Kennel Septic System?

M

mosetters

Member
Not sure where to post this but I’ll try here. I’ve got a 4-run kennel I’m putting up at our new house. Each of the pens is 10’x10’ and I’m going to pour a concrete pad roughly 44’x15’. That leaves 2’ of concrete extending past each “narrow” end, a 3’ walkway in front of the “long” end to access the doors, and 2’ on the opposite “long” end or the back of the kennels. I’m planning on putting in a trench drain along that back end to rinse the pee and poo into - that will drain into a septic tank and then the waste water will run out of that and be daylighted. Does anyone have experience with a septic system like this on dog kennels? Any ideas how much fall I should have in the trench itself and then also the schedule 40 pvc that leads to the septic tank? Should I send all the drain to one end or slope each half of the kennel to the middle and run it to the septic tank from there so I can have more fall in the drain? A quarter bubble on a level works well on similar systems for people but our #2 floats and dog #2 sinks for the most part. Or is this system even the best option? Any and all info is much appreciated. I’m just tired of scooping poop every night after work and the smell of the dog pee/poop lingering around. It would be much nicer to just rinse it down a drain.
 
Sounds like an ambitious undertaking, but understand regards the odor et al from four dogs.

Your plan calls for the waste to be "day lighted." I assume you are going to install a digester tank and run the stuff into the tank and let it percolate into the ground.

The pitch of the gutters probably isn't critical; you'll need to hose the gutters with a strong spray. Installing plastic gutters in the soil might be easier than forming gutters with cement. Not sure how to do this...

Let us know how you proceed and if possible, send photos of your work.

Good luck!
 
Each pen being 10'x10' seems quite generous. Most that I see are 10'x6' or 12'x6'. Length somewhat depends on if your dog boxes are inside the pen or outside of it. One of the nicest setups that I have seen along the same system that you are thinking about, but on a larger scale, is what Steve Chang with Godfather Gundogs has at his facility in Colorado. The link I'll post below shows his kennel setup and the trench he has that runs in front of each kennel. He is easily able to hose out the kennels into the trench and then down to some type of septic system. Maybe you could give Steve a call and ask him how he handles the waste.

http://godfathergundogs.com/facilities.html
 
My experience cleaning kennels with a septic system is minimal. But have found it much easier to shovel the poop than to wash it down the scupper as water flow doesn't get it done. The septic is nice for daily washdown/disinfection (boarding kennel). Usually with morning and night airing we don't have much to shovel or washdown unless a dog has an upset stomach.

I'm with Zeb 10x10 is really big go half as large and get 4 more dogs! Plus a smaller kennel will reduce the likely hood of accidents in the run.
 
Thanks for the info guys. Steve in Colorado has quite the set up, I’ll be giving him a call. I realize the pens are roomy but already have them on hand. Although a few panels would probably be cheaper than concrete right now...
 
Put around a foot of fall in the concrete I put 7" and wished I had done a foot. I put a light broom for the finish and stained the concrete and sealed. But a medium broom would be better. With the sealer pee won't penetrate and poop
Won't stick.
 
I am planning on a dog boarding kennel myself in a couple years, there is a man out of Arizona I believe on youtube who uses gravel in his boarding facilities, he has a few vids of him building the kennel. He claims it is a dogs nature to go on loose surfaces, vs. concrete. He uses an iron grate under the gravel to allow waste to go into septic. I have talked to a few people and I am starting to be a believer in this system, it is worth at least checking out as far as a different option. I also have talked to people about septic's for kennels, all say to go larger then you are thinking, you WILL use a lot of H2O. Angelo Lombardi is the man on You Tube who talks about how he built his kennels.
 
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The kennel is working out nicely. After talking to a few people I put ~15” of fall in the drain(44’ in length) and it seems to be about right. Put a slick finish on the concrete so it washes down easily. Used 4” schedule 40 after the sump at the end of the trench drain to carry it 150’ away from the pens where it falls into a pit I can easily clean out with loader tractor. Decided against any sort of septic tank. I’m sure they work for some but I didn’t want to take the risk of it failing with hair, buildup, etc. Thanks to everyone for their opinions/ideas
 
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