How Many Mobile Homes Can You Put on a Septic Tank?
Mobile homes have become increasingly popular not only for their simple living but also for their affordability. This has led to the expansion of so-called trailer parks and an increased interest in mobile homes on private properties. However, many mobile home owners are left with a question – and that is, if numerous mobile homes can share a septic tank?
So, how many mobile homes can you typically put on a septic tank?
The ideal situation is to have one septic tank per home, but you may, on certain occasions, have up to five mobile homes share 1 septic tank. This, however, will depend on the size of your septic tank as well as local rules and regulations.
While building a trailer park or just one mobile home isn’t easy, it’s always important to nail down the basics to ensure you have the ideal living conditions. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can have numerous mobile homes share a septic tank.
5 Things to Know about Putting Mobile Homes on a Septic Tank
If you’re looking for ideas on how to deal with septic waste from multiple mobile homes, these are five things you should know before placing up to five mobile homes on a septic tank.
Your Septic Tank Size Matters
The size of your septic tank should be taken into consideration when you’re deciding how many mobile homes should share a tank. Some states may also have their designated septic tank sizes to serve a set number of homes, so it’s always best for you to check with the authorities before doing any construction work.
In general, you should expect to have septic tanks that can serve between 75 to 100 gallons of waste from each bedroom. This tank should typically hold 2 days’ worth of waste; hence 5 mobile homes may require a septic tank of up to 1,200 gallons of capacity.
If you have smaller septic tanks, you may have to cut down on the number of mobile homes connected to each tank. Many mobile home owners also recommended bringing in a professional septic tank company to evaluate the best septic tank size to accommodate the number of mobile homes you may have.
How You Design the Septic System Is Important
Separately, it’s important to ensure that your septic system’s design works well to accommodate numerous mobile homes at a go. When having several mobile homes share a septic tank, the best solution is to ensure that the plumbing runs downhills toward the septic tanks.
To do this, many homeowners may opt to have separate plumbing emerge from their home before being funneled into a single plumbing line into the septic tank. Do note that by doing this, the homeowners must agree to share unobstructed drainage to ensure waste enters the septic tank smoothly.
Having a septic system built on a lower ground such as a natural or manmade valley will always work best, but this may limit the plans on how you want to design a trailer park – if that’s what concerns you the most.
Consider Proper Filtration and Water Softening Systems
We all know that septic systems are not the cleanest things around, and for rather obvious reasons. Hence, if you’re looking to have numerous mobile homes share a septic tank, proper filtration and water softening systems are important to improve water quality and avoid water contamination among your mobile home residents.
Although filtration and water softening systems may not come cheap, having them installed can save you from water contamination woes later in the day. For further installation advice, you may approach any professional septic company for assistance. You should also approach your council authorities if a permit is required before installing the filtration and water softening systems.
Clean Your Septic Tank Frequently
However, with increased use from numerous mobile homes, it may be unavoidable that you’ll have to clean out your septic tank more frequently. This is occasionally known as a pumping schedule to some trailer park or mobile home owners. You may arrange for a cleaning schedule with the professional septic company for your convenience.
Pre-arranging a cleaning schedule also allows you to have the professionals come in periodically to check on your septic tank system. They can then properly advise you on the appropriate times that should pump your septic tank.
One of the key things when having a shared septic system is to ensure the solids don’t reach the top of your tank before a septic pumping is required. In this case, you may install a core sampler to your septic tank, so you can monitor when the solids have reached the limits that require pumping.
Cleaning your septic tank more frequently also ensures better hygiene and water quality for your tenants, saving you from the woes of water contamination, if any.
Have All Your Tenants on Board
Finally, it’s most important to have all your tenants agree with the idea of a shared septic tank. This is applicable if you’re a trailer park owner hoping to consolidate the septic system from numerous homes into one for easier management.
After all, the last thing you would want when you have a shared septic system is to have one unreasonable or irresponsible mobile home tenant who isn’t cooperative. In this case, you may consider having a separate septic tank for them, so you can properly monitor their septic use.
By having separate septic systems, you may then charge your tenants for any possible misuse or if they’re disposing of any chemicals or waste that may harm your entire septic system. Although this may not seem like an ideal solution if you have many mobile homes to handle, it could save you many headaches with tenant squabbles in the long run.
Having full cooperation from your tenants also ensures that the plumbing systems will not be tampered with. At the end of the day, having a shared septic tank may save you a lot in setup costs and expenditures in maintaining the system, but only if all homeowners agree to it.
Can Two Mobile Homes Share a Septic Tank?
There are several reasons why you would want two mobile homes to share a septic tank. But before you do that, perhaps you may want to ask if that is legal? Fortunately, yes, you can have two mobile homes share a septic tank, although you may have to adhere to several requirements beforehand.
However, do note that these rules may vary from state to state, so it’s always best to check in with your council before you have two mobile homes share a septic tank. It’s also recommended to hire a professional septic company to evaluate the best septic tank size to install if you wish to have two mobile homes share one septic tank.
To better idea how to set up a septic tank to share between two mobile homes, you may also refer to our guide in the earlier parts of this article.
