We had these when I was a kid (about 50 years ago) on our farm, 3 things I’d add, place top of barrels below frost line, add gravel below barrels and up to top of side drain holes, and lastly we’d find a dead critter, squirrels, cats whatever that had been infested with maggots and throw in first barrel they’ll eat the solids and you’ll never have to clean,pump or add more barrels! Old school !!
this is exactly what I was hoping to come across , a good Ol Boy figuring out how to get somthing done with limited resources. Thank you for your time with this. Code is for yuppies and flatlanders
Wife and I bought a little trailer house in 1980. Couldn’t afford a septic system. Built what you have here with only two barrels. Lasted 10 years with us and our three boys. Attached about 120’ of drain pipe for a drain field. Never had to have it pumped out. Kept Ridex or buttermilk in it. I think that’s what kept everything broke down. Thanks for a great video.
@@ka24detpower I am using three inch. You don't really need four inch unless you're running some huge unit or something where there is going to be quite a lot of sewage.
Out here in west Tennessee myself, and I'm with you, brother. "The law to live trumps all laws and codes". When I build my 20 unit apartment complex in Ukraine, I'm using this design, however, I might modify for a leach field.
I figured if my next door neighbors are allowed to have a thirty foot high pile of cow shit behind my back fence I'm not going to bother checking for "codes" when i save myself thousands of dollars this spring building this. Thanks for the video
Whats the best way to drill holes on 2nd amd 3rd barrels. If theyre already set that sufficient. Number oh holes and heught for last 2 barrels thats sufficient@theappalachianamerican8607
A better way to do this is to use blue barrels with removable lids and bands. This guy used an excavator whereas I used a hand shovel. I used 4 barrels and 2 twenty foot leech lines. Trenches and pit, was done by hand and with removable lids, connections were a snap! All told the digging, fitment, and backfill took about 2 months. Sure beats pooping in 13 gallon trash bags!
Hello from Türkiye! I really appreciate your videos, we have just bought a little piece of land in a tiny town and placed a tiny house on it. They told us there is a sewage system but local elections are soon and they won't do anything until new mayor elected. We decided we cannot hold our poops until then, and should make our own sanitary system. There are a lot of diy videos of this topic but yours is the best with all the explanation and different types of systems. ❤ Much love from Turkiye!
I made a similar system with a 300 gallon plastic tote and two plastic barrels with 2 10ft drain pipes and a load of gravel. It's been working great for over 5 years now. There are 2 "tiny homes" (an RV and a converted shed) attached to it.
I hate to be a negative Nancy here, but for someone who has installed septics for 30 years, there are a lot of problem with this. First , if you don't test the soils where you plan to install one of these, and you have a lot of clay types of soils these don't work well. Second a lot of time is spent talking about gravity of this which is worthless and the 2nd and 3rd barrels are over kill and not needed if you don't seal joints between barrels. You might as well do like we used to do in northern Georgia just out of high school... dig a big pit, take a steel 55 gal barrel put holes in it and run the pipe to the top , put gavel around and over the barrel, backfill and don't look back! You might as well use the old out-house method of dig a hole stack stones , or put in a small steel or wood barrel, put large stones around it put you out-house over it and when fill , just move the out-house! Over the years we have dug up and replace or cleaned up this bio hazard messes. So if you are going to do one of these cheap outlaw DIY systems, first make sure you have the right type of soils like sandy or rocky for proper leeching. Second, make sure your plumbing to, in and out of the first barrel is sealed. Otherwise the rest is not needed and a waste of your time money and effort! Third, as many have suggested here, dig you hole and extra 8 to 12 inches deep to have that much stone under your barrels! Spend the time and money to line your hole with silt or landscape fabric before putting you stone in! Think I'm lying? Ask any home owner or excavating contractor who dealt with a basement with water coming in due to a silted up footer drain! Understand hydraulics. Water travels throught the ground taking silt and mineral with it and silt in your stone. If you install an extended leech pipe away from your system, spend the extra money to use a silt sock over the pipe and have at minimum, 6 to 8 inches of stone around your pips! If it were me, I would add a 6 or 8 inch stand pipe wiith a cleanout cap for each barrel for inspection or cleaning.
Thank you. Viewing from Malawi. 99%+ of areas don't have codes. This is absolute budget friendly and easy to execute. Thank you. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Many thanks due The Appalachian American for saving me from drifting into long laber and high cost. A relative dug up the needed trench for free and added a gift of directing me to the barrel configuration. I have one steel 55Gal. barrel and two plastic ones. I will cover the barrels with double nylon sheets and some lumber, then cover the lot with soil. The relative suggested also to surround the barrels with rocks and gravel. I cannot thank you more. I loved what Appalachians were introduced in the movie "Deliverance". I am Lebanese got my education in the USA in mid 1960s.
Brother I love all of your work and your videos showing more cheap and efficient ways on dyi septic systems. I am buying 10 acres off grid and will definitely be utilizing some of your methods. Your vids definitely help people. The time is rapidly approaching where people will have a choice to go off grid or be a slave. Thanks for all of the help
I did this with 2 barrels, and 20 feet of perforated black drain pipe. It worked perfectly. No smell, no mess. Its suggested to use 2 for one person, and add one for each additional person. I think its as efficient and hygenic as the approved ones. Btw, someone left an older used one here, and it let it evaporate, and when it was over, it had only a small amount of "dirt" , and you'd never guess what it was.
