what are some alternative system for a conventional septic system, ana what do they cost?

Question

was told i need a alternative because a conventional would work because the soil consist of sandy clay and hard pan materials.

Answer 1

Just buy that new High Tech toilet system. I saw it on Bob Vila or This old House.
It burns your waste rendering it null and non-toxic and goes out with the trash,,,,,

Answer 2

We live in an area with a lot of clay in the soil. We have a aerobic septic system. It has three tanks, one that is designed to separate solids that can not be digested by the system, a second tank with an aerator to digest the sewage and a third tank with a pump that stores the treated water. It acts as a surge accumulator and when it is full it pumps the water out through a series of sprinklers on to the ground. In between the aerator and the surge tank is a chlorinator (it used chlorine tablets) for the liquid leaving the aerator.

At first this sounds like a real mess but in fact it is a very good system. We have had it for over ten years and it has worked like a charm. There is absolutely no odor and all we have had to do is pump the sediment out of two of the tanks. We've done that three times in 10 years.

Ten years ago the system cost us about $6,000. Since then we have had to replace the small air compressor but that was expected since it runs all of the time.

There is no leach field to worry about getting clogged. All parts are accessible for repair or maintenance.

Answer 3

I don't have much experience with this kind of "project" myself, but I do know that septic and leech systems can be extremely costly.. My husband and I almost bought an older home that was in need of all new leech and septic systems and because of the strict guildelines that the county in which the house was located, we were looking at having to pay an extra 20K dollars for the repairs before we could even move in. The only usable system that the county allowed in place of what was already there had a constant blower motor attached that runs non stop to help "dry up" or evaporate the waste product.. Thus adding an extra dollar ammount to your montly electric bill. I would reccomend that you check with your county health department before going much further to see what kind of systems they will and wont allow you to have.. This could save you alot of time, money and frustration. Sorry I can;t help further but I hope this helps some.

Answer 4

Our aerobic septic system consists of two holding tanks. All waste/water from our home flows into the first large tank where a fan helps to aerate it. The solids remain there until the tank is full and needs to be emptied (once every 2 years or so). All liquids pass through the bottom end of a long pvc pipe that is inserted into the ground with the other end sticking out of the ground. Into this end, we insert special chlorine tablets as needed. These will kill any and all germs & bacteria in the liquid which is then passed into a second holding tank. This tank is set with a timer that when the tank is full, allows all the liquid to be sprayed out into our back yard via underground sprinkler system. When we bought this home, we were told that the final liquid that sprays out into our back yard is clean enough and safe enough to drink! Of course, I don't know who would have been brave enough to actually test that, but that is what we were told. Good Luck!

Answer 5

The conventional is the most economical. There is also the sand filtration system which is elevated above the grade. I haven't priced one lately. Last time I did they ran between $15-25,000. Hopefully they have come down some now. Problem with this is your backyard looks like you have a big bunker buried in it.

Answer 6

You need to have them build a raised leech field with a pump system. It's gonna cost you like $15,000.