What are the code requirements for septic systems?

This article introduces the code requirements for the septic systems.

The following code requirements provided after the thorough research to protect every family’s health and to safeguard the property value and mainly to keep hygiene surroundings. The code requirements will cover the present and the future wants of an individual.

Say for an example, if you decided to construct the small home and to enlarge it in future as the family grows, it is more important to design the septic system in larger size according to the family size and needs. If you planned to modify an existing home, it is to be noted in mind that the alterations can affect the disposal method of wastewater.

In addition to this, the garbage disposal, occupants and other wastage can raise the waste water volume. It is must to be aware of the septic system located in your home, so you will not damage it constructing the detached building, paved areas around the septic system area or absorption area. You can call a septic tank service in flowery branch if you are located there.

Local Regulations for Septic Tanks

At the time of septic system installation process, people should consult their Local Code Enforcement manager and County Health Department before they install, where the rules and regulations set by the County Health Department officers.

Permit Requirements  for Septic Tanks

Upon request, the permit for the septic system installation should required a certain permit from the Community Health Department on any new or existing on-site garbage disposal system. On the construction of new building, it is essential to obtain particular permit from the concerned department and building officials for the septic system installation before they construct the building.

Inspection for Septic Tanks

The septic system installer demonstrate an awareness of the local environmental health code and make the payment of annual fees to Community Health Department which is located in every local country environment health office. The septic system installer who installs it for their own residence is required to receive permit for septic system installation at least with minimum standards. The final approval and inspection should be obtained on or before earth cover. The Community Health Department and Environment Health Office will be notified to the concerned person who installs septic system at least 24 hours prior to the inspection time.

Septic System Requirements

Here provided the code requirements of septic system. They are as follows,

Sewer Lines – to pressure water line from 10 feet.

Dry Wells Water Table – with minimum of 4 ft for the absorption area with narrow ground.

Septic System Tanks – should be water tight for inlet and outlet pipelines.

Outlets – to cover the outlet end of the septic systems.

Pumps and Alternating Devices – to access ground surface with lid and riser.

Final Cover – to avoid the surface drainage water and it should not exceed 3 feet.

Holding Tanks – for the construction of an existing home.

Sprinkler Systems – while installing the septic system, it is important to research the condition of the soil type to treat the effluent from the tank. To test the soil, the percolation testing will be taken place to see the how much volume of water to soak into the sand to reduce and avoid the risks of water pollution under the ground.

It is important to watch the septic system code requirements so that you know the rules of your local jurisdiction.

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Percolation Test for Building a Septic Drain Field

Proper installation of a septic tank as part of a septic system requires a percolation test to determine the soil’s rate of liquid absorption in the proposed location of the septic tank to be installed. This helps to determine the absorption rate of the material that forms part of the septic system into the surrounding soil.

This material flows from the septic tank installed into leach lines adjacent to it From there, the organic material seeps gradually into the ground. However, in case the surrounding soil is unable to absorb voluminous amounts of liquid from the prospective tank system than it would be prudent to identify a new location to avoid potentially expensive repairs in the future.

The Percolation Test

The placement or building of septic tanks, as well as the entire septic system, is an act that is highly regulated by the industry’s building codes. In this regard, a percolation test is highly recommended to determine the project’s viability before a contractor is issued with a building permit. Atlanta septic tank installation professionals (atlantaseptictankpros.com) adhere to these strict local building codes to ensure that the septic system would serve the purpose for which it was built.

As a resident of Atlanta, it is recommended that you get an approved Georgia County engineer to help speed up the approval process by the relevant county building department. Professional inspection typically involves drilling several holes in the area of the proposed septic system as part of the percolation test to aid in obtaining a building permit approval.

There are generally acceptable perc rates concerning the construction of a septic system. Below are the general guidelines for performing a perc test before placing a septic system.

Step 1, A 2-feet deep hole is dug in the prospective septic tank’s location. A measuring tape can be useful in measuring the depth, but the hole’s width is not significant.

Step 2, The hole is then filled with water and left to saturate the soil in the surrounding. This hole is then refilled with water before measuring its depth.