I appreciate the time you put into showing us all in detail how to create a good diy septic system. Never mind the narcissistic A holes with negative comments. They must vent because they are full of waste just like this 3 barrel setup. You sir are wise an kind. Many will see the value of your knowledge and use it. Take care and thank you. I just got a remote cabin up no water or elec out here so no code either. 🙏
Great simple system...Too many channels don't explain things simply and make it sound complicated...As septic systems are basically a simple process...One thing you could do is run a 4" line into first barrel so you can have a access line to pump the solids ...You also could wrap the two drain barrels with non woven fabric before backfilling and place some gravel around the base of the last two barrels...and lay fabric over the gravel then backfill
Awesome system. I suggest a filter fabric root barrier wrap around the barrels with holes to prevent roots growing into them. Also every 6 months, chop up a tomato and send it into the first tank. The enzymes in tomatoes help accelerate the bacterial break down process of the solids and is cheaper than expensive store bought septic tank treatments. Nicely done brother !!
I did the same thing on a cabin. I built for my son. Used 4 tanks. 2 were for solids. One feeds into the other. Then that 2nd solid tank feeds into 2 drain field tanks drilled with holes and filled with crushed stone.
City plumber here, never delt w.septic systems before but I love this system. They make long sweeps w.an outlet on its side where you could have that peekaboo at the last barrel and continue on with some perforated piping for an additional leech field just to be safe. Might last 25+ years w.basic maintenance.
Best diy septic video on UA-cam. Very simple and straight to the point without all the technical crap and fancy words, tools and equipment. Great job sir
Watching in from Fiji...We do these kinds of Septic Tank Procedure. It saves us alotta money as we have plastic barrels scattered around and is put to good use Vinaka 👌🏽
Great details for the beginners going off-grid. I was raised in the Florida Everglades and Dad used a similar system with steel barrels. Worked for 5 years till we moved away. Head's up on a few things I've learned about lately; Put some live yeast into the first barrel to activate the solid's breakdown faster and NEVER use harsh chemicals to clean the toilet with which will stop this process. Use natural soap, biodegradable, nontoxic cleaners. SIMPLE GREEN is my choice. Also to prevent roots from growing into the system you can use a copper mesh wire around the barrels, a little costly but saves on digging again or building another system. I liked the other comments about using tomatoes and maggot infested critters. Haven't tried it yet but I will keep those in mind. I Also use a small odor controlled trash can next to my toilet for after doing my paperwork, since I prefer a thicker paper that would plug up most RV systems, then I burn that every night before bed along with the other paper/wood/cardboard trash. I compost my biodegradables and any meat scraps go to the cat, dog and what ever stray creatures come along after they are done.
Very helpful video. I am about to buy a travel trailer to put on my farm out in rural Texas. I have been looking for a septic solution and your system fits the bill. Thank you for taking the time to put this video together-- and thanks for the clarification on the 3-1/4" hole--that was the only thing that didnt make any sense and I didnt see your correction until i decided to comment. Thanks again!
I live in Peru and pay $370 for a plastic septic tank that works very well. They call it a biodigestor. I can buy those plastic barrels for $30 a piece so this would save me money for an economy job
If you place large rocks around the outside of the blue cans it gives a leach system then a plastic film can be placed over the hole supported by the rocks. Cover this film with a few inches of dirt and you have a leach system that won't collapse inward and with the dirt over it no oder..
I did a similar thing for my camper, I lived in it for a bit when covid hit. But I had 4 barrels in a square pattern, all dumping across to each other. But all of my barrels had holes, and I had probably 200’ of pipe coming out into a makeshift leech field, added this part. I dig a hole that left 24” around the entire collage and I buried the entire thing with gravel not dirt except the top 4-6”
Although I would prefer an aerobic system I love this idea as it requires less maintenance (no additional energy required) 2 things to consider Tow barrels for the first section ( greatly increased capacity) Instead of a grinder which is expensive and requires power You might consider using Bidets which eliminate the need for TP. Thanks so much for this video. OH BTW Important not mentioned please do a perc test to determine if the soil has the capacity to leach effluent. Too much clay in the soil will greatly affect the system and it can fill up fast.
A lot of people had these systems where I grew up. They were all two barrel systems made from the steel drums and 50’ of field line. They didn’t perforate the second barrel. The main problems people had with them was rusting out and root masses inside around where the pipe went in or out. This system shouldn’t have any problems.
I have used these before but I cut them lengthwise, remove the top and lay them end to end with the ends overlapping. It's very strong and will not compress underground. The end effect is the plastic half drums end up forming a long arch. The structure is not unlike the leaching chambers that a lot of people use in place of the older leach line systems that tend to clog with roots on occasion. Of course this would never go in a big city such as say, San Francisco. Cities like San Francisco have highly technical and ridged building codes. No way can you just throw up a makeshift shelter there and just shit in the streets. There would be human fecies all over the town and eventually medieval disease would start to spread. That's why big cities have these codes to protect public health.
I rather think it's ashamed urban areas don't allow certain citizens to enjoy primitive camping on city sidewalks. They could perform valuable municipal services like picking up trash, making commuters' windshield sparkle, keeping on the lookout for and notifying authorities about "shady" characters and most importantly beautifying our underpasses with folk art.
