I'm still recovering from repairing my roof from a storm , Had a bit of a hard time running the ridge peak , and getting around up there just don't like to ask my son for help all the time ,He to is a General Contractor .

@@user-pi6ws8ws5mNo worries! I was just poking a little fun at myself and my lack of situational awareness. I too have competent sons but they are busy with their own lives so I hesitate to ask for help very often.

@@barrylukebuilds7894 I'm not so sure footed these Days ,Hell I can't even get out of my own way, Lol and we have a lot of upkeep on this property we own . Good luck to you and your projects From Sweet Owen Valley in South Central Indiana .

As long as you have a big enough yard and no close neighbors nothing wrong with simplicity!

@@barrylukebuilds7894 I agree 100% That system has Been working for thousands of years and plus in a grid down situation it still works. The hole is dug Let gravity do its thing One Bucket of old non drinking water and you’re good.

Problem is Long Island is overpopulated and we actually supply our own drinking water from our aquifers. But trust me I know it works It the best system

Dwight Thanks for your comment. Several readers had yeast related comments. Most be something to it. No bread making at the cabin, we only have a Coleman cooktop. I am old school on the septic additives. Seems like septic tanks worked for a long long time before all of the chemicals were being hawked. Hope I don’t have to eat my words!

@@barrylukebuilds7894 I am confident this will work for a long time. My only suggestion on this for you is to throw an envelope of yeast down the drain as soon as it has something to "eat". A little yeast of baking soda is all that is needed annually, especially with your concern to guard from excessive chemicals.

I had a good friend who was a plumber. He had a bumper sticker on his truck that said “Old plumbers never die, they just smell that way”. Don’t take my humor wrong, I have great respect for anyone in the “trades”. I spent 37 years of my life working with them. Barry

ANY plumber might tell you that, but a GOOD plumber can make "IT" flow uphill and gets paid every day! At least I know I can and do!

Thanks!

Thanks Ken! Interesting stuff.

SD Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting. Actually if the tanks were installed 100% level, if a gallon goes in one end a gallon will come out the other end. I just wanted to make sure the influent line stayed clear.

@@barrylukebuilds7894 thanks for video. I’ve got to do the exact same on new property temp RV place.

Interesting idea! I am not anticipating much grease as we seldom cook. But I will keep that in mind. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Barry

I will give that a try, thanks!

Sunspot Thank you for the kind words! They keep the old man going.

@@barrylukebuilds7894 You are most welcome! What many lack these days is the ability to be resourceful. There are some of us who are very resourceful.

Scott You are on target with the wife thing, truer words have never been written. As far as aeration is concerned it is not necessary and could cause issues with the anaerobic bacteria in the last tank. With addition of oxygen they could die and be sent to the leach field and clog things up. That would be a worse case scenario because the final tank should have very little food so therefore a minimum of bacteria. The leach field will have enough natural oxygen to support aerobic bacteria which will break down any pathogens and the soil will act as a final filter. I know this sounds like I know what I am talking about so maybe I do. And maybe… Thanks for watching and thanks for taking the time to comment. Barry

​@@barrylukebuilds7894-From my research many people are switching from anaerobic to aerobic systems following drainfield failure with good results, may want to check that out for yourself. Curious why you went to the effort of building 3 lid forms rather than one? Also, painting just about any type of oil (I've used waste motor oil and the cheapest cooking oil as well as the pricier form oil, all seem to work about the same) on the form gives a fairly easy release and seems to improve surface smoothness of the cast concrete.

