Anyone know how to design a backyard leach line?

[RNajarian]

We’re upgrading our backyard BBQ this summer. One addition is a small sink to rinse utensils and dishes.



The question I have is how to properly plumb the sink. The drain pipes in the house are 6 inches higher than the BBQ sink, which means gravity is working against me.

We have a large grass area 10 feet from the sink. Does anyone know how to design a drainage system to allow this grey water to go to an underground hole (filled with gravel) to dissipate the water, similar to how a leach line works.

It was suggested to dig a hole in the grass fill it with gravel and allow the sink grey water to dissipate in the yard through the gravel.

Does anyone know how to do this? Would I need a barrel (or container) as an insert between the dirt and gravel?

Or by chance, would anyone have any other ideas how to address the drainage? There won’t be much water to address, maybe 5-10 gallons per BBQ session.

Thanks

[Bill Douglas]

I did a similar thing recently. The sink I put in, in a backyard shed, drains into the sand below the sink. I dug a hole four feet or so deep then put a large laundry tub in upside down. Used pressure fittings to connect the sink's downpipe to the laundry tub. This gives a capacity of fifty liters or so in the laundry tub and of course it drains into the sand pretty quickly. Then the S bend below the sink stops any smells.

[wilnj]

I hit a spring when I built my house and my sump pump gets a workout. I ran my sump pump into one of these with a pop up emitter for when it overflows. I surrounded the dry well with clean stone and fabric. I would imagine if your soil percs well and you left the bottom off, mother nature would take care of an food residue.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/NDS-40-Gallon-Flo-Well-Storm-Drainage-Dry-Well-FWAS24/100377387

[RNajarian]

Thanks.Bill and wilnj. I suspected the design would be something like that. I’m looking for a sturdy plastic container with holes to allow the water to dissipate and a way to fill it up with gravel. I would like to bury it in the back yard and have grass over it so should I ever need to service it access would be easy.

It looks like the link provided is what I am looking for.

[drcoastline]

I actually spent most of the day researching leach fileds for a house project. All of my projects have been within city limits with city sewer and water. This one is in the country with well and septic. Contractor came back with a $15K price. Seems like a lot of money to dig a hole lay some pipe with holes drop in some stone and push the dirt back on top.

A leach filed is a very simple system. A trench dug into the ground stone laid in the bottom, a perforated PVC pipe laid on top, more stone then back filled. The key is to be able to calculate how much of a field you need to handle the volume.

If this is simply gray water for an outdoor sink you could run a main line, then branch it off into two or three legs for more volume. Something similar to the picture below. From grade to the bottom of the stone in the photo is roughly two feet.

[MikeSid]

Are you sure you are only talking about 5-10 gallons per season? I would imagine that sink would drain 2-4 gallons every time you BBQ'd.

But if it really is that small of an amount, why not simply plumb the drain to a sealed 5-10 gallon container and dump it down your house drain every couple of weeks.

Otherwise, a dry well would work, but I'm sure that isn't code compliant in CA - not that you are necessarily worried about that. But if you're rinsing off chicken parts, I know I would rather not have that water draining into my yard.

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by MikeSid

Are you sure you are only talking about 5-10 gallons per season? I would imagine that sink would drain 2-4 gallons every time you BBQ'd.

But if it really is that small of an amount, why not simply plumb the drain to a sealed 5-10 gallon container and dump it down your house drain every couple of weeks.

Otherwise, a dry well would work, but I'm sure that isn't code compliant in CA - not that you are necessarily worried about that. But if you're rinsing off chicken parts, I know I would rather not have that water draining into my yard.

I didn't even see that part, if it is that little just let it drain into the flower bed. Your A/C condensation drain produces more than that each day and that is just draining to the ground.

[john70t]

My first major question was 'leech-field in California'...

Is that even possible these days.

Any further research into code should be done securely.
Maybe a collection of flat rocks in the back yard, with water lines to it, will become a total audit.
City Assessors would love to make that a permanent structure.

[RNajarian]

Originally Posted by MikeSid

Are you sure you are only talking about 5-10 gallons per season? I would imagine that sink would drain 2-4 gallons every time you BBQ'd.

But if it really is that small of an amount, why not simply plumb the drain to a sealed 5-10 gallon container and dump it down your house drain every couple of weeks.

Otherwise, a dry well would work, but I'm sure that isn't code compliant in CA - not that you are necessarily worried about that. But if you're rinsing off chicken parts, I know I would rather not have that water draining into my yard.

Sorry. I did mean 5-10 gallons per bbq. Maybe 25 gallons a week

[RNajarian]

If anyone is interested the dry well project is complete and ready to be connected to the BBQ sink.

Thanks to everyone for your help. Here are some pictures. . .

[Norm K]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

[img]http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads26

The question I have is how to properly plumb the sink. The drain pipes in the house are 6 inches higher than the BBQ sink, which means gravity is working against me.

Or by chance, would anyone have any other ideas how to address the drainage? There won’t be much water to address, maybe 5-10 gallons per BBQ session.

Something like this might be a reasonable solution.

[Baz]

Nice job, RNajarian!

Especially evading those two irrigation lines.

Is that the inlet in that last pic?

[Baz]

Looking at the HD reviews...first review......this fellow had to do a re-route of his irrigation line.

BTDT in my line of work!

[drcoastline]

Nice job.

[RNajarian]

Originally Posted by Baz

Nice job, RNajarian!

Especially evading those two irrigation lines.

Is that the inlet in that last pic?

Thanks.

Fortunately I remembered where I laid the irrigation lines 20 years ago.

Yes the final photo is the inlet. We are laying brick tomorrow, I’ll post more photos.

[look 171]

I have the same thing in my place, so I plumbed a line, 3", about 50' away on a hill side (down hill) in the brush near a tree. Dug a big hole, maybe 50 gal, filled it with gravel and left it alone. Its all covered or over grown with vegetation. We don't wash meat or anything w animal fat in that sink. If we do, I am sure we will have many visitations from our local wide life during wee hours of the night.

[RNajarian]

Project Update (If anyone is interested)

Brick patio has been laid, BBQ was delivered, gas, water, electric have been hooked up. Waiting for some minor back ordered parts, but we’re ready to start cooking!

Thanks for everyone’s input.

[stevej37]

^^^ Excellent....looks great!