Step 3, Set the timer to 30 minutes and, as soon as it goes off, measure the depth of water remaining. Step 4, Using the formula highlighted below, calculate the soil’s percolation rate, 30 minutes / (Initial water depth — final water depth) If the initial and final water depths were 30 inches and 24 inches, respectively after 30 minutes, then 30 minutes is divided by the difference in inches.

30 minutes /(30 inches -24 inches) = 30 /

In the above example, 5 minutes per inch would be our percolation rate.

Step 5, Apparently, this is the last step and involves comparing the results obtained from your percolation test with those of local building codes in an effort to determine whether or not the soil where you intend to install your septic tank meets the relevant percolation bast requirements set by your county, state or local authorities.

Note that every municipality or county sets different building codes and requirements that must be met before one is allowed to build a septic tank within a prospective location. Some of the requirements and variables that may be contained in building codes include tank size, house size, percolation rate and the number of leach lines, just to mention a few.

Atlanta septic tank services and companies follow certain guidelines to ensure they provide customers with the most efficient septic system that also meets the county building codes. Ideally, the first step usually involves evaluating the site to be sure it is best suited for holding the septic tank and system. The health department may also have to review your application.

When selecting a septic system to exert, consider attributes such as experience and expertise, as these prove that the service provider is skilled enough to deliver as required. Qualified septic system technicians are also able to inspect your septic system for any minor or major damage and recommend the best action plan to help repair or reinstate the tank and system.

A septic drain field completes the septic system and renders it functional. Note that while you can save money by digging a septic drain field on your own, other aspects of the project, such as site inspection and perc tests, require the input of an engineer or a septic system professional.

The Imhoff Tank for Septic System

What is the Imhoff tank?  

The Imhoff tank is a type of septic tank that was designed to treat sewage water. Since the invention of the Imhoff tank, for a septic sytem in Valdosta, GA, they have been remodeled into different types of septic systems. Although they have been changed, they all have one similar feature: the fact that they have two chambers. The upper chamber is for sedimentation of the waste material and the lower chamber that is meant for the digestion of sludge. 

The Imhoff tank was invented in 1906 by a German engineer named Karl Imhoff. The Imhoff tank is the best septic system in Valdosta, GA and is mostly preferred over the ordinary septic tank. We are going to see how the Imhoff tank is designed to operate and also what advantages it has over the ordinary septic tank.  

  • How it works?  

The septic system used in Valdosta, GA is the Imhoff tank. This tank operates on a structure that has two in-built chambers, the upper and lower chambers. The upper chamber has an opening through which the sewage flows in and is allowed to undergo sedimentation.  

The residue is than allowed to flow into the lower chamber which is where the sludge is stored for digestion. This essentially allows for the waste material to undergo biological decomposition. Once the solid waste is removed, it has to go through stabilization anaerobically.

The septic system in Valdosta, GA allows the stabilization to happen through natural biological reactions. This will continue until the septic system is totally filled to the brim. The Imhoff septic tank has valves at its bottom. These valves are designed to allow the heavy sludge from the lower chamber. The emptying of the lower chamber is made possible by the force of gravity.  

 

  • Advantages of the Septic System in Valdosta, GA 

It is cost-effective. The septic system in Valdosta, GA has very low maintenance costs thus making it a viable option, compared to other types of septic systems. The reason why the maintenance cost is low is because the septic tank has both the upper and lower chambers as one structure.  

The septic system in Valdosta GA occupies less land.  The Imhoff tank is the most ideal type of septic tank because it occupies less land unlike other types of septic tanks. You do not need a very big chunk of land in order to construct an Imhoff septic tank. In Valdosta, this is important because the land available is limited.  

Imhoff septic tanks have valves that eliminate sludge. Normal septic tanks do not have valves that can allow the sludge to pass through. This gives the Imhoff septic tank an upper hand when it comes to effective waste disposal systems.  

It does not cause air pollution. The septic system in Valdosta, GA emits fresh fumes from the tanks. This means that they do not contribute to air pollution, which might not be the case for other types of septic tanks.  

It does not need energy to operate. The Imhoff septic tank is the most ideal type of septic system because it does not need any energy for it to operate, hence very economical.  

 

It requires a greater depth capacity as compared to other types of septic tanks. There can be air pollution caused by leakage at the vents if they are not properly installed. The septic tank system is more complex as compared to the normal septic tank systems. The Imhoff septic tank has two chambers that can easily collide into each other due to the weight of the sewage sediments and the piling sludge.  

