Chamber type septic system

[Landworks]

The question is, how does everyone install the standard rock system in the trenches? The 4" drain pipe has to be 6" off the bottom of the trench. The old way, was to install batter boards (1x4's on its side) with the top 6" from the bottom of the trench. Then you would secure the drain pipe to the top of the batter board and dump the rock, on top of it, with a 2" cover, over the top of the pipe. Now this was a PITB
Now everyone in my area, uses what we call a sled. It is made of 5-6" PVC pipe, my is about 8ft long. The pulling end of the sled, has a bracket bolted to the PVC pipe, with a piece of flat metal (about 10" x 12") this is the sleding part of the device, it is 6" from the bottom of the plate, to the bottom of the inside of the PVC pipe. You start out, with the dead end of the sled resting on top of a 6" +- stick, This holds that end, at the correct height, you just install the drain pipe (in my case we use the black flexible pipe, with holes on the bottom. Put all the pipe together at the correct total length, put it in the working end of the sled and dump rock on top of the sled, the working end has a rope attached to itand you just pull the sled until its gets about 2ft from coming off the end off the rock, now dump rock on top of that and just keep going to the end.
Im sure I have let stuff out, but I was just curious how everyone installed their regular rock systems

Pics of this would be great!

[DigDug]

We put alot of plastic chambers in. The leach fields are designed a little different here . We dont do trenches , the plans always call for a flat sand bed with 3 -7 long rows of chambers.
We used to just cover them with sand , but the last 5 yrs we have had to cover the side vents with crushed stone , then fabric over stone , then cover entire system with sand . Then loam over and seed.
Heres a pic of my son installing some a few weeks ago. These were small plastic chambers called "Bio 2's" . There were about 8 rows with 10 chambers in each row.

[stock]

Some of our systems,
envirocare

installation

YouTube - The Puraflo Peat Biofilter Wastewater Treatment System by Bord na Mona

[amunderdog]

Always willing to learn new tricks
How do you know how thick the rock is, before you install the pipe?
How do you level the pipe?
We use a rake called a potato rake to level/spread the rock. I can only find them at Arig supply stores. We use the long tang and heavy duty rakes. They sell for about $50, but they out last the cheaper ones

Remember the Old hand i worked for had been around since the begining.
Dicky Clay and tar- etc. He knew all the inspectors and made sure they were happy. That said we did quality work and cannot remember going back to a problem of our making in the 15 yrs i worked for him.

We did step and overflow type systems.
Hard line out of tank a few feet to about 2" below outlet level.
Then drop down 10" and start ditching holding level as good as possible,
checking regularly with level and grade pole, Then pulling bottom rock along with you. If you measure the teeth on your bucket you should find them at least 6" long. Mine are at 7" right now.
Your laborer with a shovel will dress the gravel bed before he places the pipe, but the operator will determin how hard a laborer will have to work. A good operator will take most all the work out of it.
At turn you step up 8" leaving un-disturbed soil to make the dam around the turn.
Drop back down 10" and carry on. The out flow water will never back up to closer than 4" of outlet level. And will have to work 8" of water per ditch. We dug out some old systems that never used more than the first ditch there whole life. We used 10 tons of rock per 100'. When you go to get more bottom rock you put rock on the pipe you have laid, also when you do a corner turn you have to rock top and bottom with loader. You need a good laborer to keep up. we could do a 300' system in a day without to much trouble. I went to a certifacation class on time and passed with no problems using this knowledge. But that was about 20yrs ago.

[td25c]

They look like a Infiltrator type chamber. I have installed many of these systems. I used, to use them all the time, because I did away with the need for any hauling (rock)If I remember, there wasnt much difference in the cost of materials, chamber vs rock system. In my area, the chambers can be a 25% reduction (100ft rock lines, 75ft chamber system)
I really dont have a preference, on either one (as which one is the best)
I stopped using chambers (unless required) about 8 months ago. I cut down on my labor, because of workload. With the rock system, all I need is one guy on the ground. With the chambers, you really need two guys on the ground, because the bottom of the ditch, has to bee almost perfectly level and thats the PITB. Its all about profit and I can work one guy (takes me a bit longer) and install the rock system and make more profit
What is the PVC pipe for, I never have seen that used, Ive used something similar in a rock system. It was called a dosing system.
My question is: how does everyone install the rock systems. Batter boards, angle iron, sled??? This question probrably makes sense to installers only.

It's the same 25 percent reduction when we use the chamber system in my area as well Willis.I agree,I think the chamber system requires more labor,and I also have the same story on the rock system,It takes a little bit longer to install but I do make more profit using the rock system and my jd 8875 skidloader loves to haul rock to the leech lines.