Mr Me Lots of ways to skin a cat. Anaerobic systems have been around for a long long time and with the little bit of loading ours will receive I am anticipating a long and trouble free life. Nothing wrong with aerobic systems, they also can be trouble free if sized correctly. Only problem with them is that they require an air compressor to function and the anaerobic systems require nothing. I am all about nothing. I built three forms, all from trash pile lumber, because concrete work is messy and there is less waste with larger pours. And I wanted them NOW! I am not a very patient guy. Form oil does make for prettier edges. Thanks for watching and thanks for taking the time to comment. Barry

Chris You are probably correct. We don’t have a washer in the cabin. I did elect to run the kitchen sink and the bathroom vanity into the septic system. The shower, probably our biggest water user, drains on the ground. Fingers crossed, the system works! Barry

Check out Cabin Obsession septic tank treatment. It's affordable and offers protection for about $2 per month by flushing a packet. It is all natural with billions of bacteria inside that break everything down to keep things flowing. We have a similar setup like the one in this video and haven't had any problems.

Look into Cabin Obsession septic tank treatment. It's affordable and offers protection for about 2 bucks per month by flushing a packet. It is all natural with billions of bacteria inside that break everything down to keep things flowing. We have a similar setup like the one in this video and haven't had any problems.

@@GrabLifeByDaPoosy. Wrong! No one needs to add any chemicals or enzymes to a septic system. Every time you use the toilet you are adding the natural e-coli from your body. By adding a chemical or enzyme you over accelerate the active digestive system adding too many suspended particles throughout the tank which then leaves the system to the drain field coating the leach line walls causing a failure.

I spent 25 years working for a division of a large construction company that handled mostly water and wastewater plant work. We built new, did additions, and renovation. Every time a tank was taken out of service and put back in service there was talk of grabbing a bucket of sludge from another plant to "seed" the biomass in the new system. To my knowledge it never happened. Put food (poop) in water and the bacteria will appear. it is magic!

Thanks Don!

Scooter Thanks interesting! I have never seen that situation but you have peeked my interest. Thanks Barry

Keith Not sure what your intention is with this comment. My inlet is not a tee, just a plastic baffle.

@@barrylukebuilds7894 I was a plumber for over 35 years, I hope floaters don't plug you up. Sanitary tee with a short pup piece is standard practice on inlet of a septic tank. You got sinkers an floaters so outlet like 3 inches lower than inlet with a baffle, but the inlet is 6 inches so 3 inches is below the standing waste level. Throw in some yeast to get it going good. Power lime good also. Good luck.

Thanks Keith!

The drums themselves are 100% root proof. But if there is a gap between any of the pieces parts roots will take advantage. Same with terracotta and concrete. Barry

I agree and I could have made a larger elevation difference when I installed the flange adapters. I believe I talked about this in the video. However, the tanks are all installed on a slope so there is quite a bit of elevation between the influent and the effluent. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment! Barry

Probably a few of them mixed with the others. Matrix Drive, we have been a good customer. Thanks

Matt I am assuming you are referring to the joint between the flange adapter and the plastic drum? If so, the challenge I was facing was how to tighten that joint without distorting the drum where the top would no longer fit correctly.

@@barrylukebuilds7894 Your concern because of the round barrel the gadget would not seat properly. I see maybe that could be a problem especially with the 4" pipe. I wonder if the pipe would seal properly if it was dropped down to a 2" pipe size with gasket. Your way certainly worked fine. Good vid blessings

Pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it.

Gave That would probably work depending on your soil. Just remember that the point of the leach field is not solely to get rid of the liquid but also to remove contamination. A little time spent in the rocks is a good thing. Thanks for watching! Barry

Not the ones that have the cage around them 4x4 ‘ 360 gallons each use 4 and tie together I like pipe ing horizontally not going in the top. They can take 3’ soil on top That’s a ton of material

@@kencleg7721 that is the type he used. I know., I gave it to him.I don’t think he put enough water in it,

If it worked it worked but that exterior cage does nothing to support the plastic tank. If it was on the inside it would.

A couple of folks have brought that up. To me the goal is to prevent the incoming surge of water from a toilet flush from breaking up the scum blanket floating on top of the liquid. Baffles, tees, 90 with a vent, all do the same thing. My baffles cost a let less than Tees😏

Mr Rojas In all my 70 plus years I don’t think I have ever seen that word play. Thank you!