In a nutshell, the Imhoff tank is the most ideal tank for a septic system. It is highly effective due to the two compartments it has and therefore would be suitable for a place with minimal population like Valdosta, GA. In order for the tank to function properly, it must be built deep enough to give the two chambers enough capacity to carry out their specific functions effectively.

Imhoff tank is best if placed beneath the surface so that it leaves very little on the ground surface. The septic system in Valdosta, GA is the Imhoff septic tanks that is able to effectively function in whatever type of climate because it can function effectively in either warm or cold weather.  

Motor Controllers Autopsy And Analysis

 

Before I begin, be warned. A picture is worth a thousand words, and I dont have any pictures today, so this post is going to be a pretty big wall o text. If youre willing to brave my rambles, read on.

Im currently finishing up my latest revision of ChibiTroller (v2.0), and since I first began controlling larger-scale bruushless things Ive gone through many different controllers. Most of which Ive blown up. This is a reflection and analysis of what Ive gone through so far, and what Ive learned.

My first large-scale brushless project was my Power Racing Series car last year, the bluesmobile. The power train was almost entirely made of RC plane parts, the core of which was a 2800W outrunner. There are a couple of problems with controlling a motor of that size. First of all, its just kind of massive, and so an appropriate controller is difficult to find. But a bigger problem is the commutation. Brushless motors require some kind of position feedback going to the controller in order for the controller to switch the phases to make the rotate. Usually, in the RC world the motors use sensorless commutation. Power will be flowing through any two phases at a given moment, and the controller reads the back EMF coming out of the third, unused phase in order to figure out the motors position. The problem with this is that in order to be able to get that back EMF, the motor has to be spinning at some minimum velocity. If the motor isnt under any load, it can jolt to a start from a standstill, but under load or at low speed (such as starting an electric vehicle), sensorless commutation just doesnt work. Its easy enough to get around the slow speed bit by putting a big gear reduction on the motor, but the vehicle must already be moving in order to start the motor. Thats problematic, to say the least. That being said, its often worth the inconvenience because the controllers are easy.

The easiest way to control a RC motor is with a RC speed controller. Theyre cheap, powerful, and tuned to work with the relatively high-kV, low-inductance motors. Theyre also sensorless. I started off using a turnigy dLux 80A HV controller. Id heard that theyre good, reliable controllers. And the one I had sort of worked. The problem  ran into was that the ESC itself was a small, mostly plastic box less than two inches in the largest dimension. And since the motor was at peak current draw most of the time, the controller got pretty hot. I tried attaching a massive server heat sink to it, which despite looking pretty comical worked fairly well. Until it blew the main power bus caps. I replaced the controller, but the new one suffered the same fate. Clearly, the dLux was just not up to the task. So I moved on up to a turnigy sentilon 100A ESC. Also sensorless, also with a reputation for being bulletproof. This one actually was. I raced the majority of the season on it, only finally killing it in the endurance final in New York. Turns out running close to 3kW through an exposed system in the rain doesnt end well.

So what were the successes and the failures of this particular batch of controllers? They were all cheap, and they had a high current capacity. They were fairly durable (especially the sentilon, which died of a short circuit rather than detonating), and they were able to operate the motor to its limit. But their biggest shortcoming is the commutation. The sensorless commutation is fine for spinning a propeller. And its fine for vehicles like bicycles or scooters where giving a gentle kick-start is easy. But when sitting in a small electric car, thats just plain unacceptable. Because of that controller, I blew more starts than Mark Webber, and I stalled and overheated my motors more times that I care to count. In order to do better, I need sensored commutation.

