Leach Line and Floor Drain Question

Hello!

I have a new building going in with a floor drain and three sinks. The only thing flowing out of this place will be grey water, so I don’t want to run it into my septic tank. Instead I have decided to run a separate leach line to disperse the grey water. We will be pushing 20-30 gallons of water out of the building every day. About 10-15 in the morning and 10-15 in the afternoon. This is a commercial kitchen where we will be cleaning equipment after bottling the milk we receive from our herd.

I was thinking of installing 100 foot of 8 inch gravelless pipe, but wanted to see what you all think. We have lots of red clay in the ground, so I get about 8-14 inches of dirt before hitting the clay. I know the line will not drain well in clay so I thought I could dig the trench down about 4 foot put in a couple foot of bank sand then lay the pipe on that and backfill with my dirt. I am worried about doing this now though as I read something about fine sand causing an issue with this pipe. I did not really understand what the guy was saying so I wanted to check with you all.

My other issue is the floor drain. I have the fall set and it drains out of the building great. It is 4 inch PCV that has a T which lets my 2†PVC connect for the sinks. It leaves the building as 4 inch PVC where I will connect a clean out. Should I also put in a P trap here? I am worried about smells from the leach line coming up through the floor drain.

Thanks for your help!

There should be a trap in the floor drain. If not, you need to plumb one in.

Nope the floor drain just has a 90 and goes out the building. It is only 8 foot from the drain to the edge of the building. I will install a trap right there then add the cleanout.

Did I post this in the wrong area or do we not have any septic people?

I would be concerned about the sanitizers you will be using hitting a leach field without the benefit of dilution in a tank.

As the other posters stated a trap on the floor drain will keep the gases and odors from coming back into the kitchen.

The trap where you are talking about putting it would be a running trap and is prohibited by code.

I would be contacting the state board to see if you can legally do this at all. If you can't and get caught the fines are substantial.

leach lines

Keep the phone number of a good septic company available, because the soap and "junk" you send into the leach lines will "destroy" them as far as drainage is concerned in a fairly short while.

So are you guys saying I need to install a tank? I can put in a tank in if that will help????

Well the floor drain will have to do with a trap where I am putting it since the cement was already poured unless you can help with an alternative.

nitrors4 said:

So are guys saying I need to install a tank? I can put in a tank in if that will help????

Well the floor drain will have to do with a trap where I am putting it since the cement was already poured unless you can help with an alternative.

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Cut some of the cement out and put in a trap with the drain. Re-cement that area.

This is why proper planning is imperative. Cover all the bases, make sure you know the scope of the project to completion before you pour.

Could you please explain why the trap needs to be right at the drain? I guess I don’t understand why it will hurt to have the trap down the line a few feet. I want to ensure I really need to be cutting up cement before I go down that road.

Thanks for all the help!

This is complex, there isn't a code amendment anywhere that allows direct discharge of fixtures into a grey water pipe however, California just created an emergency amendment (chapter 16 A) that allows for underground irrigation via three way valve so grey water from lav sinks, tub/ shower or laundry sans diaper washing (no kitchen) can be used but to plumb directly any household waste is in violation without septic treatment is a violation of both building codes and environmental health, everywhere. Problems lies in ponding, runoff into streams, creeks and surface water bodies, aseptic conditions, etc. Seasonal considerations are an issue too.

If you put that trap where you are wanting to, it will create an illegal running trap arm. Break out the concrete and do it right, it will never pass inspection otherwise.

What is interesting about the grey water running direct into a leach line (besides the interceptor grease trap installed) I have had a registered sanitarian and the county health inspector sign off on the plan. Crazy! I wonder if it has to do with the volume we will be sending through the line. That was the first thing they asked me. For the most part only thing going down the line is a chlorinated cleaner and a acid cleaner. Not sure if that matters.

The trap still boggles my mind. Wish I understood why the placement matters so much.

Thanks!

trap

The shorter the line between the drain and the trap, the less likelihood that it will become foul and create an odor. The leach line depends on its porosity to allow the water to seep into the ground. ANYTHING other than water is going to coat the interior of the pipe and plug the "holes". When that happens the system will effectively by "dead" and NOTHING will revive it except a new leach field. You will not know it is happening until the last pores close as long as there is at least one spot for the leaching to keep happening. It is similar to one situation that I had. An RV repair company would dump its excess fiberglass into a hole in the floor after every repair. Unfortunately, that "hole in the floor" was the septic tank's cesspool, a variation of a leach field. Eventually they had a fiber glass lined leach and the city would no allow them to replace it. I had to run a 650' sewer, at less than minimum grade, (and even then i had to raise some of the building drains to make the connection), to eliminate the septic. In the meantime, they had to have their septic tank pumped every couple of days because it became a holding tank.

Okay I am tracking now. So.....

Would the Infiltrator drain line be better to use than graveless pipe? Since the entire bottom of the chamber is ground would it allow for better drainage? No holes really to clog up....but will the ground suffer the same issues? Also would it be better to lay it on bank sand?

What is interesting about the stuff I am putting down the drain is it breaks down the milk. That is what it is designed to do so it can clean the equipment. That is all that goes down the drain….this is not a kitchen like you would have in a restaurant. Also I figured the grease trap might help a little, not sure about that though. If I ran this through a tank I am not sure it would help all that much since there are not any solids that would be caught in the tank. Furthermore no “good bacteria†will be in the tank since my cleaners will kill anything that even thinks it would like to grow in there. I am just trying to apply logic to this and my logic could easily be flawed.

As a side note I am have a 50 foot drain line (never intended to be used for this) that I am currently using and have been for 9 months with zero issues. Oh and it is the 4 inch crappy white pipe you get from HD and trust me it is not installed like it should be. Was one of those quick and dirty jobs that was a short term solution. Just not as short as I thought it would be. I know that means nothing, just wanted to mention it.