dish and clothes washer drainfield - DIY Chatroom

rosiesunimind · 01-30-2007, 10:52 AM

our dishwasher and washing machine dont drain into our septic,they drain out a pvc pipe in front of the house.Water started backing up into the laundry rm so we cut a whole in the top where it showed,backed up again.There was a soggy part in the yard about ten feet out so we dug it out and dug a trench to reroute.Need a permenate solution.One pipe is not working but I like the idea of watering the front yard.Is it possible to 3 or 4 way this out?How deep or at what angle should I put the pipes?How big should they be?How long?I guess this common practice out here but I cant find anyone who's actually done it.Thanks for your time!Kris R

septicpro · 02-11-2007, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosiesunimind

our dishwasher and washing machine dont drain into our septic,they drain out a pvc pipe in front of the house.Water started backing up into the laundry rm so we cut a whole in the top where it showed,backed up again.There was a soggy part in the yard about ten feet out so we dug it out and dug a trench to reroute.Need a permenate solution.One pipe is not working but I like the idea of watering the front yard.Is it possible to 3 or 4 way this out?How deep or at what angle should I put the pipes?How big should they be?How long?I guess this common practice out here but I cant find anyone who's actually done it.Thanks for your time!Kris R

First and foremost it is diffacult to answer your questions without further information. Also make sure you do not get in trouble with your regulatory authority. I have no idea what state you are in or what requirements must be met in your juristiction for a grey water system. It can vary significantly. Also whithout knowing the soil profile it is impossible to size. The size will depend on both code requirement and percolation rate. Are you in a sandy well drained region? or a poorly drained area with underlying clay? are you in a rocky area? is there hardpan present? As you see theres many variables

example say florida sandy area excavated any hardpan layer removed
my washermachine greywater system is 100 sq ft. It consists of a header config with 2 4 inch elbows layed on 6 inches of stone with perforated 4 inch pipe having a gradual pitch of 1/4 inch to 1 inch per each 10 feet of run. ends of lines are capped then covered with 4-6 inches of stone 3/4 inch crushed. do not forget to cover the very top before backfilling with geotextile fabric exspecially designed for this! if unavail cover with 4 inches of hay then backfill. backfilling without this layer on top you will be wasting your time and it wont work! do not use tar paper or visqueen! it has to breath to work! drainage is 75% percolation and 25% evaporation. suggested fill cover not to exceed 12 inches