Charlie Sorry the septic system is not working well for you. Should be fixable unless it is under sized. Yes, the cabin is for our personal use only. Putting an exit pipe on a leach field would certainly get rid of the liquids but they would not be treated. The treatment occurs while the liquid travels downward through the soil. Barry

Thank you Larry!

Jim Thanks for watching and thanks for talking the time to ask questions. About the connections, it is possible to put the influent pipe through the top. It would make removing the top for maintenance more difficult and the top would still have to be drilled because the bung holes are not large enough for a gravity sewer line. The effluent line would not be able to be installed in the top as there would be no way to contain the scum inside the tank. In a perfect world the tank will never fill with solids. Every molecule of waste will be broken down and turned to gas by the anaerobic bacteria. But there is no perfect world so eventually the first tank will fill with solids. When that happens it will just become a conduit to send unsettled waste to the second and I guess it could happen again and the third would become the primary and eventually the leach field becomes the receptor and clogs up and then it is a big problem. I won’t live that long. Putting the first two in parallel would double the life span of the first tank but not the first two as a whole. It would add complexity to the piping for sure. But hopefully I or my heirs will keep an eye on the system and have it pumped every 5 to ten years or so and every thing will be lovely. And it won’t be too difficult because there are no pipes in the lids!

Michael We went old fashioned with an underground system. I have a couple of perks which made this system my first choice. One, I own a little track hoe so no direct cost on the dirt work. Two, time is on my side. We have a system that has been working for over a year so we are not in a time bind. Also, it is summer time and I am the only fool that enjoys coming out here when it’s just too hot to even be here. Thanks for watching and thanks for taking the time to comment. Barry

Mr Bily Glad I was able to afford a little levity to this crazy world, hopefully enough to offset the resulting in house strife I also caused. But seriously, thanks for watching and thanks for taking the time to comment. I have a lot of other videos out there that you might enjoy, some of them a actually fairly good. Barry

As in two separate systems? Absolutely! Often gray water can just be piped to a ditch, depending on your location. Separating gray water with reduce the volume of black water, a plus. Our total water usage is so small that I chose to just put everything together. Thanks for watching! Barry

Rob Help me out, I don’t understand what you are recommending.

Sorry, I mostly use a credit card.

Next video, check it out!

Ouch! I have attacked my face and other body parts with various tools over the years but not an angle drill. Careful there Salty!

Being a plumber I bet you have crunched figures using a 1/2” drill!

Charles I have not. Not even really sure what that is but I will check it out. Thanks for sharing the tip, might help someone not as far along as we are. Barry

@@barrylukebuilds7894 there are plenty of videos on them here on RU-vid.

Nick, interesting idea! That just might be a future project. Thanks Barry

Interesting idea! Might be a future project. Thanks Barry

I was wondering if anyone would catch that. Congratulations, you were the first, at least the first to comment. Thanks for watching! Barry

James It is complicated. Rules, codes, regulations, and standards are all in place for good reasons. To protect folks from themselves, to protect neighbors from uncaring property owners, to protect groundwater that everyone shares, and to prevent damage to gods woods and waters. The problems arise when projects don’t quite jive with the intent of the regulations. In our case we are not totally “off grid”. We are connected to the electrical system. However the cabin is just that, a cabin. It has no bedrooms no occupants. The closest house and I presume water well from us is over a mile away, up hill as we are closer to the river. We have no water well. Rain runoff from our cabin travels approximately one mile through undeveloped property before it reaches a river. The acreage properties on both sides of us are undeveloped hunting properties. We have no plans to build a “real house “ or to move onto the property, ever. If any of these conditions had been different we probably would have put a permit and followed the rules. Everyone thinking of installing their own system has their own set of circumstances and should proceed accordingly. Thanks for watching! Barry

I think that makes perfect sense. Here in Southern Mississippi there is no frost line. It just doesn’t get that cold for any length of time. But thanks for watching and thanks for the advice. Barry

This is not legal and you won't get a certificate of occupancy from any state or county. This could be used in a primitive camp sites but not for any home tiny or conventional. 73

@@ronb6182well it is a camp, and not a home, so all is well!

