Forums > Specific Focus > Home, Garden & Construction in Mexico

jeff

Aug 2, 2002, 5:18 PM

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home building

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I have been watching this site with great interest. I will be building on a beach lot north of Zihuatenajo within the next two years. I have just begun to do the research required. I am a Plumber by trade and a 10 yr building Inspector in a northern california city. I am determined to build to North American Standards. I have recently discovered that I will need to go to Acapulco for plumbing and electrical supplies if I indeed want to build to code. THe lot is sand and gravel (beach). Of course I was told that is great for septic system. No So. If percolation is too fast, effluent will drain unfiltered (without removing bacteria)into the water table. MY WELL. There are a number of alternative systems In the US and Canada ie.. biofilter, pressurized, oxygenated, leaching chambers. Does anyone out there have any knowledge of alternatives to conventional septic and leach field systems available in mexico. It would be helpful. Jeff

Esteban

Aug 4, 2002, 12:36 PM

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Your well should be at least one hundred feet from your septic system. You well should be deep enough and have layers of imnpermeable soil types to not allow surface water to penetrate it. Other wise it will be suceptible to all sorts of contamination. I've seen those sand biofilter systems that are lined with a membrane built in the US for the effluent and they looked like they could easily be copied in Mexico. You might ask your local inspectors for some designs.

Charlie

Aug 5, 2002, 7:28 AM

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Have you considered a composting toilet and a grey water system?

Marvin Kemel

Aug 5, 2002, 4:26 PM

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Esteban is much more knowledgeable than I on this subject, BUT: Most Mexican septic systems are not a true field. Just a tank with an outlet. I would be leary of a well. How close are your neighbours? Will the water be salty? Where I live you cannot have a septic sytem on less than an acre lot. And certainly not close to a body of water. If you are a plumber and want to build to typical USA code, you may find it impossible.

jeff

Aug 5, 2002, 4:53 PM

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of a well. How close are your neighbours? Will the water be salty? Where I live you cannot have a septic sytem on less than an acre lot. And certainly not close to a body of water. If you are a plumber and want to build to typical USA code, you may find it impossible. Thanks for the responses, The well is located a good 500 meters off the property. All of the lots have access to the water. As for the septic system, All the lots have or will have tehm. My concern was contaminating the water table. As for building to code, I can get ther required materials in Acapulco. My expertise lacks where private sewage disposal is concerned. I have not been able to find a gravity biofilter system in mexico. They require much less area and will protect the water table. I am building to retire and would prefer a conventional system. A composting tiolet souds great and I have knowledge of them, but I don't think I'll want to make the extra effort in dealing with it. Jef

Esteban

Aug 6, 2002, 10:54 AM

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I would be more concerned with the well itself before anything. If the well isn't constructed properly you'll end up with NO water or unusable water. Even in the US, you'll find groups of people using one well with no idea about how to go about it. How do you know there is enough water to supply the ongoing new construction? Is the well constructed to alleviate surface water contamination? How deep is the well and is it lined and screened at the bottom. Does the well produce any particulates? Has the well been tested for contaminates including e-coli, generic coli and inorganic substances? Those questions are the some of the questions you should be asking before you even buy the property. The idea of composting toilets and grey water recycling are all good but even those take on some weird chemical nuances. You might even think about rainwater catch basins that drain into a larger storage area.

billaqui

Aug 6, 2002, 12:43 PM

Post #7 of 19 (9677 views)

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wells-http://www.lifewater.ca/Section_Tutorial.htm (nfm)

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Carl A. Carlson

Aug 6, 2002, 1:11 PM

Post #8 of 19 (9677 views)

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Some Geological Considerations

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If you are truely on the beach, there are a few possible troubles you may incounter. The water table on the beach is usually only a few feet below the surface. I believe a drainage field needs to be above the water table. Be sure there is enough space for a viable drainage field. Secondly, I believe that ground water belongs to the Mexican government in Mexico. You need a permit to extract it. Third, if your well is servicing a lot of people, I would be worried about rapid movement of both salt water and effluent into the cone of depression around the well.I guess I would talk to the liscening agency about the safety of the well and septic fields. Despite their bad reputation, there are many capable and helpful people in the Mexican government.Good Luck,Carl Carlson

Loco

Aug 6, 2002, 7:39 PM

Post #9 of 19 (9676 views)

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elevated septic

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I forgot that my sister built a school building in a "wetlands" (actually the second building but the only way they could expand). They were required to "mound" the septic (requiring a pump). There must have been a waste estimate made for a three room school house ... but this mound was about 50x20 feet ... and about 4 feet high from the low side.There was no planting on the mound other than grass. Don't know if it could double as a sound/privacy barrier.

Maynard

Aug 6, 2002, 9:12 PM

Post #10 of 19 (9677 views)

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home building

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Esteban, Have you done a lot of construction in Mexico?
: Your well should be at least one hundred feet from your septic system. You well should be deep enough and have layers of imnpermeable soil types to not allow surface water to penetrate it. Other wise it will be suceptible to all sorts of contamination. : I've seen those sand biofilter systems that are lined with a membrane built in the US for the effluent and they looked like they could easily be copied in Mexico. You might ask your local inspectors for some designs.