Oh wait. The homeless people in San Francisco are already shitting in the streets. Have you not heard. They have a shit avoiding map you can purchase to try not to step in it.
put crushed stone, encapsulated in filter fabric, around the leaching barrels so the stone doesn't get choked up with dirt and reduce its ability to disperse / infiltrate the liquids.
Nice idea but I would be concerned about the soil compressong the barrels;but maybe starting out with full (H2O) ma prevent crushing. My only advise is, if you can route grey water (wash water, soaps, detergents, clorox, any bacteria killing substance) away from the first digester and onto a fourth tank (grey water only barrel) that would be good. If you dont kill off the bacteria digesting the waste you wont have solids building up. Your only expense would be the extra PVC you'd have to by but it beats the cost of a honey dipper truv coming to pump ot the system
TY. I’m adding a small home & will be using this. I originally thinking 2 barrels but 3 is better. NE TN here too. I will add a cloth around the 2nd & 3rd barrels. I alrdy had to fix my main septic to the house cause of roots clogging the main outlet line. Easy fix with a backhoe
Very nice job. I think it even may be a little over kill 😊. My question to you is how do you get a 3” pipe though a 1” and a 1/4”hole 🤔. I’m a retired master plumber that’s a good trick 😊. After watching the hole video I see you are using the second barrels for a leach line 😊. I like the idea, I think I would like to have more than one barrel for the solids :-). I’ve had a lot of septics pumped over the years and a small septic will fill up pretty quickly 😢.
If your really a retired Master Plumber then you understand Scooter that it’s no problem to squeeze a 3” fitting into an 1 1/4” hole with the right amount of plumbers lube brother 😂
It must be Winter time because I don't see any flies .😁 There is NO smell worse than pumping out a porta potty or septic tank , when the two are churned together .
Ground water will play havoc with it. Hope you back fill with 2" drainage rock and surround with drain fabric. An improved cesspool pretty much. This is assuming you have a running water toilet to flush stuff. Looks like the second barrel will let all water seep out and nothing will get to the second barrel
My grandparents had this on their farm in Missouri in the 50's. Only problems ever were in the summer when people would come to visit and put TP in the toilet. Grandpa would have to go unclog the pipe going to the barnyard. We all knew better: TP went in the trash can.
I built a similar system and the run off is cleaner (yes, tested) than my original (to NC code) system. I filter through the three "chambers", through a screen "catch" than out to my leach field
You could build a bypass pipe from your sink/washroom to barrel 3. That way you don't disturb barrel 1 and 2 with soaps. And yeah, don't do this in the city, but enough places exist where this is an option.
Interesting to see other systems than I am usually installing (which is factory manufactured systems in Northern Europe). This is almost a 3-chamber system, which is good, even if not according to US code regulations. However, I would only drill holes in the third barrell. And T-connections are probably not needed for the ingoing connections in the 2nd and 3rd barrel. But it is not bad to have it. Still, the outgoing water might need some more infiltration area than this, depending on the use of the septic system. A gravel field is usually used, but there are cubes made of plastic netting that reduces the infiltration area needed. Perhaps something similar can be used for this. With these modifications you might get a system that actually is quite efficient compared to regulatory approved systems with little risk of contaminating drinking water sources.
So i tried to use a plastic barrel like this and the soil pressed the sides of the tank in. I am going to try wrapping the barrel with wire fencing, then use sprayfoam to cover the wire with about 3 inches of polyfoam. I'm hoping the strength of the plastic will be as good as putting cement around the barrel. If the sprayfoam doesn't work then cement will have to be put around the barrels. The other thing i did with my barrels was to cut off the bottom of another barrel and place the top half over the tank barrel. I cut the top out of the barrel half then i had a service space over the tank barrel. Also I'm going to put a dirty water pump in the tank to pump out the sludge once a month so it can digest better.
This is what my grandpa did during the 1960’s. And during the late 1980’s I inherited the house, and it stood till 1999. The septic tank was never pumped!
That’s not true🤣Lived in both CA and NYC for years….never saw this, and CA has a lower crime rate and is hugely more prosperous than almost all red states….Google it if don’t believe it. Where I am in CA, you would have huge difficulty finding a single piece of litter beside the road, and they change the roadside flowers when one petal falls.
I like to drill the holes a little smaller, than yous a heat gun or torch and push the pipe in on one side while pushing from the inside with the collar.
I have land in Costilla CO, where land is cheap, undeveloped and rural and specifically designed for off grid living and there is no specific code for a septic as long as it works and does not leak waste, so there are pleanty of places in the US where code does not exist, specifically in rural undeveloped land designed for off grid living.
You can't even fart without a permit in Castilla County. Had a buddy that had some land in Trinchera Ranch. His boys own it now. But when he told the county govt he was going to build an "off grid" structure, they told him he would have to build a 1500g septic system. Which he would have had to get a permit for. His argument was that he only spends about 2 days at a time, 4 or 5 times a year on his own land. So in his eyes, that kind of "policing" was bullshit. So, his plan was to go underground with the structure. Sadly he never got around to it before he passed away. Castilla County is the poorest county in the entire state and they will get any last cent from you that they think they can.
*I've been pondering the idea of embarking on a rain harvesting project lately. The prospect of harnessing nature's gift, rainwater, for my yard has me truly excited. I can't help but wonder: do you think this concept would align perfectly with my specific needs and situation? 🌧💧🍃*
Put a half gallon of buttermilk in it once a month, it will run from now on, the bacteria in the buttermilk will feast on the solids! Don’t forget to put a vent pipe somewhere In line.
