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How far can I set my home back from septic tanks?

Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:24 am
by debadriaenssens
hello everyone
I will be moving my doublewide on an acre of land in a few months. The land has a septic system and I was wondering how far back could I set the house from the tanks. I have an ADA ramp with a deck on the front of my home and I don't want any part of the deck to cover the tanks. The deck goes out 17ft in front of my home.
Thanks Debbie

Re: How far can I set my home back from septic tanks?

Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 12:16 pm
by Dean3
I'm no expert but I think any minimum you run into would be is if it was too close to the house. Such as "it has to be x-amount of feet away".. Septic tanks require a leech field surrounding them wich take some area too.

I would think that as long as there is a decent fall(angle)for the pipe from house to tank you could locate it almost anywhere beyond local code's minimum distance. If it fits with your site plans I would locate the home on the highest ground that is convenient,that way everything can flow to the tank easier/faster. But there again,I'm no expert.

For tank systems environmentally friendly soap/shampoo/laundry soap/cleaning solutions etc are better for your well water's quality. Any liquid you put into the ground finds it's way down to the aquafer,sadly they are more expensive than chemical soaps. The leech field handles liquid overflows,pumping out the tank is primarily the solids.

this link has some DOs and DON'Ts- http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... s%3Disch:1

Wow,long link,,hope it works.

Re: How far can I set my home back from septic tanks?

Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 12:43 pm
by Greg
To save a BIG headache, Check with the local codes office. They have the final say. Greg

Re: How far can I set my home back from septic tanks?

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:03 pm
by Arlo
Google the county you live in and see if the building inspector or code enforcement department has a website. In the county I live in a lot of that info is on pdf files on the 'net. Oh yeah, here in VA the Health Department handles septic tanks so check there first.

Re: How far can I set my home back from septic tanks?

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 8:12 am
by Harry
hi

Yep. In my county it is also the Health Dept in charge of the septic tanks. In my case the system had to be more than 80' from the well. Plus the size of the tank and square footage of the leach field depends on the size of the residence.

Yep .... call your local authority.

Harry

Re: How far can I set my home back from septic tanks?

Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 8:31 pm
by Yanita
Hi,

Am I missing something...I did not see any mention of a well in the OP's post? But, I agree with calling your county for the info you need.

My home sits less than 15 feet from the actual septic tank...BUT, my home was set up 37 years ago.

Yanita

Re: How far can I set my home back from septic tanks?

Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:17 pm
by Harry
Hi

Opps! My bad. I forgot to mention my home was set up 22 years ago.

Harry

Re: How far can I set my home back from septic tanks?

Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:24 pm
by Greg S
I have homes in my park as far as 180 yards from the tanks. Gravity works wonders.
Call a septic installer and they will confirm the required slope.

Re: How far can I set my home back from septic tanks?

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 10:23 am
by flcruising
Like others have said, to keep the system simple, let gravity do the work. Otherwise, there's the option of installing a septic lift station. If you don't have to set your house very high, this will keep the ADA ramp as short as possible too. The Health Department is the septic authority in Florida, so you may check yours to be sure you can reuse the septic. Not sure how they look at reusing an old septic with a new house (at least new to the location).