Hello, I live in a very old 2 family house with my husband and 2 dogs. Most of the house is empty and we only live in and heat the downstairs. Our sinks (2) and tub (1) all run into a "dry well" or "seepage pit " by way of a PVC pipe. That pipe has now broken ( and is buried); as a result our sinks and tub almost always have standing water in them. I wanted to hire a plumber to connect these into the main sewer line for the toilets, and have everything drain into the septic tank. Is this possible? And if it is how much would the average plumber charge? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated as we are desperate.:confused:

It is relatively easy to connect your tub and sink drains to your septic and / or to the drain leading to septic... Excavation is the hard part...

First, locate tub and sink drains on the exterior. Then, locate main sewer pipe that runs to the septic. Excavate trench between these two and connect.

Once you have both drains exposed, come back. One of us will lead you through actual connection details.

Can't the waste pipe be connected into the sewage line in the basement? I live in an old village lots of old houses set close together, any digging would be very disruptive.

Oh sure, that would be the easiest way ! Locate the tub and sink drains and locate the main drain that leads to your septic. Connect them in your basement.

If you post a drawing of your basement showing location of subject sewer lines, we can tell you exactly what to do. Photos would help, too...

How much do you think a plumber would charge for this job?

You can call plumber or even have a handy person to do it. All fittings, glue, and pipe can be purchased in Home Depot / Lowe's.

I don't know where you are located. Cost of labor differs with your location. But figure not more than $75.00 for parts and 2 - 3 hours of labor. The labor / time depends how far are these pipe away from each other. But I think total charge for L/M should not exceed $350.00 to $400.00, tops

My husband doubts we could do this job ourselves.


We are in rural upstate NY, the pipes are all located within 2-3 feet of each other. Thank you or your estimates.

Ok, get 2 or 3 free estimates. With three prices in hand you will get good idea how much it will cost you.

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Originally Posted by jemmyd

We are in rural upstate NY, the pipes are all located within 2-3 feet of each other. Thank you or your estimates.

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Oh, he should be done in no time ! Price could be even cheaper than I originally stated.

Thanks A Lot! Now I can convince my husband we can afford this!

Glad to be of help ! Let us know how you did !

Jemmyd - There is one factor not memtioned in this thread. That has to be thought about :: ( First of all your SEPTIC TANK ,works on one princlable and that IS ( BACTERIA ) Continuous bacteria Grouth in the septic tank in order for it to do its proper job all the time, ) Once soap is introduced to the tank it will start to kill all the bacteria that is in your tank , IF YOU CAN AT ALL POSSIBLE <REPAIR THE LINE THAT IS NOT HOOKED TO YOUR SEPTIC TANK <IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY IN THE LONG RUN OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS< Good luck and GOD BLESS:: F.B.E.

P.S. - This is why they try not to connect drains that will have SOAP Comeing out of them to go into the septic tank . F.B.E.

Good point, FBE... From my experience, people don't connect tub, washer, and sinks to their septic so they don't fill it up to fast. If they have slow percolation than it may call for more frequent waste disposal service. Also, presence of bacteria can be easily controlled...

Moreover, there are some "green" people who use gray water for irrigation purposes...