John Rains

Looks good my man, I will have to plan a visit 👍

I think in the future there will be incandescent bulbs produced in the USA once again...I like the old incandescents for lamps around the house for when I dont need alot of light just that warm cozy glow. I found some at a junk store recently...they had alot of bulbs in a bin and they even gave me an old lamp to setup and test bulbs with...I think I got them for $0.50/bulb. As always, try estate sales.

Try auctions and estate sales...A decade ago I bought 3 wool Turkoman rugs from a local auction for maybe $200 all together...they really tie a room together.

If you decide to discharge to a subsurface system just put a little grease trap or baffled box upstream of it to separate any grease/oil/solids that make it down the drain. You should be able to find a frost depth map somewhere to get an indication of how deep you need to bury your pipes...maybe check the local water utility provider construction specifications if nothing else. I think it was already mentioned, you could always just discharge to the surface since it sounds like you have sufficient grade...maybe just put some stone below and around your pipe where it daylights to keep it drained and animals out, essentially a level spreader. see https://share.google/images/afeNJyCSnIsdYMkB8

Burton, how much did this system cost? Did your permitting agency give the okay on surface disposal? Why not just use small diameter perforated HDPE in clean stone isntead of the Flo-log for subsurface disposal? These systems like the Flo-log are typically used for drainage instead of disposal so it seems like they would eventually clog over time from biofilm/organics unless you had a good filter upstream?

Do the solids not have to be periodically removed from the IBC tote similiar to a septic tank?

Hey neighbor I might have to check out your progress someday I think this AL-GA-TN area is the best in the southeast. Let me know if you ever need an engineering opinion on something.

As far as clay goes, you may be able to take a look at NRCS soil maps to see if you have any high clay soil on your property...they may be at a layer deeper than just below your topsoil. You could also check with a soil supplier in your area to see if they have any clean fill dirt with a moderate clay content...if you ask they may just let you come and get a bucket for free. I got mine from a pile that my municipality had dumped at a park for regrading-it was probably 50/30 clay/sand soil with some silt.

I made seedballs this year but I thought the process of making individual seedballs was too much work so I just rolled the mix into short ropes...you know like you would for rope coiling in pottery. I havnt tested it yet but I plan on just breaking the dried rope into chunks to toss out. Perhaps this has already been done before? I dont see a big advantage to having a seed ball over a seed cylinder?

chad Christopher wrote:Generally speaking, no. You cannot sustainably produce enough bio-gas for a single homestead. I don't have the contacts. But Bob Hamburg. From West Virginia is a leader in biogas technology. Bio gas is trivial at a single family level. But an intentional community could benifit.

My thoughts exactly...doesnt make sense unless you are generating alot of organic waste from humans and farm operations. Also, temperature is an important factor...thats why you see alot of these smaller biogas systems in tropical climates where temperature is warm and consistent year around.

Household wastewater here in the US (unless your Mr Natural) also has other constituents that dont need to go into digesters like cleaners, personal care products, pharmas...And I would think you would still be required by law to dispose of any overflow from the bioreactor to an on-site disposal field.

I still think the easiest onsite wastewater solution here in the US is the septic tank and disposal field or compost bin toilet (and disposal field if you want to be kosher with the gov't). I think more of these systems should incorporate vegetated beds so that nutrients can be extracted from the wastewater before being disposed into the soil.

I would think that as long as the bottom of the pit is 2 feet above the high water table groundwater contamination shouldnt be too big of a concern....assuming the soil type has acceptable percolation rates. You know if this is just a single househould waste pit that has been abandoned I wouldnt be  concerned about transport...I wouldnt think enteric bacteria could persist too long in those conditions. Unless you have a well or pond nearby I wouldnt bother investigating it.

How was the quality of the prefab shed? Ive read review that are mixed on the build quality.