[td25c]

Hi 25C,

Super pictures,

What is the grade you use for that system? % of slope.

Thank's dozerdave,We run the leech line's dead level.This job was on a hillside with 4 leech lines so each line was at a different elevation .We use a distribution box to meter the water equally to each line.

[Deeretime]

Lol in alberta the old trench style has been banned for 10 years and U have to be a licenced installer to do the new systems now Are u ?? and do u have to have it designed and engineerd with soil analisis or is it usualy just the contractors choice

I have to say that they are definately a way better system to install and maintain tho

Good to see the picks

[td25c]

Hi Deeretime & welcome to the forum.I dont have a septic licence.A septic job in my area starts out with a soil test and the soil scientist determins the area & best type of leech system to use.We also have a county inspector that looks at the job and signs off on it.

[adv.wastewater]

Here in Alabama the most common system is 300 linear feet of conventional stone and pipe drainfield in a 36" trench, using infiltrator chambers you get a 40% reduction which comes out to 180 linear feet. I put them in by myself and do my whole system with a CAT 304C CR mini EX. I like using them because I don't need to have gravel hauled in, don't have to dig up nearly as much area, don't need another machine to move the gravel to my trenches, and a lot less labor. As long as your trench bottom is right, you just clip them together (Quick4) and put your end caps where needed. No more raking stone in a trench anymore.

[CM1995]

Welcome to the forums Adv. Wastewater.

[adv.wastewater]

Thank you CM1995... I see you are from Birmingham, what kind of work do you do?

[adv.wastewater]

i am very curious to know what the average cost of a basic septic system is in everyones areas... i would appreciate someone to post a new thread so we can share what the average system is, and cost of the system... for some reason this forum will not let me post a thread, only reply.

[xcv8tr7]

I know- old thread alert. Maybe it's just me, I can't understand how installing chambers is more work than rock and pipe. It's the opposite for me. While I'm digging the trench, my ground man is checking with the laser as we go- making sure we are perfectly level. When I'm finished digging a setting (reach of the hoe) he sets the chambers while I move ahead and start on the next setting. By the time I'm getting close to grade he's done installing those and is checking with the laser again. Smooth as silk! It is so much faster and easier than using rock and pipe for us- only two of us- and we don't get more reduction for chambers. It actually takes more footage than rock here. If we do use rock, we dig the entire trench level & to length, fill rock up to desired level throughout trench- checked with laser so pipe will lay level too. Lay pipe, cover with fabric & rock, backfill. I've also installed them myself, dug entire trench, spray paint marks on side of trench so I could see how much rock to dump in as I go. Prices probably range from 4-6K lately.

[Willis Bushogin]

i am very curious to know what the average cost of a basic septic system is in everyones areas... i would appreciate someone to post a new thread so we can share what the average system is, and cost of the system... for some reason this forum will not let me post a thread, only reply.

Of course, I gave up my license 12-10, just not enough work in my area, to depend on this. The State started a required license, in 08-09, that ends up costing about $1000-$1400 a year. We went from being about a month behind on our work, to almost no work. I think we did like 10 systems in 10. We were getting around $2500 for a basic system, 1000 gal tank, 3-50ft lines, 18" deep. At last- some of the other installers, went down to $2100, for this same system, so I let them have it, they can work for nothing if they want to.
I really like the instructions, on how to use the sled, for rock. I couldnt have written it better. We started out with batter boards also, boy what a mess. My first system took me and 2 helpers, a week to do. Then I was introduced to a sled and I went home and built one that night, shortly after that, we were doing one a day

Chamber systems, at one time I went to almost all chamber systems. Mostly it was because, it was cheaper, than for us to truck the rock in, we were doing a bunch of work out of our general area and farther away from the rock quarry. I have mixed emotions about the chamber system, it installs great in sandy, soft dirt-but try to level a trench bottom in a clay type soil (another story, another time) you have to bring in leveling dirt to get the trench bottoms almost perfect. The inspectors, in our area didnt like chambers and they were very picky about their inspections
Chamber system is alot less, messy, no rock cleanup after the job. I did charge about $200-$300 more for the chamber system, they did cost more than the rock systems

Mound/pump systems, no one asked about this, but they cost about $12,000.00
Drip systems, about $15,000.00 plus, plus a monthly monitoring fee

Hope all this helps someone

[jrtraderny]

Quit using chambers 2 yrs. ago, too expensive. Someone needs to show me a picture of a "sled"., never seen one up here.
jr