Thank you trying to help daughter get into tiny house. Going to just run toilet into tank all other gray water into woods. Should last a lifetime. Again thank you.
Im glad i found this video. Im fixing to build about the same thing. Im thinking maybe those big ibc plastic tanks but seeing the barrel deal might be better
Thanks I have been thinking about using barrels for a septic system. I wasn't sure about the best way to make it work . I was going to use two barrels and 5 or 10 gallon bucket for a junction box drain field ? 3 and like you're and third barrel 3 drain fields . I have wet land here in GA It's 1 just for temporary . Camper that is being remolding into a tiny house to live in while I'm remodeling on the main two homes and building tiny houses on the land . The main house has a septic system in the back yard but bought the place camper was in front yard 50 ft + away house , camper was in bad shape to move it but still can live in part of it while remolding , I needed a septic system. But the water table is a few feet, digging 1 or 2 ft down the water starts filling in the hole . The well pump is 20 ft and 8 or 10 hit water . Question is the barrel septic system works for a temporary 3 to 6 month on wet land? And what the best way I build system to work where I wouldn't have to pump solids out of the septic system ?
Or you can do like I did. Watched the video. Decided that this is what I want to do. Rewatched the video and studied his design. Lol… I found myself typing out the items used…. 🤦🏻♂️! Look man if you like the design, rewatch and pause. Look. Write. Unpause. Watch. Pause. Write. Unpause. Etc!
Pretty simple, 3 55gallon plastic barrels, 2 3in T fittings 1 3in coupler 1 3in 90 2 3in 45s 3in pvc pipe 2 4in hinges 2 ball strikes Personally, I would add 3in perforated pipe and drain socks for the leach field and wrap the perforated drums with filter fabric and put pea gravel or 5/8 minus around everything that needs drainage. Along with filter fabric above and below the barrels...
That looks identicle to mine 3 barrel in ca. I just didnt put leach holes in barrel 2 and 3 i ran a 100 foot rock leach line ,never pumped out. Lived there 10 years
I’d say that is why he put the door on it. There really wouldn’t be much reason for access to the first 2 barrels. Only reason I could think of is maybe if your ex came over asking for a drink!!!!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
We had these when I was a kid (about 50 years ago) on our farm, 3 things I’d add, place top of barrels below frost line, add gravel below barrels and up to top of side drain holes, and lastly we’d find a dead critter, squirrels, cats whatever that had been infested with maggots and throw in first barrel they’ll eat the solids and you’ll never have to clean,pump or add more barrels! Old school !!
So that's why Tom Sawyer and Huck Fin wanted a dead cat?
If you can’t get below frost use rigid foam, it blocks the frost, over hang in all directions 6-12”
how do the maggots survive with all the water? how do the flies survive to reproduce?
@@mrniusi11 Teenage Mutant Ninja Maggots 🎶pupating in a hard shell,🎶 Maggot Power! 🎶
@@mrniusi11 they live. I have a pork roast floating in my tank. I put it in over a month ago. Covered in maggots.
"The Law to Live trumps all laws and all codes." I love that statement. Made me want to subscribe. Thanks.
Thank you!
this is exactly what I was hoping to come across , a good Ol Boy figuring out how to get somthing done with limited resources. Thank you for your time with this. Code is for yuppies and flatlanders
like my grandpa always said what they don't know won't hurt them
I hit subscribe when you said the law to live trumps all laws and codes. This is the first video I have seen.
Wife and I bought a little trailer house in 1980. Couldn’t afford a septic system. Built what you have here with only two barrels. Lasted 10 years with us and our three boys. Attached about 120’ of drain pipe for a drain field. Never had to have it pumped out. Kept Ridex or buttermilk in it. I think that’s what kept everything broke down. Thanks for a great video.
Was that running just your toilet or your whole house?
What is the diameter of the pipes needed? 3"? Or 4"?
@@ka24detpower I am using three inch. You don't really need four inch unless you're running some huge unit or something where there is going to be quite a lot of sewage.
@@j.b.5691 thanks a lot man, now I'm ready :)
@@ka24detpowerhe used 3 1/4 inch hole saw
This video was inspirational for my poor folks in small town, Gurdaan/Warmaxun, south of Mogadishu (45kms), Somalia. Thanks a million.
Glad I could help
Out here in west Tennessee myself, and I'm with you, brother. "The law to live trumps all laws and codes". When I build my 20 unit apartment complex in Ukraine, I'm using this design, however, I might modify for a leach field.
I'm in west Tennessee I'm building this too
I figured if my next door neighbors are allowed to have a thirty foot high pile of cow shit behind my back fence I'm not going to bother checking for "codes" when i save myself thousands of dollars this spring building this. Thanks for the video
Awesome!
Whats the best way to drill holes on 2nd amd 3rd barrels. If theyre already set that sufficient. Number oh holes and heught for last 2 barrels thats sufficient@theappalachianamerican8607
Fantastic video btw. Thank you for sharing the info
A better way to do this is to use blue barrels with removable lids and bands. This guy used an excavator whereas I used a hand shovel. I used 4 barrels and 2 twenty foot leech lines. Trenches and pit, was done by hand and with removable lids, connections were a snap! All told the digging, fitment, and backfill took about 2 months. Sure beats pooping in 13 gallon trash bags!
