Running an additional sewer line.

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DBS2071

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We just bought some vacation property in the desert and want to run an additional sewer line. There is a 2 bedroom home and a 1 bedroom studio on the existing septic system which is in good condition and recently pumped.

What our plans are is to have a spot with three RV trailers with full hookups. Water and electricity is no problem, but we need to run a sewer line. Our thought is to run a main 4" abs pipe from the center trailer (96') and tap into the existing main line from the house using a sweep tee. The other two trailers will connect to the "trailer main" also with sweep tees.

Does this sound like it will work alright?
 

Leejosepho

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... the existing septic system which is in good condition and recently pumped.

How large are the tank and the drain field? Even if their use is only occasional, the extra load you have in mind could easily be too much.

Our thought is to run a main 4" abs pipe from the center trailer (96') ...

1/4" per foot would amount to 24" of slope for 96', and your tank inlet might not be even that far below ground level. So, you might have to dump the trailers into a pump tank and send the sewage on over from there ... and that could create a problem with the system being overwhelmed by a rush of incoming sewage, but you would have that problem either way since RV holding tanks need to be held closed until dumped when full. Overall, my guess is there will be overload problems ahead unless you have a very large septic tank and field system.
 

DBS2071

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How large are the tank and the drain field? Even if their use is only occasional, the extra load you have in mind could easily be too much.

1500 gallon. I'm not sure about the drain field size but the soil is very dry and sandy being it's desert so hopefully drainage won't be a problem. The guy who pumped the tank doesn't think it will be a problem. There are several small resorts around here with 100-200 full time trailers on septic systems. Our property will have minimal use approx. 2-3 days at a time, twice a month.

1/4" per foot would amount to 24" of slope for 96', and your tank inlet might not be even that far below ground level. So, you might have to dump the trailers into a pump tank and send the sewage on over from there ... and that could create a problem with the system being overwhelmed by a rush of incoming sewage, but you would have that problem either way since RV holding tanks need to be held closed until dumped when full. Overall, my guess is there will be overload problems ahead unless you have a very large septic tank and field system.

The pipe leading into the tank is 38" down. The holding tank should never get full using it for only a day or two, so I'm hoping it will be ok.
 

Leejosepho

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Sometimes I hope to be wrong, and maybe that is the case here! It sounds like you have enough depth for slope, and a 1500-gallon tank (good for a three-bedroom house here where I happen to live) is not a small one. So, maybe give your plan a try and see what happens. Also, it would be best for the RV holding tank/s to be allowed to get fairly full before dumping ... maybe once per month (and in some kind of rotation, if necessary). Otherwise, you will end up with solids stuck to the bottom/s of the tank/s when there is not enough liquid to float things and carry them on out. I once learned that the hard way -- no pun intended -- but maybe you already know about that. And of course, it can be helpful to dump the sewage tank prior to dumping the grey-water tank so the second can assist in moving the first on down the line.
 

hj

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drains

IF the RV's use that blue holding tank treatment it will kill you septic tank almost immediately. There is a big gap between what will work, which seems to be what you want to do, and what is legal and proper, which would cost much more and is what a plumber would have to do.
 
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