Septic to sewer conversion

[Mikey]

I've got a 900 or 1200 gallon septic tank now. It's likely that the city will annex my property and run a sewer line down the street in the near future. I'm wondering what I might have to do to change from the septic system to the sewer.

The septic tank is in the back of the house, and the sewer line will run down the center of the street, which is about 100' from the front of the house. I doubt the sewer line will be low enough to allow a gravity feed, and in any case doubt that 2 90 degree bends would be allowed to get around the house, with a total run of about 150'. So, I think I'll be looking at a macerator/pump kind of system. What can you tell me, generally, about how this is usually done?

[hj]

Going around the house with two 90's is a very common way of making the connection, assuming there is adequate fall to do so. A pump system for the entire house has to be designed to give continuous service at all times except for a power failure, and in the event of a power failure safety devices have to be in place to prevent the use of water which could cause an overflow/flooding situation.

[Cass]

This is done here a lot as older subdivisions are up graded to city sewer. The typical work that is done is that the tank is emptied and collapsed then filled with sand/gravel and topped with soil. The line coming from the house is connected to and then ran to the front and the connection to the new line is made. They are generally deep enough that there will be enough fall. The contractors will be coming and knocking on your door for your business. Wait and compare prices. I know people in similar circumstances that were quotes as low as $1300.00 for the work including seeding after being quoted $2500.00 in the beginning. The price will depend on your areas economy and competition. Here C/Os are required every 50'.

[Bob NH]

In my community, most of the sewers were low enough to allow gravity drainage, and the sewer project included the cost of furnishing pump systems to the few that required them. The property owner is responsible for maintenance and replacement.

I was able to reverse the main drain in my house from back to front when the sewer was installed. That avoided about 60 ft of pipe and tearing up the driveway.