I tried to build one from a couple videos online but felt like I didn’t no what the hell I was doing so I picked up this book. It was exactly what I was looking for, a step-by-step guide that just told me exactly what to do. It came with all the info I needed including a detail list of all the materials. I feel like my septic tanks and everything will last for years. If you are trying to build a diy system get this book. You will need it.

I have zero experience working with plumbing, especially toilets and such. I didn’t know the first thing about waste disposol or septic systems before reading this. The author did a good job explaining how septic systems work and how to install his DIY system.

I am an engineer who has been designing and overseeing the installation of residential septic systems for 25 years. I bought the DIY Septic System book because it looked like a bunch of BS, and trust me, being in this field as long as I have I’ve seen a lot of BS. Also, I figured if the book was no good I could request a refund of my money.

To my surprise, it was refreshing to see a book this detailed. You can tell that the author is definitely an expert and that he really put a lot of time and effort into writing and compiling this book. I thought the book was going to be 30 to 40 pages of crap, but I was wrong. It actually is a complete set of plans with every step outlined and explained. I especially like the fact that he spent multiple pages on site preparation, so that the work can be done safely.

Now, whenever you’re dealing with septic systems, especially a DIY system, you have to be extremely careful. I have seen some disasters while in this line of work. I have seen an improperly installed DIY system literally fill a yard up with raw sewage.

However, I think this book is an excellent guide that will ensure that this type of system is installed correctly. As a professional in this line of work, if people are going to install these types of septic systems, it’s best that they do it correctly instead of causing a major problem, and for that I think this book is an excellent resource.

Very helpful!

I actually built a system using another guide I found on the internet and the system didn’t last 6 months. Put this one in and it’s been going strong for over a year now with no problems. I’m running a toilet, a shower and one sink into this system every day and it has worked really well. The build and install was also much easier than I expected. I don’t think there will be any problems because I havent had any yet. I’m very satisfied with this system.

Great book to learn about diy septic system installation. Haven’t put a system in yet but the book answered all of my questions. I recommend.

I have a small off grid camper that has a toilet and sink that I need a septic system for. The system in this book will be perfect and I might even run a shower to it. If you need an off grid toilet setup check out this book.

I was looking for a small septic system for one toilet - this system is so much better because it can handle a lot more than just toilet. Once the system was installed I also installed two additional sinks and a shower. The shower setup that the author outlines in the book is alos very nice and that’s what I went with. It’s so nice to have a proper indoor shower instead of washing outside like I’d been doing. I never thought I’d be able to even have a sink much less a shower. As a bonus I was able to get everything off of Amazon.

Very easy to understand for someone that doesn't known much about plumbing or making a septic system.

I needed a way to build a homemade septic tank for my RV and this book was the perfect resource. Now I don’t have to worry about emptying the RV and we can use it for longer periods of time when we go to our campsite at the beach. Our RV would also sometimes start to smell a little if it wasn’t emptied regularly and now we don’t have to worry about that anymore. If you have an RV and you are looking for a solution to get a septic system I would recommend that you use this book.

I did my entire new septic system from scratch. This book was a Godsend and made the whole project so easy. Much better than other information I had planned on using at first.

This is a really good well put together book. The book goes into great detail about a lot of things I didn’t expect, especially about leach fields and water tables. I really appreciate this, because this was something I was worried about and didn’t really understand. The book also has a lot of great info about stuff I didn't think I'd be interested in (never thought I'd enjoy learning about how waste is broken down). I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a good book on building a septic system.

This book offers a good overview of how septic systems work and how to build your own underground septic system. The book won’t make you an expert plumber but you will know for sure how to build your own septic system.

A really helpful book for those that wanted to save money by building a septic system by themselves.

The pictures are clear, and the instructions are also clear. The book also give cutaway figure/pictures for things, so you will know the name of specific components, which is great for beginners like me. This book covers a lot of information and was well worth the money.

Really great book.

I bought this book hoping for some basic info about how to make a DIY septic system for my camper. Even though I’m a complete beginner when it comes to any kind of plumbing work I could easily follow along with the plans and instructions. I hope to build this DIY system very soon and I feel confident that I can do it with this book. Five Stars.

