Help deck design w/ propane tank & septic field close
Cinnamonstick 11
3 years ago
Hi! We are stuck! We want to put a deck on our home, however we are very limited due to the propane tank location and the septic field. Propane tank is circled in yellow behind the garage. The septic field starts about where the red line is drawn (30 feet out). There are strict code limitations for how close we can build to them. I think we can’t be within 10 feet of both.
We thought about extending the deck to the right (when looking at pic) behind the garage, but it is not possible due to the propane tank.
Then we thought about extending the deck on the left side of the house (when looking at pic), but we have a walk up basement. I’m wondering if we could have deck steps that go up and around the walkout basement leading to another section of the deck? Anybody ever hear of this? I’ve tried to Google photos but couldn’t locate any.
We also can’t build out too far out from the house bc we need to be about 10 feet from the septic field. I read about a cantilever portion on a deck. That will help expand away from the house a bit. Perhaps I can do one of those extensions both away from the house outward and to the right on the deck (propane tank side).
Need ideas please to expand the deck more to the left perhaps? May not be possible.......we also have the gas fireplace bump out above
the basement steps, of course. 🙁
Please ignore the yard. Fixing grass next....
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How do I locate my septic components?
Comments (15)monzamess, I need to mention that before you go poking around with a metal pipe in a wet yard, make sure you know where any electrical or phone lines might be buried. :^O I wouldn't be surprised if there are two large trees growing directly over or into your lateral lines. Well fertilized and watered vegetation is going to put on some impressive growth in a hurry. That said, I have to tell you that is the strangest septic field I have ever seen. Sketched out in a bird's eye view, most would have a line running from the house to the tank, (with a vent pipe on the roof, and a clean out drain on the ground -before- you get to the septic tank), then continuing straight out from the tank with lateral lines branching off like the letter "E". After we finished reworking our septic system, our lateral lines form a modified "Y" because we had to work around existing mature trees, but the idea is to make it as easy as possible for water to drain away from the tank. It's JMHO, but a giant, elongated "s" shape would be highly inefficient to carry water; too many hairpin turns for something to back up and block the system. Not that someone couldn't put in such a system, just that it doesn't look like it would work well enough to be worth the effort. You don't say how old the "new" house is, but if it's less than 10 years old, you should be able to track down the plumber who was contracted by the builder to put the septic system in and find out what's up. You might also try calling a few local businesses that clean out septic tanks. The actual tank needs to periodically have the solids pumped out and disposed of. It could be that a previous owner has had that done, (especially if they had multiple children in the home), and the local company might be able to tell you something about the place. Once upon a time, you could have used a metal detector to find cast iron pipes, but nowdays, everything is plastic. :^/...See MoreLaundry products that are ok for septic tanks
Comments (21)Booker T, How old do you think your system might be? I ask because it might be possible that the plans for your system are still on file with whatever agency might have issued the permit for installation. This would help you understand what to look for. It's worth a shot, anyhow. Although I agree that changes in vegetation appearance over parts of a septic may indicate a problem; it may also be benign if it is only the result of localized increases in soil moisture alone and only appear directly over the pipelines in the leach field on the far side of the tank. After all, the leach field lines are intended to disharge fluid into the soil. If your surrounding earth is particularly well-drained, or droughty, and you are having a dry season, then the greeness may be attributable solely to that and nothing to do with a problem. The greeness may simply be visible because the area directly over the pipes is actually being better irrigated. Have you lived with the system for more than a year so you can tell whether this is unusual? The other reason(s) for increased greenness over any part of the system has to do with seepage of nitrogen (and possibly low levels of phosporous) from poorly, incompletely or leaking waste water. (You know cow manure adds nitrogen to the soil, and so does night soil, i.e. human waste.) This is the sort of thing that should be looked into. Do you have a mound system in which the leach field is installed in large raised berm or is the whole thing generally on the same level as the surrounding soil? Mound systems are often more finicky, but have the advantage of being modern, and generally are designed with built-in expansion space in case of failure. (OTOH, no one installs a mound system unless the soil is already pretty unsuitable for septics.) Around here (northern NY) we pay a few hundred dollars ($300-500) to have the septic (or what passes for that at my farm) pumped. We do that on intervals a short as 1 year to as long as 3 or 4 years. We can tell when it needs to be done because our drains gurgle. Our system is very primitive and old, so that would not apply to a more modern system. Need for pumping depends on use, size of tank, design of system and surrounding soil conditions, and also amount of precipitation or any localized flooding that happens to occur. HTH, Molly...See Morehelp with septic system issue
