Septic tanks

[Spinney]

Hi all

Anyone got a septic tank, or experience with one?
We are looking to move house, and one of the ones on the shortlist has a septic tank rather than mains sewage. Not having any experince of such things, we'd like to know how much hassle/expense it is likely to be (and would rather trust folks on this forum than what the estate agent says!)

Ta

Spinney

 

[Red Light]

Hi all

Anyone got a septic tank, or experience with one?
We are looking to move house, and one of the ones on the shortlist has a septic tank rather than mains sewage. Not having any experince of such things, we'd like to know how much hassle/expense it is likely to be (and would rather trust folks on this forum than what the estate agent says!)

Ta

Spinney

We've got one and they are generally hassle free. You just need to call in someone to empty it occasionally but its not that expensive (<£100 IIRC)

 

[meenaghman]

Depending where you live the water co. Should empty it once a year for free or offer a rebate on your water charges as a portion of those are for sewer connection.
Is it a modern or old simple one..the latter is a lot less hassle..the former now contain mini macerators..and in my brothers case keep tripping the switch and he's replaced the motor once already in 2yrs.
How many women in the house? Babies..as baby wipes and sanitary towels will clog up the system a bit easier. Get the surveyor to have a good look at the tank and inspection points for Amy signs of backing up..ask the owner when last emptied and how they empty it...some farmers will do it also..

 

[PaulB]

Imagine my disappointment when I naively opened this thread expecting a diatribe against some Americans.

 

[Globalti]

The farmer will suck out the contents and spread them on his field.

My brother ad I were once riding our MTBs across a field that was scattered with some kind of strange muddy stuff, which was spraying all over us and our bikes and then we started noticing condoms......

 

[fossyant]

The farmer will suck out the contents and spread them on his field.

My brother ad I were once riding our MTBs across a field that was scattered with some kind of strange muddy stuff, which was spraying all over us and our bikes and then we started noticing condoms......

Ergh - that's much worse than getting covered in cow poo !

 

[Chrisz]

ooops!! Sorry - I thought this was a thread about yanks!!

 

[Norm]

The disadvantage, as highlighted above, is that many have become thoughtless about what they stick down the pan, chucking in there anything that they consider yucky down there. Putting condoms and sanitary towels down any toilet is pretty inconsiderate but they could spell disaster for a septic tank.

With a septic tank, don't chuck non-biological stuff down the pan. If you only put human waste in there, most will last for a good long time without emptying.

 

[Globalti]

My parents had a cottage in the Dales, which had a septic tank. One day the downstairs bog was backing up so I went out for a look. Lifted the manhole cover to find the septic tank completely full. Obviously everything was backing up so I lifted a manhole cover in the garage floor near the bog – also full. Off to a neighbour to borrow a rodding kit with a big rubber plunger on the end while Mum called the famer with his suction tank.

Shoved the plunger into the unspeakable contents of the upstream manhole and started adding sections and pushing. Anybody who understands the simple principle of the hydraulic pump will know what happened next; a small bore plunger pushed over a long distance exerts an equal pressure on a large bore piston, which moves a shorter distance while the force is magnified many times by the greater area of the piston.

Suddenly there was a barrage of excited barking from the dog and shrieks from my parents. I ran out and found a strange rectangular fountain of brown liquid poo delicately tinged with pink bog paper, spraying into the air from around a second manhole cover that had got hidden and forgotten under the gravel driveway and was lifting with the pressure. The dog was running around yelping and the parents were hysterical with laughter. So with care I lifted the manhole cover and shoved in my plunger. Nothing much happened as the tank was full to the brim so we waited for farmer Giles to arrive with a huge cylindrical tank on a trailer. He dropped a hose into the septic tank, closed the valve then fiddled around behind the tractor which started revving up, a drive shaft from tractor to trailer spinning and a vacuum building up, as shown on a big gauge. He waited a few minutes and when the vacuum had stabilised, he opened the valve. The result was spectacular, the trailer and pipe lurched, there was a roar and in a few seconds the tank contents were sucked up the pipe into the cylinder.