This year, I endeavored to build a chibikart of sorts. Like the original, I used a brushless motor for power. But unlike last year, I decided to learn from my mistakes and go for proper sensored control. After some discussion with Charles, I ended up with a nice set of sensors for my motors. Hall effect sensors are mounted to the motor in such a fashion so that they pick up the magnets in the can as they spin by. That way, the controller doesnt have to rely on back EMF to have position feedback, and so the motor can commutate properly at stall and low-speed conditions. The problem then is finding a controller that supports sensored commutation. This isnt difficult if you have a lot of money to throw at the problem, but really can be on a budget. Once again, Charles saved the day with the Jasontroller. These are shady no-name motor controllers from China. They support both sensored and sensorless motors, and have effective current limiting so that they dont overheat and self-destruct. Which all sounds very nice, and is very nice. I ran them successfully fir quite some time, until I decided that the 10 phase amps they could provide just wasnt enough. I found the current sensing shunt, shorted it out to lower the resistance and raise the current limit, and nothing. They had some kind of interlock in place and bricked themselves. I did all sorts of experiments on them, and ended up bricking six of them before moving on. The verdict: Jasontrollers are awesome, but not powerful or easily hackable.

My next pick was even shadier (as anything ordered from alibaba is). They turned out to almost be Jasontrollers. They were about half the size, but had what appeared to be very similar circuitry inside. I ran a race on them, and found them to not be terribly useful for my purposes. As with all of the shady Chinese motor controllers, the mini-Jasontrollers (µtrollers) have a fairly low switching frequency, and therefore cant run the motors very fast. Because of the difference in commutation algorithms, the normal Jasontrollers would be able to go faster in sensorless mode. So once the motors were out of the conditions conditions where sensors were necessary, they would switch to sensorless. The µtrollers didnt do that, and as a result didnt go nearly as fast when using the motor sensors. During the race, I found that when in sensored mode, I would be going a good 3mph slower than in sensorless mode. Again, no good. The current output of the µtrollers is also limited to 10A, and they also bricked when I tried to up that.

And so that brings me to the most recent (and I hope the last) chapter of my search for a good motor controller. I bit the bullet, and purchased kelly KBS24101 controllers. These arent shady. They arent cheap. But they are programmable, and they support sensors. They have higher current limits. And they shouldnt self-destruct. In a few weeks (after the race in Kansas City), Ill be able to analyze their performance. But in the mean time, all I can do is run wire and hope.

Frames Revamped: Chibi vs. Chipi

POTW Procrastination Edition

I did it! I got rid of all the waterjet cut bits! Heres the bare chibikart frame.I was trying to keep too much of it the same. So I replaced everything.

 

And heres what I got. Its the same thing, just welded steel instead of aluminum extrusion. And its a bit heavier, but not by too much (thin wall tubing is nice like that). Even so, extra weight just sounds like an excuse to use bigger motors.

But anyways, heres a preview of whats coming (hint: its building the darn thing).

ChipiKart More Steering Redesigns!

Building The Darn Thing Part 4 of n

Ive had to stop building because Ive built everything Ive designed so far. And since Im trying to make this repeatable, I need to fully design everything and resist the urge to just start welding things together until a car comes out.

To that end, I need steering to happen. I have the rear wheels mounted to the frame, and if I can get the front wheels and steering done then I can do chipikart soap box derby edition. Ive trashed my previous designs for the steering. Since I changed my design to the weld-n-go version, I no longer have the original steering mounts to work with. So Im going with something simpler, and more importantly, cheaper.

So heres the new design. Its two blocks of my favorite nearly-indestructible not-so-mild steel, 4140. That, a bolt, and two bushings. The bushings are sintered bronze for smooth motion, and flanged so I can fake having some kind of thrust washer. This should let me have smooth, and close to slop-free motion.

And here it is installed. Im using a 3/8 shoulder bolt as the pin, and it also acts as the smooth bearing surface.

The bracket is more weldment. Im really bad at bending steel, much less 1/4 thick 4140. Its much easier (and more precise) for me to just cut three pieces and weld them together.

So now I have a (hopefully) final steering design. Now I just have to build them, but considering Ive done the design, that shouldnt be too hard. Finding time to build them in will be the hard part.

ChipiKart In which I Dont Play With Motors

 

So. Motors.
Chibikart uses two Turnigy SK3 5065 motors, driver sensorless by Jasontrollers. Its cheap and powerful, so I can dig it. But whats better than the grinding, powerful not-launch of a sensorless drive? The smooth, terrifying launch of a sensored one. Id been thinking about how to achieve this on a vehicle, especially after seeing TinyKart at NYC Maker Faire. And then I forgot.Charles recently posted about adding sensors to sensorless motors and driving them with Jasontrollers. And I realized that it was what I wanted to do, so I emailed him. And being the awesome guy he is (and a fellow lover of tiny brushless things), he emailed back, and I ended up with some sensors to put on a motor. I pulled the motor off TinyBike, popped the sensor ring on it, whipped up a quick mounting plate, and went off in search of a Jasontroller. Fortunately, I had one lying around. Unfortunately, I had cleaned up the wiring and modded the circuit board, meaning all the stuff I needed to hook up the sensors was gone. Dang. So I ordered another Jasontroller. And now I wait.

