ATU Installation Update for a Custom Home
Hey everybody. Today, we are on a custom home project in Ramona, California for an alternative septic system (ATU) installation update.
Alternative Septic Tanks
So out in front of me, you can see the tanks on the side of the house we showed you in a previous video about installing alternative septic systems. It’s all been backfilled, and you can see it here. So we got the area roped off with the caution tape so nobody gets in there and drives on it.
A lot is going on here. Usually, you’ll have just two lids on a tank, but we have five: four septic tanks plus a control box or a valve box.
How the Sewer Works
I will walk over here, so you can hear, we have some generators going. We’ve got our power shut off, but you can see the actual sewer coming out of the building. Then the waste comes to this cleanout before going into the tanks. It works its way down those tanks, then it goes out, and the pressure comes out. So we use a controller made by Jet for this innovative alternative septic system.
Backfilled Leach Field
Last week, we were here with Greg, who showed us how everything worked together. And behind the truck here, we saw the pressurized lines in the leach field, complete with the drip emitters. We’ve also called this the cornfield when Brandon was explaining it with Greg. It’s all backfilled now, but we must refrain from driving on it, getting traffic on it, and compacting it to the point where we damage the system.
Primary System
You can see it from different angles, but the primary system is in. So the reserve area that Brandon showed last week is beyond those trees. Remember: you have to have 100% reserve area. This particular property has an ADU on it, so there’s got to be enough room for an ADU, the primary system for the ADU, plus the 100% reserve for the ADU and 100% for the reserve for the main home, plus this primary system. So, this will be an area the owner cannot use; they have to be careful not to put any animals on it.
Gopher Problem with ATUs
One of the things that Greg was talking about with Brandon when they were installing it was that one of the downsides of these systems is the gophers. They get into those drip lines with emitters on them and bite right through them as they dig their tunnels and go underground. After all, the lines are only about a foot deep in the soil.
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Resolving the Gopher Problem with ATU Maintenance
To resolve the matter, they’ll come out during the yearly ATU maintenance and look at the area the system’s in. They specifically look for wet areas where the pressure has been pushing the moisture up where they’ve had the line cut.
So that’s one thing they check on and fix during the maintenance time every year.
Not a Hands-Off System
An alternative septic system is not as hands-off as a traditional septic system. Installing an ATU needs some maintenance, but it also allows you to build on properties with high groundwater where the actual groundwater is separate. ATUs are also shallower, so you can get more separation between that high groundwater, allowing the county to approve these things to be built and build a home on the property.
Build a Home in Areas with High Groundwater
Previously, you could only build homes in areas with high groundwater. However, an ATU allows it to be buildable, which is pretty cool. The other thing is that it’s beneficial to install alternative septic systems for small lots and tighter areas. So the space that a primary and a reserve area take up is much less than a primary or standard septic system.
How Builders Make It Work
So we often put in a standard septic system for the primary systems, which will be for a main house or an ADU, but then we can show the reserve area as an ATU. It’s like this alternative system — we don’t have to install that ATU unless the primary system fails. If the primary system fails, we can install it, but all we have to do on the septic layout that we get approved is show the ATU as a reserve. Then you can install the standard system. You don’t have to spend $30,000 to $40,000 to install an ATU.
So when you put in the standard, it’s less money, and these systems last a long time. The chances of you doing it when you own the home are slim unless you’re there for a long, long time and then something was to happen, but it’s an excellent solution to getting these things through the county.
When to Hire a Septic Engineer
You often need to hire a septic engineer to engineer and design it, and we’ll do that right on the front end. For some of these properties that we know are tight, we do that as part of the very beginning phase before you even start designing a home or an ADU because we want to ensure it will fit on the property.
Wrapping Up
If you need help building a custom home, ADU, or whole-house remodeling, request a project consultation with us. We have offices in Ramona, California, serving the San Diego County area, and Middleton, Idaho, serving the Boise Metro area. You can also explore our comprehensive collection of similar videos on our YouTube channel, The Real Property Show.
