My own Private Waste Pump out Station

J

John S

New member
Ok, so.......
who has done this at home and what do I need to buy.

Our waste pump out stations are notoriously unreliable in Alaska.

I am interested in having my own pump station at my house that just pumps right into one of my septic system clean out / inspection stand pipes. This would also give me the opportunity to refill the tank with fresh water and pump again after the first draining in order to clean up the tank better.

Any ideas on how to do this on the cheap??
 
Our Southcentral Alaska septic systems don't have the bugs working in them like the lower 48, too cold. This is according to the DEC (department of enviromental conservation) therefore no bugs to worry about killing.

So how do I set this thing up????
 
You should have a clean out for your building sewer within 5' of the house, in the direction of your sewer main or septic. This is what I use to dump the tanks on the motorhome.
Some older homes have this in the house.
 
There is a 12 volt diaphragm pump--used to be Sealand--now Dometic #317301200 Which has a 10 foot lift. Probably even better is the Mako 1 diaphragm pump 110v,

http://www.nauticexpo.com/scripts/go_to_web.php

it has a 12 foot suction and 10 foot head. You will want non collapsable hose and the screw in fitting for the suction side--make it as short as possiable--and then let the discharge run down hill.

We used a Jabsco for our RV--before we put in the dump station along the RV driveway, but it will not pull a vacuum sufficiently. The Sealand/Dometic is a bit slow, and I would go with the Mako 1.

There probably are other industerial diaphragm pumps--if you have a Grainger catalogue, check that.
 
Bob,

The link didn't work for me. I did find the Mako pump at www.fisheriessupply.com but it is WAY out of my price range at $1900 for the smallest model.

Maybe this isn't a project in my price range.

From an earlier reply; I have no problem of where to put the sewage, I have plenty of access to my septic system and sewer lines at my house. My challenge is an economical suction pump system to suck my holding tank dry off my boat.

Thanks,
John
 
I have been thinking about this myself. Wouldn't a macerator pump it out? The problem is getting an adapter for the waste outlet. I think it would go through a garden hose with the macerator and a good flush with fresh water would clean the hose and you would be done.

I had a hard time with changing our babies, so I don't want this to be an involved project, if you know what I mean.

Patrick
 
We're camping with Journey On at various RV parks across the US. When the holding tank gets full, I push a regular RV flexible dump hose against the wast overboard pump, have Judy turn on the macerator pump, and empty the holding tank right into the sewer fitting. Works great.

To be extra careful, I sawed on of those red dump hose connectors in half, put a rubber gasket around the end, and there are no leaks.

At home, I pump the holding tank into a cleanout port for the sewer system. If you don't have a macerator pump, they're relatively cheap.

Boris
 
I saw a portable pump out rig once, that I've been thinking of trying to recreate. It was a diaphragm pump such as this one: http://shop.torresen.com/ships_stor...+Toilet+Pump+%281-1%2F2+%93%29&sectionid=2548 which was wired to alligator clamps so it could be hooked up to the battery. The intake side used 1 1/2" non-collapsible hose terminating in a pump out adapter similar to this: http://www.edsonpumps.com/shop2/ind...id=341&zenid=efbe76b07cfbead8f3412b6972d28410. The discharge side was just a length of regular 1 1/2 inch hose. It could probably be put together for $300 or so if you shopped around.

Jim
 
If a person dumps a black water holding tank into his home septic system all at once, could this create any problems for it? Normally you are adding waste to the septic system incrementally during the course of the day, and the system is designed for that kind of input. Will adding large amounts all at once cause an overload or create an imbalance in the septic or otherwise negatively affect it?
 
Hey Boris,
That is what I have been wondering weather it could be done. I have the "Mis Dee" home here in Montana on a small lake for the summer. No Pumpouts within 500 miles I suppose. How did you attach the hose to the pump over board hole? What does the end look like that seals it? Could you post a picture of the whole thing? Sounds like you are holding it tight by hand against the hull. Than having someone hit the macerator switch. That would work in camp grounds for dumping while on the road too, wouldn't it? Wow, I like the sound of that.
Captd
 
Socrateur":kgsoznbh said:
If a person dumps a black water holding tank into his home septic system all at once, could this create any problems for it?
Click to expand...
Most septic tanks are baffled in such a way that the "solids" are entrained and slowed down on the inlet side so they spend enough time in the tank for digestion and breakdown to occur ... leaving relatively clear fluid to run out the outlet into the drain field. So, you are correct; if you put enough material in the tank over a short enough period of time, you might get solids exiting the tank and entering the drain field. Not good, but I am sure it happens to a degree in many septic installations.

You might consult a sanitarian or an installer to find out what the max. rate of entry is. Then, you could pump out part one day, and the rest later. Of course, the temp in the tank has an effect, also.

The fundamental problem is that the bacteria which break down the "stuff" can not be ramped up on demand ... the curse of a biological system. They will multiply in response to an increase in nutrient supply, but not instantaneously.

One thing for certain: if your septic tank system (and its biota) get screwed up from dumping treated black water (or an oversupply), the bill from the septic tanl service folks will make the fee for pumpout of your boat's holding tanks look like a very good deal!
 
journey on":1c5hxub6 said:
I push a regular RV flexible dump hose against the wast overboard pump, have Judy turn on the macerator pump, and empty the holding tank right into the sewer fitting. Works great.