Hello from Türkiye! I really appreciate your videos, we have just bought a little piece of land in a tiny town and placed a tiny house on it. They told us there is a sewage system but local elections are soon and they won't do anything until new mayor elected. We decided we cannot hold our poops until then, and should make our own sanitary system. There are a lot of diy videos of this topic but yours is the best with all the explanation and different types of systems. ❤ Much love from Turkiye!
Thank you so much for the kind words!
I made a similar system with a 300 gallon plastic tote and two plastic barrels with 2 10ft drain pipes and a load of gravel. It's been working great for over 5 years now. There are 2 "tiny homes" (an RV and a converted shed) attached to it.
300 gallon tote for solids and 2 55 gallon drums for your liquid drainage?
I hate to be a negative Nancy here, but for someone who has installed septics for 30 years, there are a lot of problem with this. First , if you don't test the soils where you plan to install one of these, and you have a lot of clay types of soils these don't work well. Second a lot of time is spent talking about gravity of this which is worthless and the 2nd and 3rd barrels are over kill and not needed if you don't seal joints between barrels. You might as well do like we used to do in northern Georgia just out of high school... dig a big pit, take a steel 55 gal barrel put holes in it and run the pipe to the top , put gavel around and over the barrel, backfill and don't look back! You might as well use the old out-house method of dig a hole stack stones , or put in a small steel or wood barrel, put large stones around it put you out-house over it and when fill , just move the out-house!
Over the years we have dug up and replace or cleaned up this bio hazard messes. So if you are going to do one of these cheap outlaw DIY systems, first make sure you have the right type of soils like sandy or rocky for proper leeching. Second, make sure your plumbing to, in and out of the first barrel is sealed. Otherwise the rest is not needed and a waste of your time money and effort! Third, as many have suggested here, dig you hole and extra 8 to 12 inches deep to have that much stone under your barrels! Spend the time and money to line your hole with silt or landscape fabric before putting you stone in! Think I'm lying? Ask any home owner or excavating contractor who dealt with a basement with water coming in due to a silted up footer drain! Understand hydraulics. Water travels throught the ground taking silt and mineral with it and silt in your stone. If you install an extended leech pipe away from your system, spend the extra money to use a silt sock over the pipe and have at minimum, 6 to 8 inches of stone around your pips! If it were me, I would add a 6 or 8 inch stand pipe wiith a cleanout cap for each barrel for inspection or cleaning.
Don't need anything in the City of SanFrancisco where they just poop on the sidewalks and streets 😂😂
Thank you. Viewing from Malawi. 99%+ of areas don't have codes.
This is absolute budget friendly and easy to execute.
Thank you. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Many thanks due The Appalachian American for saving me from drifting into long laber and high cost. A relative dug up the needed trench for free and added a gift of directing me to the barrel configuration. I have one steel 55Gal. barrel and two plastic ones. I will cover the barrels with double nylon sheets and some lumber, then cover the lot with soil. The relative suggested also to surround the barrels with rocks and gravel. I cannot thank you more. I loved what Appalachians were introduced in the movie "Deliverance". I am Lebanese got my education in the USA in mid 1960s.
Brother I love all of your work and your videos showing more cheap and efficient ways on dyi septic systems. I am buying 10 acres off grid and will definitely be utilizing some of your methods. Your vids definitely help people. The time is rapidly approaching where people will have a choice to go off grid or be a slave. Thanks for all of the help
I did this with 2 barrels, and 20 feet of perforated black drain pipe.
It worked perfectly.
No smell, no mess.
Its suggested to use 2 for one person, and add one for each additional person.
I think its as efficient and hygenic as the approved ones.
Btw, someone left an older used one here, and it let it evaporate, and when it was over, it had only a small amount of "dirt" , and you'd never guess what it was.
I appreciate the time you put into showing us all in detail how to create a good diy septic system. Never mind the narcissistic A holes with negative comments. They must vent because they are full of waste just like this 3 barrel setup. You sir are wise an kind. Many will see the value of your knowledge and use it. Take care and thank you. I just got a remote cabin up no water or elec out here so no code either. 🙏
Great simple system...Too many channels don't explain things simply and make it sound complicated...As septic systems are basically a simple process...One thing you could do is run a 4" line into first barrel so you can have a access line to pump the solids ...You also could wrap the two drain barrels with non woven fabric before backfilling and place some gravel around the base of the last two barrels...and lay fabric over the gravel then backfill
Awesome system. I suggest a filter fabric root barrier wrap around the barrels with holes to prevent roots growing into them. Also every 6 months, chop up a tomato and send it into the first tank. The enzymes in tomatoes help accelerate the bacterial break down process of the solids and is cheaper than expensive store bought septic tank treatments. Nicely done brother !!
I was wondering about roots. Just to help prevent & last longer.
I did the same thing on a cabin. I built for my son. Used 4 tanks. 2 were for solids. One feeds into the other. Then that 2nd solid tank feeds into 2 drain field tanks drilled with holes and filled with crushed stone.
City plumber here, never delt w.septic systems before but I love this system. They make long sweeps w.an outlet on its side where you could have that peekaboo at the last barrel and continue on with some perforated piping for an additional leech field just to be safe. Might last 25+ years w.basic maintenance.