But you don’t have to be a pro to use the info in the book. I learned a lot about how septic systems work and how even a small septic can be used for a house. Any DIYer or someone interested in learning about building a septic system could and would benefit from this book.

I needed a new septic system but the guy I called wanted $5,500 before even starting the work. Unfortuantely where I am there’s not a lot of options for contractors because its so remote out here. I am a senior and live alone so I knew I didn’t need anything fancy and I figured that there no reason for me to pay so much money for a bigger septic system. Once I got this book my two sons were able to install the entire system in the book very fast. It only cost about $150 for the whole thing so it saved me a lot of money. Others should at least look at this book before spending so much money on another septic system.

In this book there's so much information, and so many easy to follow, full-color illustrations, you can tackle the whole job yourself. If anything, you'll know what's involved with just about every part of a septic system. This book is highly organized and informative. You'll easily understand how plumbing and vents work all the way to how you can build your own entire septic system.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book and the other 2 books as well. I have bought quite a few Do-It-Yourself books and some are really good, while others are really bad. This book is the former. I was honestly expecting to be disappointed, but was very happy with the straight forward knowledge in these books. Well done.

I’ve been a professional plumber for 20 + years and I highly doubted that this type of septic system was as good as the book was claiming. But after going over the information the info is solid and I didn’t see any mistakes. I didn’t see anything I would change in the plans. This info should definitely be a help for someone if they are looking for a way to put in a septic system on their own. That’s my 2 cents...

Very helpful and easy to follow

It’s nice to have a place to crap and wash up when I’m out at my hunting cabin without having to worry about digging holes in the ground. I thought about using some type of 55 gallon drum septic system before I found the DIY septic system book. The septic system was easy to build and is what I needed. Take a look at this if specially if you need a way to get rid of waste out in the middle of no where.

The thing I like most is the drawings are very clear and have good instructions. I’ve used other do-it-yourself type books before that had horrible drawings you can’t even understand or that skipped steps. This book has drawings but it also has photographs of the septic system actually being installed. The author goes from the very first step to the very last when the work is completely done and every step has a photograph or drawing and he explains what is going on.

Easy to read, lots of pictures, and very useful for a DIY type person.

Me and my husband got this book to put in a small homemade septic system at our new little cabin in the woods. The cabin is beautiful and it’s the perfect location but there is one problem, there is no plumbing! The previous owners used a composting comode and heated water over the stove for the bathtub. But the bathtub and sink just drains right onto the ground under the cabin.

The instructions in this book are very very detailed and will help us put in a normal type of septic system. We’re also going to put in some more standard plumbing to make the cabin more comfortable. We hav started measuring and getting everything ready, getting our materials, etc. I can’t wait until we finally have the system in and have a normal bathroom!

I consider myself a pretty knowledgeable DIY-er having done many DIY projects over the years. I’ve used many DIY guides and books including information I’ve found on the web. Without a doubt the DIY septic system book is the most complete manual I’ve used. There must be around 200 pictures in the book it seems like theres a picture for each and every step. The layout of the book was clean and easy to use and the information well organized. I didn’t have any questions or find myself scratching my head from not understanding something while using the book, which is rare when using most DIY guides. I give this guide a solid A+ I don’t see how it could be any better.

I’m going to install one of these systems for my new woodworking shop. The plans are very detailed and I don’t expect to have any problems. This book contains some really great information.

I used this to put in a homemade septic system for my outhouse I built on some camping land. You can get to the land with a truck but there aint no where to use the bathroom so I had built a outhouse. I didn’t want human waste sitting in the hole for long time so I put in this system so all the waste is underground. It took awhile to dig it an put it in but it worth it to not worry about having a toilet

My wife and I along with our 2 kids live in a relocatable home that is in a remote area and we had been using a couple of above-ground tanks for waste. It was set up by someone else a long time ago and it was not good at all. We wanted to put in an underground septic tank system that would be more sanitary and I found this book while trying to see what we had to do. We were able to install this type of system for less than $100 and it has worked bloody well. If you need a septic tank system use this book as your guide and do it the right way.