Boris
Click to expand...

I didn't know that some of the boats came with an onboard pump for the purpose of pumping out the waste tank. Our only pump is located on the head it self. I don't even have a place on the tank that I could connect a permanent pump on the boat that I'm aware of.

I wonder if they stopped making that option available for owners because of the possibility of somone pumping their tank out while underway.
Socrateur":1c5hxub6 said:
If a person dumps a black water holding tank into his home septic system all at once, could this create any problems for it?
Click to expand...
I'm comofortable with putting the black water to my septic tank, when I installed it I went with a larger tank than was even recommended. My boats holding tank capacity is approximately 1% of my total tank size. The fact that the sewage is pre-ground should make it even easier for the tank to handle. IMHO

John
 
Use Rid-X in your holding tank. It is a natural enzyme that is also recommended for septic systems on a periodic basis. I have been using it in our camper with pretty good success. But, it does take a few days to become fully operational. And you cannot add deoderants or other additives that might inhibit the enzymes. Rid-X is probably not a good alternative if you dump every couple of days.
 
Aiviq":4ybp5bhk said:
I saw a portable pump out rig once, that I've been thinking of trying to recreate. It was a diaphragm pump such as this one: http://shop.torresen.com/ships_stor...+Toilet+Pump+%281-1%2F2+%93%29&sectionid=2548 which was wired to alligator clamps so it could be hooked up to the battery. The intake side used 1 1/2" non-collapsible hose terminating in a pump out adapter similar to this: http://www.edsonpumps.com/shop2/ind...id=341&zenid=efbe76b07cfbead8f3412b6972d28410. The discharge side was just a length of regular 1 1/2 inch hose. It could probably be put together for $300 or so if you shopped around.
Jim
Click to expand...

Jim, some poeple are just better than searching the internet than others, you found more than I have so far, especially the one size fits all adapter to go on the waste tank hole. Unfortunately this whole project is still running more than I want to spend when you consider the pump out adapter, pump, and hoses. That pump choice looked good though, I found a spec sheet showing how many feet of suction it could handle and recommmended install at: http://www.depcopump.com/datasheets/wha ... Gulper.PDF
 
If you have a macerator pump to discharge overboard, couldn't you just put a T in the line after the pump with a directional valve so that you could pump overboard or direct it to another line while on land that is connected to your septic system. That way all you need is a couple of valves and some waste hose.
Ron
 
AstoriaDave":3qzlqhz2 said:
The fundamental problem is that the bacteria which break down the "stuff" can not be ramped up on demand ... the curse of a biological system. They will multiply in response to an increase in nutrient supply, but not instantaneously.

One thing for certain: if your septic tank system (and its biota) get screwed up from dumping treated black water (or an oversupply), the bill from the septic tanl service folks will make the fee for pumpout of your boat's holding tanks look like a very good deal!
Click to expand...

The state of Alaska DEC (department of enviromental conservation) claims that our septic tanks don't get warm enough for the bacteria to work or thrive. They recommend annual pump outs of the tank.

Here is a quote from the Alaska DEC from this website
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/wwdp/o ... septic.htm

Alaska DEC":3qzlqhz2 said:
Should I add chemical or biological additives to my septic tank?
Because of the cold soil temperatures typically found in Alaska, adding performance enhancing additives like yeast or bacteria to your septic tank is of little value. In fact, in some cases, these additives could be detrimental to your system. Because of this, DEC recommends against using additives and instead recommends that you have your septic tank pumped regularly or monitor your tank and have it pumped when the floating scum layer or the sludge layer on the bottom reaches six inches in thickness.
Click to expand...
 
Ron on Meander":zw4qqkab said:
If you have a macerator pump to discharge overboard, couldn't you just put a T in the line after the pump with a directional valve so that you could pump overboard or direct it to another line while on land that is connected to your septic system. That way all you need is a couple of valves and some waste hose.
Ron
Click to expand...

My macerator is part of the head, you have a choice of either overboard or to the holding tank. The only option for input is the toilet itself unless I'm missing something here.

John
 
John S":3osiyl15 said:
Socrateur":3osiyl15 said:
If a person dumps a black water holding tank into his home septic system all at once, could this create any problems for it?
Click to expand...
I'm comofortable with putting the black water to my septic tank, when I installed it I went with a larger tank than was even recommended. My boats holding tank capacity is approximately 1% of my total tank size. The fact that the sewage is pre-ground should make it even easier for the tank to handle. IMHO
Click to expand...
John, I seem to recall that you made a comment early on that your septic tank, because it is a below-ground installation in very cold soil, does not allow much biologically-caused breakdown of your sewage. If that is the case, how does it process the solids to liquid form? Or, do you just have to have it cleaned out every few years, to remove the accumulated, settled solids?

Not a septic tank expert here, but that 1% figure sounds like minimal input, to me. I'd try it, for sure; with your overcapacity, I doubt you'd have a problem. Even if you did, I suspect it would take care of itself pretty fast, if the drain field percolates well into surrounding soil.
 
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