Best diy septic video on UA-cam. Very simple and straight to the point without all the technical crap and fancy words, tools and equipment. Great job sir
Watching in from Fiji...We do these kinds of Septic Tank Procedure. It saves us alotta money as we have plastic barrels scattered around and is put to good use
Vinaka 👌🏽
My deceased uncle did similar in Oklahoma decades ago, still going strong for a single person/couple living in an old house. Never been pumped either.
Great details for the beginners going off-grid.
I was raised in the Florida Everglades and Dad used a similar system with steel barrels. Worked for 5 years till we moved away.
Head's up on a few things I've learned about lately;
Put some live yeast into the first barrel to activate the solid's breakdown faster and NEVER use harsh chemicals to clean the toilet with which will stop this process. Use natural soap, biodegradable, nontoxic cleaners.
SIMPLE GREEN is my choice.
Also to prevent roots from growing into the system you can use a copper mesh wire around the barrels, a little costly but saves on digging again or building another system.
I liked the other comments about using tomatoes and maggot infested critters. Haven't tried it yet but I will keep those in mind.
I Also use a small odor controlled trash can next to my toilet for after doing my paperwork, since I prefer a thicker paper that would plug up most RV systems, then I burn that every night before bed along with the other paper/wood/cardboard trash. I compost my biodegradables and any meat scraps go to the cat, dog and what ever stray creatures come along after they are done.
Thanks
I love the logical attention this man pays and the way he speaks when appointing logic.
Haaa? 🤣
Well done.
Thanks.
People don't understand how important sanitation is.
"people don't understand how important sanitation is"? What people exactly?
I think I do...
Backfill them last two barrels with some stone and it'll drain much better that's a nice setup you got there
My friend has a similar system on his land but on a bigger scale and he is very happy with it 😊 thanks for sharing
Very helpful video. I am about to buy a travel trailer to put on my farm out in rural Texas. I have been looking for a septic solution and your system fits the bill. Thank you for taking the time to put this video together-- and thanks for the clarification on the 3-1/4" hole--that was the only thing that didnt make any sense and I didnt see your correction until i decided to comment. Thanks again!
Thank you
I live in Peru and pay $370 for a plastic septic tank that works very well. They call it a biodigestor. I can buy those plastic barrels for $30 a piece so this would save me money for an economy job
One of the better hillbilly septic systems that I've seen.
If you place large rocks around the outside of the blue cans it gives a leach system then a plastic film can be placed over the hole supported by the rocks. Cover this film with a few inches of dirt and you have a leach system that won't collapse inward and with the dirt over it no oder..
Great, video. I'm no Ukrainian but I know ingenuity when I see it.
I did a similar thing for my camper, I lived in it for a bit when covid hit. But I had 4 barrels in a square pattern, all dumping across to each other. But all of my barrels had holes, and I had probably 200’ of pipe coming out into a makeshift leech field, added this part. I dig a hole that left 24” around the entire collage and I buried the entire thing with gravel not dirt except the top 4-6”
Although I would prefer an aerobic system I love this idea as it requires less maintenance (no additional energy required) 2 things to consider Tow barrels for the first section ( greatly increased capacity) Instead of a grinder which is expensive and requires power You might consider using Bidets which eliminate the need for TP. Thanks so much for this video. OH BTW Important not mentioned please do a perc test to determine if the soil has the capacity to leach effluent. Too much clay in the soil will greatly affect the system and it can fill up fast.
Your tree roots will love you
Screw the codes. Screw them. All they are there for is so the government or some rich ceo can make a little extra scratch.
"a twenty unit apartment complex" 😂 you killed me with that one
I did this for my grey water from the washer I put in the garage, cheaper then hooking it to the main septic, and easier.
I love this video...from Mizoram, India
A lot of people had these systems where I grew up. They were all two barrel systems made from the steel drums and 50’ of field line. They didn’t perforate the second barrel. The main problems people had with them was rusting out and root masses inside around where the pipe went in or out. This system shouldn’t have any problems.
Hilarious and really enjoyed. Very educative. With love from Zambia
I have used these before but I cut them lengthwise, remove the top and lay them end to end with the ends overlapping. It's very strong and will not compress underground. The end effect is the plastic half drums end up forming a long arch. The structure is not unlike the leaching chambers that a lot of people use in place of the older leach line systems that tend to clog with roots on occasion. Of course this would never go in a big city such as say, San Francisco. Cities like San Francisco have highly technical and ridged building codes. No way can you just throw up a makeshift shelter there and just shit in the streets. There would be human fecies all over the town and eventually medieval disease would start to spread. That's why big cities have these codes to protect public health.
I rather think it's ashamed urban areas don't allow certain citizens to enjoy primitive camping on city sidewalks.
They could perform valuable municipal services like picking up trash, making commuters' windshield sparkle, keeping on the lookout for and notifying authorities about "shady" characters and most importantly beautifying our underpasses with folk art.
@@maxi-me It is a shame indeed. Maybe in the future though we can have a society that allows that and we can all reap the benefits.
Oh wait. The homeless people in San Francisco are already shitting in the streets. Have you not heard. They have a shit avoiding map you can purchase to try not to step in it.
I see what you did there..... Well played sir. 😂
put crushed stone, encapsulated in filter fabric, around the leaching barrels so the stone doesn't get choked up with dirt and reduce its ability to disperse / infiltrate the liquids.
Nice idea but I would be concerned about the soil compressong the barrels;but maybe starting out with full (H2O) ma prevent crushing.
