Water usage and septic sizing....
#1
08-23-13, 03:01 PM
Water usage and septic sizing....
As I get ready to replace my septic prior to selling my house, I have been paying attention to all the formulas (gallons per day per bedroom, etc), and then I have applied that to my water bill. This is what I found.....we use an average of ~200 gallons per day with 4 people living in the house in the winter months, (Feb-Apr) and then for this last quarter (May-Jul) with just 2 people living in the house (kids moved out) we used about the same .... (the difference is watering the lawn)..... now, I have to put in a system designed for at least 800 (possibly 1000 gallons per day)......not that I can do anything about it, but it seems like way overkill.....
Thoughts ?. Comments ?. Am I missing something ?
Thoughts ?. Comments ?. Am I missing something ?
#2
08-23-13, 03:22 PM
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Your not going to be able to decide what size or design it needs to be.
Your local health dept. soil scientist, septic design company, whatever the governing body is in your area decides will be what you have to install.
Your local health dept. soil scientist, septic design company, whatever the governing body is in your area decides will be what you have to install.
#4
08-23-13, 03:57 PM
Yeah....I know all that......not trying to fight it, but we think of ourselves as heavy water users....we all take long showers, I use the soaking tub, we do laundry, etc......and then I see my avg gpd, and I wonder who the hell thought of these numbers (200 gpd per bedroom, etc) ....could be my meter is broken ?.....LOL....I mean this last reading was 18,600 gallons over 99 days....
#5
08-23-13, 04:30 PM
200 gpd is exorbitant!! Better be glad you're not on a well. If we used 50 gallons a day, I'd be surprised. We don't water the lawn. 6 acres....we leave it up to God to take care of. We take reasonably quick showers. Face it, there's only a certain number of body parts you can wash, and it don't take forever. Washing clothes with today's washers is quite efficient and water saving. I can't imagine anyone dictating that you would need a 1000 gpd septic tank. That's absurd. How did they arrive at that figure?
#6
08-24-13, 04:30 AM
Larry, re read your last 2 sentences and then your 1st sentence in post #3 
It doesn't really matter what we [or anyone else] thinks - it's what the health dept mandates. Without their approval, we can't use the property
When I set my stepson's MH they said I had to put the drain field in the back yard with 15' runs because water might run off the road into the front yard [hasn't been an issue in the 15 yrs since] BUT a double wide was set down the road and it's septic system is between the MH and a pond at the bottom of the hill 
It doesn't really matter what we [or anyone else] thinks - it's what the health dept mandates. Without their approval, we can't use the property
When I set my stepson's MH they said I had to put the drain field in the back yard with 15' runs because water might run off the road into the front yard [hasn't been an issue in the 15 yrs since] BUT a double wide was set down the road and it's septic system is between the MH and a pond at the bottom of the hill 
#7
08-24-13, 04:49 AM
We had a guy installing a septic tank and drain field within 50' of a main artery creek near us. I landed on the Health Inspectors desk within 10 minutes. I told him, I didn't care who that guy knew, or what he knew about someone, he wasn't putting that drain field within 100' of a waterway. He reluctantly went and told them he had to install a pump out system. There was not enough land <1/3 acre to put an appropriate field without encroaching on the watershed limits. It was just for a pull in RV, so I couldn't care less whether he liked it or not. You gotta watch government closely.
#8
08-24-13, 06:49 AM
Just to re-iterate my point = I know I am powerless to change the laws and rules, and I wont even entertain a challenge. I stand corrected, as the rate is actually 150 gpd/bedroom for the first 3 bedrooms, and 250 gpd per for each additional bedroom so, a 4 bedroom system should be able to handle 700 gpd, a 5 bedroom should be able to handle 950 gpd. I was just shocked when I did the math for our water usage.
#9
08-24-13, 06:56 AM
systems are designed around bedrooms, because it is the best indicator of how many people will occupy the house. Every AHJ has a different requirement. Just because you use 200 GPD does not mean the next owner will use the same amount. Could be less could be more. Just be glad you are not in MD that system would cost you $30,000.00 - $70,000.00 depending on what would be required for the drainfield.