Perfect for my off grid toilet. I also put in a sink. Setup works great.

Me and my fiance have been living in our hand-built tiny house for almost a year. Life has been really good but for one thing, and that is we are having problems getting rid of waste water from the bath and we are tired of messing with the compost toilet. We just finished reading this book and going over the plans and it has made us super confident that we can use this diy septic system to solve our problems. The plans in the book make it easy to understand how it all works. We were looking for a tiny house septic system and now we both can’t wait to put the system in.

This is a well illustrated and good book for planning out a smaller septic system. I only give it four stars vs. five, because I feel like the author repeats some information too many times e.g. he goes over the parts of a septic system at least twice in the book.

Good overview over DIY plumbing and septic - comprehensive information, easy to read, lots of really good pictures and also good diagrams. The book includes lots of information on proper drain sloping and install as well, and a good overview of materials and tools needed. Lots of good safety information too.

A solid guide to connecting home plumbing to a hand-made septic system. I bought this after checking out other books on septic systems from our local library, and I have to say it seems this is the only comprehensive book on how to build and install your own. If nothing else, you will know the ins and outs of what a septic system is and how it works so you can discuss having someone else install this type of system if needed.

This book was worth the money and I highly recommend it.

I ordered around 10 books on making an off grid home site. I had 2 books on septic systems including this one and it is by far the best one. The other book was talking about more type of septic systems you find in big homes but this book goes through each step to build a small system wich is what I needed. Me and my wife put in the same system as in this book and it works great we are so happy we have a kitchen and bathroom and fully off grid. I can tell you this book will work if you need a off grid septic system.

this book lays out everything just fine and it has really a lot of good stuff. he makes it look easy and i havent started yet but im sure i can do it gong by the the steps hopefully i can get it in soon

Good pictures, clear instructions, very helpful.

Very informative book. Shows step by step how to do things and has really good illustrations.

This book is the most comprehensive information about building my own septic system that I found. The book starts off by going over how this system is used, and he compares it to other types of septic systems. He also goes over how most smaller septic systems can only use 1 toilet, but how this system can handle much more like showers, sinks, etc. He even talks about daily water useage that the average person uses.

The next section goes over choosing the site for where the system will be located on the property. This includes how septic systems work and how where they are located effects them. He goes over how to do some simple tests to make sure the location is good. He also discusses things that should be avoided when picking the site. I like how much detail he gives, it seems like everything is covered and you won’t make a mistake. Another thing I like is how he talks about safety when doing this type of work. He really left no topic uncovered.

The third section of the book is the longest and includes all of the steps for building and installing the system. He goes over different diagrams and options you can use for your own system and he explains everything in very detailed. Then he goes into the actual install and you can see from beginning to end the author of the book actually install one of his systems at a real location. Each step has at least one picture and sometimes the includes multiple pictures to make sure everything is understood.

After going through this book I can’t wait to get started on my own DIY system. This book took a huge load off my shoulders trying to learn how to do this.

A couple of friends helped me put this septic system in for my mobile home. The old one stopped working and we dont have money for a new big system. It only took us 2 days to do everything. I want to thank the writer of this book I dont really know what we would have done without this book. Thank You And God Bless

Very informative supplied way more information than I needed. Served my purpose well. I imagine anyone would find it useful to be able to construct a small septic system plus maybe do some basic plumbing after reading. Very informative.

Illustrations are really good. Better than other information I was able to find on internet forums for building a septic system.

Very clear photographs and text makes it easy to understand. Looks like it has everything necessary to know how to make a homemade septic tank. Also includes info about working with materials like pvc which is good.