My only advise is, if you can route grey water (wash water, soaps, detergents, clorox, any bacteria killing substance) away from the first digester and onto a fourth tank (grey water only barrel) that would be good. If you dont kill off the bacteria digesting the waste you wont have solids building up.
Your only expense would be the extra PVC you'd have to by but it beats the cost of a honey dipper truv coming to pump ot the system
Thank you so much! Really appreciate your awesome knowledge.
Love this, but could you show how the final product looks, like after all filled in and the attaching of the toilet, etc. Thank you
I appreciate your disclaimer. Some people need rules made by people not the actual laws of nature, which this follows
Glad we can have lagoons here, fills up with frogs, frogs eat skeeters, sure it's noisey as hell sometimes but i'am half Def anyhow. 😉👍
Yup...this is what i needed!!! Ty
You're welcome
hey i like this guys attitude! hell yeah great video! thanks!
TY. I’m adding a small home & will be using this. I originally thinking 2 barrels but 3 is better. NE TN here too. I will add a cloth around the 2nd & 3rd barrels. I alrdy had to fix my main septic to the house cause of roots clogging the main outlet line. Easy fix with a backhoe
Excellent video my friend! Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻 I too am in TN and this method will be perfect for my situation! 🤌🏼
I didn't know you could do that. You're genius
Nice job loved the way you laid it out.
Very nice job. I think it even may be a little over kill 😊. My question to you is how do you get a 3” pipe though a 1” and a 1/4”hole 🤔. I’m a retired master plumber that’s a good trick 😊. After watching the hole video I see you are using the second barrels for a leach line 😊. I like the idea, I think I would like to have more than one barrel for the solids :-). I’ve had a lot of septics pumped over the years and a small septic will fill up pretty quickly 😢.
If your really a retired Master Plumber then you understand Scooter that it’s no problem to squeeze a 3” fitting into an 1 1/4” hole with the right amount of plumbers lube brother 😂
i grew up where most people had systems like this and sadly some ran it off in the ditch or creek instead.. this is a much better option and does work
About to start our four barrel system on our California 5 acre High Desert property!
Thank you for this informative Video! My Parents’ Cabin might just have to make use of your idea. ✌🏻😎
We grew up with an out house. It had a shower and everything! You have to cover the leavings with dirt when you move it.
It must be Winter time because I don't see any flies .😁 There is NO smell worse than pumping out a porta potty or septic tank , when the two are churned together .
Ground water will play havoc with it. Hope you back fill with 2" drainage rock and surround with drain fabric. An improved cesspool pretty much. This is assuming you have a running water toilet to flush stuff. Looks like the second barrel will let all water seep out and nothing will get to the second barrel
To the third*. Jeez try to make sense first. 😊
@@zhugeliang777 Damn typos! You're right, third is what I meant.
My grandparents had this on their farm in Missouri in the 50's. Only problems ever were in the summer when people would come to visit and put TP in the toilet. Grandpa would have to go unclog the pipe going to the barnyard. We all knew better: TP went in the trash can.
If you use a cloth to wash & wipe is even better.
Just use three sea shells like normal people.
@@jameskane4600 corn cobs
Great video my friend many thanks from n Ireland 🤝
I built a similar system and the run off is cleaner (yes, tested) than my original (to NC code) system.
I filter through the three "chambers", through a screen "catch" than out to my leach field
Great job explaining everything. This obviously isn't your first rodeo
Thanks
Thank you, I appreciate you; be well and be safe.
🙌🏽💚🙌🏽 Righteous Guidance, Protection, Peace, Blessings, Favours & Success 🙌🏽💚🙌🏽
You could build a bypass pipe from your sink/washroom to barrel 3. That way you don't disturb barrel 1 and 2 with soaps.
And yeah, don't do this in the city, but enough places exist where this is an option.
Interesting to see other systems than I am usually installing (which is factory manufactured systems in Northern Europe). This is almost a 3-chamber system, which is good, even if not according to US code regulations. However, I would only drill holes in the third barrell. And T-connections are probably not needed for the ingoing connections in the 2nd and 3rd barrel. But it is not bad to have it. Still, the outgoing water might need some more infiltration area than this, depending on the use of the septic system. A gravel field is usually used, but there are cubes made of plastic netting that reduces the infiltration area needed. Perhaps something similar can be used for this. With these modifications you might get a system that actually is quite efficient compared to regulatory approved systems with little risk of contaminating drinking water sources.
Thanks
Explain those "cubes" more lol. 😂
@@theappalachianamerican8607"soakaway crates."
So i tried to use a plastic barrel like this and the soil pressed the sides of the tank in. I am going to try wrapping the barrel with wire fencing, then use sprayfoam to cover the wire with about 3 inches of polyfoam. I'm hoping the strength of the plastic will be as good as putting cement around the barrel. If the sprayfoam doesn't work then cement will have to be put around the barrels.
The other thing i did with my barrels was to cut off the bottom of another barrel and place the top half over the tank barrel. I cut the top out of the barrel half then i had a service space over the tank barrel.
Also I'm going to put a dirty water pump in the tank to pump out the sludge once a month so it can digest better.
This is what my grandpa did during the 1960’s. And during the late 1980’s I inherited the house, and it stood till 1999. The septic tank was never pumped!
After 7 months how has it been going? Do you recommend any alterations? Jim in California
My daughter went to California and New York.. There it is common for people to poop in the streets..
