City Sewer Hookup

KnotsUp · 05-22-2014, 08:19 PM

I'm building a house and while under construction (8-10 months) would like to permanently "camp" on the property. Water is easy, power is there, I've got Internet and Satellite. The issue is that I have no idea what to do about the black water. Can I tap into the city system? Is there a special connection to do this with? I suppose I'd need a check valve somewhere so this might be a bad idea to leave hooked up so maybe I can just dump into the sewer somehow?

Any guidance appreciated!

Ken / Claudia · 05-22-2014, 08:48 PM

The only way I know of is to dump into the clean out cap/vent of a sewer line. I did that years ago at a different house. I would guess that you do not have a sewer line yet to the house. Making a connection to the city sewer line here takes a permit/inspection. If you have a neighbor next door, maybe you could ask and run a rv sewer hose to it when it is dump time. I was also told your not supposed to dump into the clean out vent but, I do not know why it would matter, it is just a "T" fitting in the sewer line outside of the home at ground level.

Festus2 · 05-22-2014, 09:22 PM

You would probably need to check with the local "water works/sewer" folks at City Hall to see what the regulations, permits and inspections would be needed to make this happen. I wouldn't think you could just "tap into the city system" without some kind of permit and inspection.

What do you plan on doing with the gray water - from your galley and bathroom? These tanks also have to be emptied if you are going to be using it as a home for 8-10 months. They could also be fed into a city sewer line if allowed.

Sounds like a trip to City Hall.

vicali · 05-23-2014, 05:00 AM

Inlaws did the same thing while they built their house on the farm, they 'camped' out front while the builders worked for 8 months.

They used a portable tank to do sani-dumps.

Bob Landry · 05-23-2014, 05:34 AM

Dumping into a cleanout is no different than flushing the toilets in the house.

Fixjet · 05-23-2014, 06:04 AM

I dump in my clean out everytime I come home from camping, no waiting at the campground. I used a "sewer solution" for 10 years, this year I finally bought a flojet pump. It works great. My brother does the same at his house. My clean out is about 35 feet from my driveway so it works great.

Ram189 · 05-23-2014, 06:07 AM

When my friend had his house built he had a section of line run from where he parks his camper into his sewer line for his house.
That way when he gets back from camping he dumps and cleans up right at the house and parks it.
You should be able to do the same thing theoretically with parking the camper.

Javi · 05-23-2014, 06:12 AM

I frequently use my sewer cleanout to dump/flush my black tank it is no different than a dedicated tap would be. And if I were to park my trailer at my home I'd build out a permanent tap close the to parking pad rather than the cleanout in front of the house.

**hankpage** · 05-23-2014, 06:34 AM

When I return from a trip I use a Flojet waste pump and a 1" hose to pump both black and gray tanks to the house. (about 45') I made a 1 1/2" connection to my sanitary drain and added a hose connection at the outside of my foundation. It works great and also allows me to back-fill the tank and flush it clean and the small commercial 1" hose is hardly noticeable and much more rugged than a standard rv 3" hose.
Of course this will not help you if the rough drain lines are not in your house yet. My town does not allow you to "LIVE" in a trailer even during construction of a permanent dwelling. Just something else to look into. Good luck, Hank

KnotsUp · 05-23-2014, 05:25 PM

Thanks for the great advice guys. I hadn't thought of the clean out. That could work out perfectly if we plan the placement of it right. The portable tank could be an option too, I just wouldn't know where to go with it from there. Other than the clean out of course.

Whoever asked about permitting; once the line is run it will be fully permitted by the town so at that point I'd be using the line just like normal. I suppose. Guess that's a question for the builder and a matter of timing.

Someone else mentioned the gray water; I would intend to go the same place with it or just dump overboard if the grade kept it away from where we'd walk. It's all sand here so it will get absorbed quickly.

Jetflo pump could be interesting too. My fear with that is that I'd manage to hook it up backwards and destroy the inside of my RV somehow.

I haven't closed on the lot yet and there are two of them. One actually has a mobile home on it that would be destroyed and the other is just land. The biggest fight I'm going to have is getting the HOA (in one case) to look the other way during construction. It's a 4 acre fully wooded lot though so I'd make sure it wasn't visible from the road. Nothing is easy!

Great intel all! Thanks again!

theeyres · 05-23-2014, 07:35 PM

If it already has a mobile home on it you no doubt have sewer. The Flojet would be the way to go to pump it up/down hill to wherever the cleanout might be or even to get the plumber to do some type of temp setup. You are right about the HOA. Even your county may be a stumbling block as it is illegal to live in a travel trailer in many counties. You will have inspectors all over the place so it may be impossible to hide where you are living.

KnotsUp · 05-24-2014, 04:31 AM

Yeah, I don't think there are any county or municipality restrictions on living in a trailer (there are certainly plenty who do) here. I would think an objection to that comes mostly with their inability to tax you for the real property but here they hit us with a personal property tax so they're covered. I'll look into it. The HOA does clearly state that temporary housing is "strictly prohibited" but then goes on to say, unless approved by the board.

Luckily there is an KOA campground about 5 mins down the road so maybe I tow it there for a few days a week to keep everyone's feather unruffled. (And dump my black water!)

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