@@ronb6182i totally agree with what you said and maybe I should have made that clearer. But had you been following my channel you would have known the situation.

Sean Thanks for the heads up. We have no frost line here other viewers should be aware. Barry

Jack If the pipe was 1” for it’s entire length I would agree with you. But a pipe with good depth except for one spot, not to worry. Anyway it ended being a little deeper. Thanks for watching!

Terry I have always heard that 1/8” is the magic number. Lately I have been hearing 1/4”. Recently installed a new sewer line at my son’s house and the inspector requested 1/4”. He said we prefer 1/4” but anything between 1/8 and 1/4 will pass. Go figure? Lots of miles of 1/8” out there. Thanks for watching and thanks for taking the time to comment. Barry

@@barrylukebuilds7894 Can't really argue with the inspector. It's been many years since I was a plumbers helper and I never took my journeymans. Good video. I'm glad you showed how things are in the real world.

Simon It was almost so more better that I should have used the term “much more better “. Anyway, thanks for watching and thanks for taking the time to comment. Barry

@@barrylukebuilds7894 'Much more better' is even more better--er🤣👍

At least, don’t you think so? Thanks for watching! Barry

Don’t you think so?

Don’t you think so?

Dang Susan Coming on strong with two insults right off the batt. I am not in most places, I am in the middle of our 124 acres in the middle of a very rural area with absolutely no neighbors nearby. I think most of my viewers understand that when the title of a project references “off grid” they understand the legal implications. Secondly, what do you mean “even if it works “? Of course it is going to work. And starting your comment with “Of course “ just sets a bad tone. The Pope said to be nice. Thanks for watching and thanks for taking the time to comment. It really helps my channel! Barry

Don’t you think so?

WHPH When I had a real job and built/upgraded/ expanded sewer plants there was always talk of grabbing a bucket of sludge from another plant to “seed” the new system. But honestly I don’t remember it ever being done. But it sounds like we live in totally different climates so that may make a difference. Lots of plants burn methane to heat the sludge to hasten the process. Collecting, purifying, and storing the sewer gases is a very complicated endeavor. I researched just how much methane is produced by a single household but have had no success. Thanks for watching and commenting! Barry

Bob Are you telling me that the guy that sells shrimp out of his truck and advertises as “small, medium, and extra medium” has been pulling our leg all these years. If there’s no more better there can’t be extra medium. Are we on the same page here? Anyway, thanks for watching! Barry PS I almost titled the video “much more better “. I bet that would have been wrong too😏

@@barrylukebuilds7894 What I can tell you is that a dwarf fortune teller escaped from jail, and the news headline read "Small Medium at Large!

@@BobDeer-vd4nqthis is one of the best jokes I’ve ever heard, thanks for sharing

@@BobDeer-vd4nqthat joke is more better than any joke I’ve heard in more longer time. Thanks for sharing!

I did it! And received many comments on it. And unfortunately, some folks were seriously miffed that I didn’t know that it was improper. It is sad that people are so uptight. You were joking, right?

So I was thinking of naming the video “much more better “. I guess that would have been more worser?

@@barrylukebuilds7894 It's a case of proper English. The term "better" can't have a "more" modifyer. Something is better than something else, or not better than something else. You can't have more better or less better: these are nonsensical terms.

@@limogesfarmer6326Yes, yes, yes. More better, much more better, and more worser; all a joke. I am from and live in the south but I am a college graduate married to an English literature graduate. I knew it was incorrect. Let me ask you a question, did you watch the video?

Thank you! Kind words keep the old man ticking.