It is easiest to make a toilet in the country with your own hands if you use a cesspool. This option for arranging a street bathroom will be quite cheap, and as a result, you can get a reliable design that will last more than one year.
Varieties of cesspools
The principle of operation of the cesspool in the country was invented a long time ago, and is relevant to this day. In a prepared recess in the soil, all waste from the toilet is collected. Thanks to a specially selected design and reinforced walls, such a cesspool can perform all the assigned functions. It is set up as follows:
- from brick or rubble stone;
- from a plastic or metal container;
- from reinforced concrete rings;
- from the finished container for septic tanks;
- from monolithic concrete.
After a lot of liquid has accumulated in this recess, you can begin to pump out the waste. This must be done using a special vacuum cleaner or manually. Many owners of country cottages choose the option that provides for filling the cesspool in 3-4 years. In this case, you need to focus on the degree of its filling.
When the waste fills 70% of the pit, it can be filled up, after which the toilet itself is transferred to a new place in the country. After 7-8 years, the entire biological mass is split and ordinary chernozem is formed. At this point, you can dig a hole again and install a toilet with your own hands.
Cesspool for a country toilet from tires
Choosing the right place on the site
If you decide to use a cesspool to equip your own toilet in the country, you need to choose the right place on the site. If this is not done, the waste from the bathroom will negatively affect the supporting structures of neighboring buildings, pollute the soil and drinking water. Adhere to the following recommendations when choosing a place on the site for arranging a cesspool with your own hands:
- distance to any reservoir - 25 m;
- if the site is on sloping ground, install the toilet at the lowest point;
- in the presence of clay soils, the distance from the bathroom to the well with drinking water can be 20 m, on loam - 30 m, on sandy or sandy loam - 50 m;
- to the nearest basement, cellar, residential building should be at least 12 m;
- to the sauna or bath can be 8 m;
- the distance to the barn with animals should be 4 m;
- the nearest tree can be at a distance of 4 m, and a shrub - 1 m;
- the fence in the country should be at least 1 m away from the bathroom;
- consider the prevailing wind direction to prevent the spread of an unpleasant odor in the area.
Also take into account the depth of groundwater. If it is located at a distance of 2.5 m or more from the ground surface, then you can safely dig a hole for a toilet in the country with your own hands. If this is not the case, then use sealed structures to equip an outdoor bathroom on the site.
Dimensions of pits for a street bathroom
To equip a toilet in the country with your own hands, you need to dig a small pit. Its depth should be at least 2 m, but not more than 4 m. The cesspool should not be too deep, because in this case it will not be possible to pump out all the sewage. The sewer truck simply will not reach the bottom if the depth of the pit is too large.
The optimal width and length of the cesspool should be approximately 0.8-1.2 m. This will be enough for a summer residence where 2-5 people live permanently or periodically.
Sealed storage systems or earth?
When the optimal place in the country is chosen, you need to start digging a pit with your own hands. After the cesspool is ready, you need to choose the type of arrangement of its bottom. It can be in the form:
- filtration field;
- solid slab.
In the first case, you can save on pumping out waste from the pit, since excess liquid will gradually be absorbed into the soil. In this case, it is necessary to carefully choose the installation location of the toilet in the summer cottage. A cesspool with an earthen bottom can handle 1 cubic meter. m of waste per day.
If you think that you have more of them, then you need to choose another option for installing septic tanks. To make a filtration field with your own hands to reduce harmful impurities that can get into the soil, you need to lay a layer of gravel 10-15 cm thick on the bottom of the pit. Be sure to carefully tamp it, then pour several buckets of sand.
When arranging a sealed bottom, you need to understand that you will have to pump out stagnant liquid several times a year. But in this way it is possible to prevent contamination of groundwater and soil on the site. For the arrangement of such a foundation, it is necessary:
- Tamp the soil at the bottom.
- Arrange a sand cushion with a layer of 10-15 cm.
- Lay reinforcing mesh.
- Fill the screed with a height of 30-40 mm. To increase strength, prepare a cement-sand-gravel mixture.
When the base hardens, you can begin to strengthen the walls of the pit.
We use brick
If the conditions on the site allow you, you can make filtration not only the bottom of the pit, but also its walls. This will allow you not to pump fluid out of the toilet for at least 4-5 years. To do this, it is necessary to lay a brick on a cement-sand mortar, while leaving a gap between rows of 1-2 cm in size. It is recommended to fill the space between the walls and the ground with fine gravel, which will additionally filter out biological waste.
To equip an airtight pit, you need:
- Pour the concrete bottom.
- Lay out the walls with red brick and cement-sand mortar. Use bandaging of seams so that the masonry is strong. Brick can be laid on edge.
- Using a plumb line, check the verticality of the walls. Check this after laying each row of bricks.
- Plaster the inside of the hole.
- Apply additional bituminous mastic to achieve a complete seal.
- Brick walls should protrude 10-15 cm above the surface so that rainwater does not flow inside.
Do-it-yourself brick drain pit
We strengthen the walls with reinforced concrete rings
This type of strengthening the walls of the cesspool is considered very reliable, but expensive. It is difficult to install reinforced concrete rings with your own hands, since the weight of one element can reach 400 kg. For their installation, it is necessary to use the services of special equipment - a manipulator or a small crane.
The installation process of reinforced concrete rings consists of the following steps:
- The cesspool should have a width and length of about 1.1-1.2 m to install a ring with a diameter of 1 m. Its height is 0.9 m, so use 2-3 pieces.
- Lower the reinforced concrete rings into the pit so that they protrude 10-15 cm on the surface.
- As an alternative option for installing reinforced concrete walls, you can put a ring on the ground surface in the right place. Then dig under it. From their own weight, the rings will gradually sink into the soil.
- Connect the elements together with metal plates or brackets. Cover the joints with cement-sand mortar.
- Next, you can pour the concrete bottom.
- Fill the gap between the rings and the walls of the pit with sand and tamp.
If you decide to make a cesspool of monolithic concrete, then you need to use the formwork, where the finished mixture is poured. This is a long and costly process. Therefore, the arrangement of walls in this way is justified only if there is groundwater close to the soil surface.
We use containers
A do-it-yourself cesspool from a finished container is considered one of the most profitable options. It takes a little time to equip it, since such containers weigh little and are easy to install. It is best to use a plastic barrel that does not corrode and has a long service life. For its installation it is necessary:
- The pit should be 15-20 cm larger than the plastic tank so that it can be installed without problems. In this case, you can use both a solid barrel and a container without a bottom, depending on the conditions on the site.
- If the bathroom will be located on heaving soils, pour a concrete screed under the barrel.
- After installing the barrel, fill the free space between its walls and the ground with sand. At the same time, carefully tamp it.
Ready-made containers for septic tanks are installed in the same way. If they have a significant weight, you cannot do without the services of a manipulator or a crane.
After the pit for the bathroom is completely ready, you can proceed with the installation of the ground part of the bathroom.
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