Off went the farmer so I got on with the job of clearing the blocked soil pipe. Pushing from the second manhole produced a spectacular sausage of solid material, which emerged in a smooth cylinder from the pipe, breaking off and splashing down into the tank in an appropriately lavatorial way. Anybody who has seen wet clay passing through a potter’s pugger will know what I mean.

After that it was simple to clear out further upstream and normal service was restored.

Ah, the joys of septic tanks. You gotta keep ‘em septic though, no chemicals to upset the little bacteria and you’ll be fine. I think that was our own problem.

 

[Fnaar]

Imagine my disappointment when I naively opened this thread expecting a diatribe against some Americans.

Beat me to it...grrr

 

[danphoto]

The farmer will suck out the contents and spread them on his field.

But only the contents of his own tank, and that very much on the quiet

 

[yello]

We have one. They are pretty much common place in rural France... in the more modern properties anyway... you don't want to know what the less modern properties do, or don't do as is more the case!

I'm assuming that it is a septic tank rather than a 'micro water treatment station' or whatever. Some of the latter need electricity to run, so a consideration. They also need periodic maintenance (often covered by contract) so again a consideration.

A septic tank proper will need to be emptied periodically (depends on size and usage obviously but ours is done every couple of years). Does it also take 'grey water', i.e. water from the shower, sinks kitchen etc. If so, there may be a grease trap in the system too. That'll require periodic (annual maybe) cleaning. Obviously, this means you need easy access to both. I have to dig up the lawn (only a couple of inches) to get access to the covers.

Here in France, if you're selling a property with a septic tank you need to provide the buyer with a certificate/report that states it conforms to regulations. I don't know what the situation is in the UK.

 

[Spinney]

Thanks Yello - and some of the others.

Some of the replies have been very helpful!

 

[yello]

Thanks Yello - and some of the others.

No probs.

I certainly wouldn't let the property having a septic tank put you off buying. Looked after, they are no problem. (I forgot to mention, we flush a sachet of some kind of activator chemical down the loo on a weekly basis - it keeps the chemical enzyme thingies process going)

What I might be inclined to do too, if you do get serious about the property, is go there a couple of occasions in different weather conditions. Some septic tanks can smell depending on how they've been installed, and it may be more noticeable in wet or hot weather.

There could be what's called a stench pipe from the tank... for obvious reasons. It allows gases to escape from the tank rather than coming back through the plumbing. If there are no p-traps (u-bends in the pipe work) and no stench pipe, you can get smells back into the property. Not full on cesspit smells but pretty unpleasant none-the-less.

We also had a septic tank in New Zealand. I remember helping my father dig it up (after it had been emptied), clean it (it was a brick construction, the one here in France is solid concrete) and rebuild a larger one. Not one of the most pleasant tasks I've ever performed to be honest! but, perhaps surprisingly, not as disgusting as you might fear.

 

[Spinney]

No probs.

I certainly wouldn't let the property having a septic tank put you off buying. Looked after, they are no problem. (I forgot to mention, we flush a sachet of some kind of activator chemical down the loo on a weekly basis - it keeps the chemical enzyme thingies process going)

What I might be inclined to do too, if you do get serious about the property, is go there a couple of occasions in different weather conditions. Some septic tanks can smell depending on how they've been installed, and it may be more noticeable in wet or hot weather.

There could be what's called a stench pipe from the tank... for obvious reasons. It allows gases to escape from the tank rather than coming back through the plumbing. If there are no p-traps (u-bends in the pipe work) and no stench pipe, you can get smells back into the property. Not full on cesspit smells but pretty unpleasant none-the-less.

We also had a septic tank in New Zealand. I remember helping my father dig it up (after it had been emptied), clean it (it was a brick construction, the one here in France is solid concrete) and rebuild a larger one. Not one of the most pleasant tasks I've ever performed to be honest! but, perhaps surprisingly, not as disgusting as you might fear.

Thanks - the smells aspect hadn't actually occurred to me! (Other than obviously ponging a bit if it got to overflowing!) Questions to ask the surveyor,if we get that far. I think UK houses should have enough U-bends (the bathrooms in this particular house are modern). The owners aren't the friendly 'just ask us if you have any questions' type - they are the type that only let people look round if the agent comes, and they play 'dodge the buyer' so they never have to meet! Seems very odd to me. But that's by the by...