Offgrid homes need septic systems and permits can be costly. So we put in an unpermitted septic tank to cut the cost.
This is part 1 of the septic system. Part 2 will cover the leach field. This work was done in 2014.
County Permit Standards for a Septic Tank
Permit standards for septic tanks will vary for the state that you live in. You can check your county’s resource management website. Here is a link to the Shasta County website on this subject that you can see for an example. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems It is even better to go into the county resource management office. They are very helpful and will give you lists of the requirements and handouts with the rules or standards.
Watch the Video
I cover some of the rules in the Shasta County Sewage Disposal Standards. I explain why we decided not to have our tank permitted. There is a slide show and video of the steps taken for putting in the septic tank and sump pump. I will give some more details in this blog and will post some pictures here for those who cannot watch the video. This work was done in 2014.
The Legal Description
The first thing the county will ask for is the legal description of your property. Your property deed will have this information. Keep all your important information in a file and put it in a safe place. This is the easiest step.
The Plot Plan
You will need to draw a plot plan that shows the location of your house, the septic tank, and the leach field. This will require measuring the areas and estimating how it fits in with the rest of your property. You can see how we drew our plot plan below. My husband actually changed the leach field to three vertical lines with more distance rather than the diagonals shown.
Digging the Septic Tank Hole
Renting digging equipment costs money, and my husband, Gary, at the time decided that he could dig the hole for the septic tank with our little John Deere tractor. I had never seen it done before and couldn’t visualize how he would do it. He actually dug a ramp. Unfortunately, I was at work when he did it and was unable to video it. You can see by the following pictures how he did it. Most likely, he straightened the sides with a shovel.
Buying the Septic Tank
We bought our septic tank when we bought our water tank. Many septic tanks are made of concrete and that is the kind that my parents put in for their property in Fallbrook. But, for the French Gulch property, we chose to go with a durable plastic tank. We got the 1500 gal Snyder Dominator which was 191″ long x 60″ wide x 51″ high. It looked like a big fat grub and cost $1932.70.
Permit Cost for the Septic System
The cost of the septic system permit was a whopping $725.75. Add this to the building permit which was around $7,000.00 just to start, and my husband was ready to flip over to being a patriot again. He had a friend who had stopped paying taxes and fought for his rights and lost his land to the IRS. But, now he was an expert and gave my husband all the paperwork for me to sign. I had misgivings, but followed his lead and signed the paperwork. It got sent to the court. Gary followed some of the rules but didn’t have an inspection.
Bedding for the Septic Tank
The septic tank came with a warranty as long as the tank was treated as they specified. The dirt beneath, on top of, and around the tank could have no rocks with sharp edges that could damage the plastic. All the dirt had to be sifted.
Moving the Septic Tank into Place
Once the bedding was ready for the septic tank, Gary, and his friend Denny, had to figure out how to get the tank into the hole. They pulled it down the driveway with the tractor and pulled it as close as possible. Actually, I wasn’t there, but I think they pushed it into place with the tractor.
Cover the Septic Tank
Once the septic tank is in place, the work of sifting the dirt to cover it began. This is a tedious job and takes a while to complete the task. Some people just truck in some fine dirt or sand.
The Sump Pump
For some reason, the county told my husband that he needed to “install pump system per certified special design #4.” I am not sure what design #4 was, but I later found out that this pump was too big. The next instruction was “obtain building permit for electrical connection for pump and alarm.” Well, that wasn’t going to happen. Our power was from a generator. My husband wired the sump pump and hooked it to a switch on the pole that you see below in the picture. His plan was to turn on the pump whenever the generator was on. I trusted that he knew what he was doing and that soon we would be able to use a flush toilet.
Conclusion for not Permitting the System
Let me just say that if you decide to not permit your septic system when you go to sell your property, it will not be worth as much. Someone is going to have to do the work all over again to get it permitted. The county may make you dig up your system unless you have good pictures. It isn’t worth all the trouble to fight the county, so after my divorce, I did start working on getting my system permitted. I will share the details in a future blog post. My next post will cover the leech field.
Did you miss the water system tour? https://healthyhomesteadingadventures.com/off-grid-homestead-water-system-tour/