Esteban

Aug 7, 2002, 11:03 AM

Post #11 of 19 (9677 views)

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No I haven't done a lot of building in Mexico although I have been involved with a limited amount. In the US, I was involved with water systems both public and private for many years. And, in the US, I've built homes some, doing EVERYTHING from the groundwork up. I do know, however, the differences between building in Mexico and building in the US. I've also been studying the process through friends who are actively involved. One thing I can tell you about water systems is that they are almost universally the same. Well development and distribution is practically the same world wide. They even use the same equipment. One of my neighbors relatives came to visit Mazatlan from the state of Guanajuato. He works on a water well drilling rig there. We talked and compared notes. No difference at all with what he was doing and how it was done in the US. The quality of distribution infrastructure is better in the US at least in urban areas. While working in rural America, I saw systems that would rival the worst case systems here in Mexico.

DavidG

Aug 10, 2002, 11:00 PM

Post #12 of 19 (9677 views)

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been there, done that

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The house I built on the beach in Cozumel, MX required the same consideration you are going through. My property is located adjacent to the Underwater Marine Park and therefore underwent a detailed ecological impact study before we were allowed to build. The biologist specified a high effeciency biometric treatment plant. High water table definitly precludes the use of a ordinary septic system. The system we went with is manufactured in Kansas. www.biomicrobics.com What I like best about it is "no moving parts". There is a air pump involved but that is above ground. The treatment plant itself is below ground and never needs servicing. The effluent is totally odorless and colorless. We use it to water the flower gardens. I have this system in use for over a year now under heavy load and can try and answer more questions if you have any. Importation wasn't too much problem, shipping to Cozumel was only $200-$300. Duty was 30% I believe. They have sizes for a single house, to whole neighborhoods.DavidG

Esteban

Aug 11, 2002, 6:42 AM

Post #13 of 19 (9677 views)

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been there, done that

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After reading the specs on that system, it sounds fantastic! Thanks for the link. Do you know what states in the US have approved the use this system?
I have one question: What size is the motor that drives the air blower? Thanks

DavidG

Aug 11, 2002, 6:29 PM

Post #14 of 19 (9676 views)

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been there, done that

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I know Florida has. I have some test data that was from a test site in the Florida Keys.My unit is the .09 size, good for up to 14 persons water/sewer usage per day. The blower motor on that unit is 110V .25 HP. The next size up goes to a 220V pump. The blower must run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.DavidG
www.villados.com: After reading the specs on that system, it sounds fantastic! Thanks for the link. Do you know what states in the US have approved the use this system?
: I have one question: What size is the motor that drives the air blower? Thanks

Esteban

Aug 14, 2002, 6:17 AM

Post #15 of 19 (9677 views)

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been there, done that

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A .25 HP motor could easily be set up to run from a small solar system. Makes it a truly worthwhile investment IMHO. Good luck and I'd like to hear about any problems you encounter with it or good news about it. Thanks

Kevin Ayling

Aug 14, 2002, 1:20 PM

Post #16 of 19 (9676 views)

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home building

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It is possible to get most construction materials to a high quality in Mexico.I am the General Manager of MonierLifetile Mexico, manufacturing concrete roof tiles and roof systems components in Guadalajara, for use in Mexico, hence we are a supplier, also our products are madr to the same standards as in Europe, Asia or the USA. We completed the plant last year and were able to source all of our construction materials requirements within Mexico. Only key manufacturing items were imported. As part of Lafarge S.A. we have very high environmental and safety standards (electrical, no wire nuts we use European standards mostly)to comply with, and were able to accomplish this without any difficulties, including our septic tank, below ground irrigation system for all domestic water, also we have a well on site for our water needs, more than 35m fropm the septic drainage zone.I can let you have details

DavidG

Aug 16, 2002, 8:01 AM

Post #17 of 19 (9677 views)

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been there, done that

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That would be of some interest. Can you point me in the direction for the equipment?
DG: A .25 HP motor could easily be set up to run from a small solar system. Makes it a truly worthwhile investment IMHO. Good luck and I'd like to hear about any problems you encounter with it or good news about it. Thanks

Esteban

Aug 16, 2002, 4:02 PM

Post #18 of 19 (9677 views)

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Solar with a .25 hp motor

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Here are a couple of places I dug from google.com. As you can see a hp is equal to 746 watts however to start an elec. motor takes more wattage than the working wattage. An estimate would be that a .25 motor would take about .75 of 745 watts to start. That's a real ROUGH estimate. I'd say that it wouldn't be that hard to just run your small blower. I will admit, I'm not very familiar with this stuff but in your situation, I'd sure at this stuff as an alternative.
http://www.solar-electric.com/
http://www.sierrasolar.com/index.htmElectrical power is rated in horsepower or watts. A horsepower is a unit of power equal to 746 watts or 33,0000 lb-ft per minute (550 lb-ft per second). A watt is a unit of measure equal to the power produced by a current of 1 amp across the potential difference of 1 volt. It is 1/746 of 1 horsepower. The watt is the base unit of electrical power.

Richard

Sep 11, 2002, 5:04 PM

Post #19 of 19 (9678 views)

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dont forget

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This motor must run 24/7 365
and even in the land of Coz it gets dark at night. Soooo now your building a storage unit for the night and rainy and dark periods etc etc .
In a perfect world and when dealing with FRACTIONAL hp motors you can use the 746/750 watt theory . But now your asking your ac motor to run off dc which will most often cause it to run less effiently there fore useing more wattage .
Up to the board now do we take this any farther ? as to how to set up a system etc etc .
YT Richard