Which leaves me with two options. I can work on the frame and mechanics of ChipiKart, and have it ready to test come Jasontroller time, or I can daydream about designing my own controller. Knowing my project ADD, you can probably guess which one Im going to choose.

Hint: It might be this one. Then again, it might not.

Building The Darn Thing Part 6 of n

Building The Darn Thing Part 5 of n

Maker Faire San Mateo is quickly approaching, and with it the first event of the 2013 Power Racing Series. Which means that ChipiKart is going to have to be much more than a gravity-powered death trap, and fast. With this deadline in mind, Ive been plowing ahead, and am pleased to present this thing.

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Its most of a ChipiKart. With some changes. The original steering wheel was made of 3/8 thick acrylic, which is brittle enough as is, and really didnt last long in the sub-zero temperatures I tested it in. In the absence of a suitable replacement, I used two vise-grips as a replacement. It works, so stop judging me. It also has one drive motor hooked up, so it moves under power. Theres still no brakes.

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Heres my motor unit. Its the SK3 6364 motor from last time, but mounted to a bodged-up mount. Theres also a 3D printed bracket holding some sensors.

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The sensor board (courtesy of Big Chucks Robot Warehouse) is mounted to the motor with a 3D printed ring. The sensors provide a position reference for the controllers so that the motors can commutate properly in a zero-RPM condition. This means that I can start from a stop, or a stall. Handy.

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And heres the controller Im using. Its a generic shady Chinese controller, with some modifications. Ive replaced the no-name FETs with nice IR FETs that will dissipate less heat, and Ive upped the current limit from 10A to somewhere above 60A. Well see how that goes.

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Heres the inside of the controller, just for the curious. If you want a good tear-down, look no further that Charless excellent report.

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Moving on, putting motors on the Kart. I was planning on bolting the motor mount to the frame so I can adjust it, so I put on a few tacks with the MIG welder to hold it in place while I drilled it. I ended up liking the way it was aligned, so I ditched the bolts and just welded it.

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Because I dont want everything on ChipiKart to eb a complete hack, I decided to make the controllers look nice. I hacked off a hunk of aluminum box extrusion and made a nice enclosure which I will name ChibiTroller. It houses a 300A cutoff switch, proper anderson power connectors, two Jasontrollers, a cooling fan, and some arduino telemetry stuff that I dont really understand. The goal is to be able to report back to pit lane in real time various different sensor readings. I havent installed any sensors yet, nor have I decided what I want.

Building The Darn Thing Part 5 of n

The State Of The Chipi

Building The Darn Thing Part 5 of n

Well, I went through a quick blitz of making things, then kind of dead-ended. By which I mean I ran out of parts and had to stop work. But heres what I got done.

Steering:

I built the steering column! And made a steering wheel! And didnt take any pictures, but heres some video of what it looks like laser-cutting 3/8 acrylic on a 30W CO2 laser.

 

And then I had a rolling chassis, and wanted to drive but had no power. So I decided it was time to soap-box derby this thing.

 

No, I didnt crash at the end. But I did break the steering wheel in half. I dont know what I was expecting; it was about ten below zero outside.

It was at this point that I realized that I had nothing else to do but put motors and brakes on it. And I didnt have motors yet, so I stopped short.

Until today, when I got a box from Hong Kong.

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Motors and a battery charger! But lets focus on the fun bit of that.

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The motors are Turnigy SK3 6364. I love these things. Theyre actually well built. The magnets are glued in, the stators are pinned, the windings are tidy(ish), and they have can bearings! This one also has a fairly low kV (180), and 2400 Chinese watts of power. Oh yeah. Now that I have them, I can model them, put them in the ChipiKart CAD file, and design some motor mounts. Other projects can wait, Ive got motors to put on things.