My family owns some land in the mountains and we take our motorhome up there at least a few times a year. It’s a really great place because there aren’t any other people around because we own around a dozen acres. Anyway we wanted to put in a small septic system because we usually take 6-8 people and sometimes even 10 or more when we go up there and it’s really too much for the motorhome to handle and there’s no where to dump it. I got with a guy and his son who said they could intall a system that would work, so we ended up paying them almost $4,000. Well long story short the system ended up failing and it was a bloody mess, I mean a huge discusting mess. We ended up paying even more money to dig everything up. After that we didn’t know what we were going to do so I started doing some looking on google and then amazon for some books about putting in a small “DIY” waste system. I found this book and it was a lifesaver. I talked to the guy who wrote it (his name is Don) and he was just super helpful and friendly and we ended up basically using the exact septic system that is in his book. We havent had any trouble whatsoever since we put in his system and what really makes me slap myself is that Dons system was so cheap to put in. We could have really saved a lot of money if I knew about him sooner so I really screwed up. Anyway long story short if you need a “DIY” waste system I wouldn’t use anything else but Dons book and if you need help what’s really good is you can get in touch with him and he will help you.

Like other reviews say, this book has about as much info as you would need to design and install your own small septic system. We are going off-grid and the one thing I was most concerned about was needing a septic system. We actually ended up not building this system because we went with a full-sized septic tank and field. It had more to do with our location than anything. We ended up spending over $8,000 to have a contractor put in the full-sized system, but at least I learned a lot reading this book and I knew how septic systems work. That came in handy when talking with the contractor. I recommend going over the info in this book if you need a small septic system or even if you just want to learn about how they work.

Lots of great detailed information with pictures! As some other reviewers have also pointed out this book has Lots of pictures which makes the info easy to read and follow. Under each picture there is a paragraph explaining what the picture is showing which is also really helpful.

I have done my own plumbing for years and I’ve even helped install a regular septic tank but I still learned alot. Love the pictures and diagrams, made everything simple.

I just bought a tiny house in and I wanted to put in a septic system because I don’t like composting toilets. I’m a pretty small woman (5’ 2” tall) and I was able to follow the guidelines and install the DIY system by myself in a week. Some of the work was tiresome but it was soooo worth it to have a full (tiny!) bathroom now. And I’m sooooo glad I don’t have to empty a composting toilet anymore (YUCK!). I HIGHLY recommend this DIY book.

Good book. Helped me out

Great book for a DIY septic system. The book contains lots of good quality pictures and easy to read pages.

Great information on building your own septic system. This is going to save me a ton of money.

Nice book. Illustrations / pictures are clear and concise. Great for anyone needing help understanding plumbing / septic systems / etc.

I have been planning to put in a small septic tank for shop behind my house and I have spent many hours online reading forums and other types of articles. The only thing I could find was very limited information and when it was all said and done I still didn’t have a clue how to start. This book was exactly what I had been searching for and I’m glad I finally found it. I plan to use it to install a septic system that will handle a toilet and a sink in my shop. I actually am relieved because now I know exactly what I need to do.

This book great but also simple to follow. Very informative illustrations and photographs. It’s also written in plain English. Thank you. S Markle, Boulder, CO 5/11/

Excellent book for someone that wants to learn how septic systems work and how to build a DIY system... so much info packed full of pictures... it is great.

This is the best book about this I could find. There’s so much good information and with so many useful pictures.

When I started going over the instructions in the book I was VERY skeptical about using the system as a small septic tank for my cabin to replace the old system. My cabin has two bathrooms and also a pretty big kitchen with a sink and a dishwasher. What changed my mind was how thorough the instructions are and also how responsive the author of the book, Don Jensen was to my emails. I emailed him to make sure this system was good enough for my cabin and he assured me that it was. He even sent me a video showing his own cabin that is very similar to mine-two bathrooms and a full kitchen. I’ve been running Don’s system for almost two years and so far I haven’t had one single hiccup. If you follow his guidelines you shouldn’t have any problems.

This is a fantastic book for anyone who wants the following question answered- what is the easiest way to build a small septic system? This is what I was looking for, so I am very very happy. Every piece of the DIY system is shown and a lot of times in exploded detail and discussed. If you can use some basic tools, this is the really critical information you need to make your own small system.

If your looking for actual plans with measurements etc, then this is the book for you. I was kind of hesitant to order this book at first because I had already bought another book on septic systems and it wasn’t what I needed. But this book ended up being the one to answer all of my questions and give me what I was looking for.

I am very happy with this book, it gave me just what I needed with excellent and very clear illustrations.