Well a bear don't shit in it's cave,but you shit in yours, real cosmopolitan!
yes, but they are respecting the codes, aren't they?
That’s not true🤣Lived in both CA and NYC for years….never saw this, and CA has a lower crime rate and is hugely more prosperous than almost all red states….Google it if don’t believe it. Where I am in CA, you would have huge difficulty finding a single piece of litter beside the road, and they change the roadside flowers when one petal falls.
@@Itried20takennames , and your in denial
@@Itried20takennames yeah, right and you're full of what the 1st barrel holds....lmao!
good man--you helped many people in need r
In some places, like a few Arizona counties, these systems ARE within code. I've seen these types of system be permitted and passed by inspectors.
I like to drill the holes a little smaller, than yous a heat gun or torch and push the pipe in on one side while pushing from the inside with the collar.
I have land in Costilla CO, where land is cheap, undeveloped and rural and specifically designed for off grid living and there is no specific code for a septic as long as it works and does not leak waste, so there are pleanty of places in the US where code does not exist, specifically in rural undeveloped land designed for off grid living.
what part of Colorado is this? I am interested in off-grid living.
You can't even fart without a permit in Castilla County. Had a buddy that had some land in Trinchera Ranch. His boys own it now. But when he told the county govt he was going to build an "off grid" structure, they told him he would have to build a 1500g septic system. Which he would have had to get a permit for. His argument was that he only spends about 2 days at a time, 4 or 5 times a year on his own land. So in his eyes, that kind of "policing" was bullshit. So, his plan was to go underground with the structure. Sadly he never got around to it before he passed away. Castilla County is the poorest county in the entire state and they will get any last cent from you that they think they can.
*I've been pondering the idea of embarking on a rain harvesting project lately. The prospect of harnessing nature's gift, rainwater, for my yard has me truly excited. I can't help but wonder: do you think this concept would align perfectly with my specific needs and situation? 🌧💧🍃*
check out bio filter, for the discharge, will discharge clean water to code. allowing to not have holes and discharge sewage into ground,
Where can I find more info on this?
@@SSingh-nr8qz search The Benefits Behind Biofiltration for a Wastewater Treatment
Put a half gallon of buttermilk in it once a month, it will run from now on, the bacteria in the buttermilk will feast on the solids! Don’t forget to put a vent pipe somewhere In line.
Pieces of Trex fake wood would be great for capping the two barrels with the doors. Or Coroplast plastic sheeting.
Thank you trying to help daughter get into tiny house. Going to just run toilet into tank all other gray water into woods. Should last a lifetime. Again thank you.
The law to live ..... Well said - great vid 👍 - new sub - GOD bless from KY
Thank you so much may need your advice more in the near future
Im glad i found this video. Im fixing to build about the same thing. Im thinking maybe those big ibc plastic tanks but seeing the barrel deal might be better
Good DIY off grid septic sir!
Great video my friend thanks for the information
Approx how long will this system last for 2 people living in an RV? I love this, so helpful for people in other countries 😊😂
That last outlet should go into a leach field.
Thanks I have been thinking about using barrels for a septic system. I wasn't sure about the best way to make it work . I was going to use two barrels and 5 or 10 gallon bucket for a junction box drain field ? 3 and like you're and third barrel 3 drain fields . I have wet land here in GA It's 1 just for temporary . Camper that is being remolding into a tiny house to live in while I'm remodeling on the main two homes and building tiny houses on the land . The main house has a septic system in the back yard but bought the place camper was in front yard 50 ft + away house , camper was in bad shape to move it but still can live in part of it while remolding , I needed a septic system. But the water table is a few feet, digging 1 or 2 ft down the water starts filling in the hole . The well pump is 20 ft and 8 or 10 hit water . Question is the barrel septic system works for a temporary 3 to 6 month on wet land? And what the best way I build system to work where I wouldn't have to pump solids out of the septic system ?
I enjoy watching these videos with off-the-grid septic systems maybe you can send me a parts list that's where I get confused
Or you can do like I did. Watched the video. Decided that this is what I want to do. Rewatched the video and studied his design. Lol… I found myself typing out the items used…. 🤦🏻♂️! Look man if you like the design, rewatch and pause. Look. Write. Unpause. Watch. Pause. Write. Unpause. Etc!
Pretty simple,
3 55gallon plastic barrels,
2 3in T fittings
1 3in coupler
1 3in 90
2 3in 45s
3in pvc pipe
2 4in hinges
2 ball strikes
Personally, I would add 3in perforated pipe and drain socks for the leach field and wrap the perforated drums with filter fabric and put pea gravel or 5/8 minus around everything that needs drainage. Along with filter fabric above and below the barrels...
The Right to Life outweighs any policy rule or repugnant law that would claim otherwise.
Thank you that is a great ideal!
That looks identicle to mine 3 barrel in ca. I just didnt put leach holes in barrel 2 and 3 i ran a 100 foot rock leach line ,never pumped out. Lived there 10 years
Cleverly done!
I love your videos
Thanks
So, this video should be watched/used by the residents of San Francisco, CA.
Nice video about the 3-barrel septic system. My question is: Can one empty the first barrel when the system gets full over time?
I’d say that is why he put the door on it. There really wouldn’t be much reason for access to the first 2 barrels. Only reason I could think of is maybe if your ex came over asking for a drink!!!!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