Cesspool question

flissh

Can anyone help?

We are about to buy a house that has a cesspool. We think it is the sealed type, not one that treats and then leaches out water.

Are we right in thinking all household water would go in it, ie. the dishwasher, washing machine etc.

Any clues to how often this would need emptying, based on two adults, (with normal hygine habits:D )

markie1980

Yes, you a right, all household water would be going into it.
As to how often it needs emptying depends on the size of the tank, it could be every month.
Quite often on an older property, the tank is smaller than would be ideal due to the increase in water use and waste compared to when it was installed.

There are things that can be done to convert the cesspool into a treatment plant for a fraction of the cost, which would mean it only needed emptying of solids every year or so. And at Around £120 a time that would pay for itself fairly quickly.
Let me know if you have anymore questions.
Mark.

ormus

my mates farm has his emptied about once per year.
i assume its an open type, that leeches the water out.

martindow

There is a big difference between a septic tank and a cess pit. Septic tanks need pumping out every year or two but a small cess pit can fill quickly and need emptying frequently. With a cess pit you can lift the lid and check the level - not pleasant but it avoids paying unnecessarily for emptying. Septic tasks of course always look full.

Can you ask the sellers how often it needs emptying? They might tell the truth.

jess1974

My septic tank was last emptied 4 years ago, and before that 8 years ago, it is very efficient, and keep my water bills very low. We have the choice of going onto mains sewerage but are not going to bother...

Saver-Rob

Hi all,

Sorry to hijack this thread but we have just viewed a house with a cess pit. It is a 1930's bungalow and I expect the tank is quite old itself.

So looking at worst case scenario and its a pretty small tank, how often would it need empying with 2 people living there full time and what is the approximate cost each time? I am aware prices around the country will vary but I have no idea even of a ball park figure.

Thanks for all replies.

markie1980

As a very rough guess - once every month or 2 and £100-£160 per time.
Not very accurate, but it gives you a rough idea.

davep

We have a treatment plant cesspit which needs emptying less, as one of the other posters mentioned, than a normal cesspit as the water is treated and drained off into a soakaway or ditch, its only solids that need removing.
We share ours with a neighbour so its a fairly big one, instructions say empty solids every 2-3 years depending on usage. We moved into our house 2 years ago and I had it emptied last year as I was not sure when it had last been done, it cost £45 to do and is a bit smelly whilst the lid was off.
One thing to bear in mind is treatment plants need an air pump running 24/7 so you need to factor the cost of electric to run it and the replacement every 5 years or so. I worked out the electricity running cost was about £80 per year, so if we emptied every year the cost would be £125 shared between 2 households (£63 each)
Saves a fortune on the water bill as generally the water leaving the house is charged at about 1.05 times the water coming in, so in our case we are on meter and our annual water bill is £140 (2 adults) therefore main sewer charge would be £147 on top of this.
We got a letter from the water company recently saying they are putting a main sewer in the village offering us a "one off" special price to connect to it, I politely declined as it will cost me at least another £147 on my water bill each year :eek:
This is the first house we have lived in with a cesspit/treatment plant and I would not go back to main sewer charge now as its saving me a fortune.