Comments (15)I don't think anyone who knows us would call us lazy, but sometimes we certainly have trouble paying attention. As I said, very ADD family!!! We are smart enough, though, to know that adding something else that needs maintainance might not be a good idea for us, especially if there is another way. I know, a pool is a lot of maintainance, and we are considering that. But the truth is, I would be willing to do a little work for a pool, but for a septic system??? I can't see myself getting down to that back part of the yard where I imagine that type of system might be. (Just like the doc), but, no one else backs up directly to our property. We do manage to keep a nice front yard (friendly competition w/ neighbors for the greenest,most weed free, sometimes we win) but our back is neglected more than I would like it to be. One of the reasons I want to turn it into lovely place for our family to enjoy. we ARE out on the deck alot, and the boys are in the driveway shooting hoops or passing a football on the front(flat there) but that back is long(506') and slopes down so the back part is usually just "NATURAL". I actually just gave one of my boys a summer time job cutting back brush it took him a full week to get it to the back fence. Actually, if I knew how to post pictures here I would post one of the yard so every one can get a better idea of what I am describing, but right now I am embarrassed to show due to all that brush that yet needs to be hauled off(only since last week) Funny,I wouldn't let him use a chain saw but he whipped out an axe and the Machete he brought home from Belize (I wondered why in the world?? when he showed me this souvenier but we actually found a good use for it)(Anyboyd know about teenage boys?). Sorry, way off topic there, but I do think we can maintain a pool, especially if we have a good pool service helping, who can point out things to us that need taken care of that we might not see immediately. Kadz, I am hoping that like you, all I will have to do is move a field line to the back. When I had the field lines replaced some years back, the cost was reasonable, about 1800 here in TN, which included digging and new lines. I really need to find that man's phone number and call him back here. We were pleased with his promptness and price and work he did. I want him to mark every thing out for me so I can visualize it better. And that reminds me of another question,...... Tresw, do you know the actual dimensions in feet of a septic tank? I have googled and only found out what capacity, but I want to know how many feet long it is. Are they 10 ft or so? The tank is the size which would be put in for a 3 bedroom house(although we now have five) The patio extends about 13" directly from the back of the house, the riser is 3" from the patio and I am assuming the tank starts there and extends lengthwise back from there. And also, thanks Ravencajun, for reassuring me about the dogs and vinyl. If that were going to be a problem, that would have made my decision go to gunite, that is if the pools actually becomes a reality. My sweet dogs come first and if they want to swim, they will get to. But what about fur in the pool?? I don't think Danes shed alot, but one of my babies is a husky. Huskies don't shed alot once they have "BLOWN" their coat, but during that time it is a mess!!!! I am talking about trash full of nothing but dog fur. No doubt in my mind how they withstand the artic cold!!! My terrier sheds year round which is a pain, but more manageble. Thanks again everyone for all the advice and keep it coming....See Moretree suggestions near a septic field
Comments (39)Hah, funny Treebird, "wet crappy soil". I have decided to remove the Quercus Alba "rooted acorn" MAYBE,. If I remove the Q. Alba acorn/future tree seedling, I will have no trees RIGHT INFRONT OF MY HOUSE, ON THE SOUTH SIDE. So if I then keep the seedlings I have planted previously where they are, it will be a small wait, perhaps 5 years before the trees I have planted near my house, on the south side, will start to shade some of my house from the southwest to the southeast. To be clear in what I am saying, "I have 2 Compton's oak seedlings, near the eastern exposure of my" house".. On the "Western exposure, there is a " Swamp Chestnut tree" several feet from the Compton's oak seedlings. But, it is best to be able to possibly be able to keep tree tissue and plant regeneration possibilities going straight ahead with the trees I ,have. I am now depending on my 2 " Compton's oak" seedlings. Which eventually will be wanting to "host" some seedlings. As far as my homes southern "light exposure", there are "energies", that can be used by "whatever force" is using our post ideas....See More
Cinnamonstick 11
3 years agoCinnamonstick 11
3 years agosuezbell
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoCinnamonstick 11
3 years agoCinnamonstick 11
3 years ago
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