Need to empty cesspit ? Any one know ?

longforgotten

I have looked in the cesspit and it seems quite full and thankfully appears to be just water. I have put some eco-friendly stuff in it some weeks ago that eats up the unmentionable. Only the outside toilet waste goes to this cesspit and this toilet is hardly ever used. The water from the bath, shower and wash hand basins also goes there. The rest of the water from the house goes to another cesspit that is massive.

When I look in I can see a pipe fairly near the surface and there is a bucket on the end of it with holes in. Is this the soakaway ? If the soakaway works ok does this mean the cesspit does not need to be emptied?

I'm unsure about it all and dread the idea of overflowing. Yet am I being foolish by spending my money for it to be emptied when I don't need to ? I'm all new to this, I'm used to living in town.

thescouselander

Unless you are absolutely sure of whats in there I don't think you should let the contents overflow and contaminate the ground. I think its probably best to get it emptied properly to be on the safe side.

jamesb1239

thescouselander wrote: »

Unless you are absolutely sure of whats in there I don't think you should let the contents overflow and contaminate the ground. I think its probably best to get it emptied properly to be on the safe side.

I was always under the impression that the water naturally seeps away into the ground and only the solids/semi solids are left behind? There also shouldnt be much risk of contaminating the ground as its basically fertiliser.

zee_2

pay to have it emptied [ water board or council ] and have peace of mind . not worth all the hassle it if blocks up .
been caught in past ,never made it a condition of purchase that it had been checked.

shelly

If you are worried get it emptied or at least find out if someone will come and have a look and see if needs emptying. We have a sewerage treatment plant in our back garden and only pay £45 to have it emptied.

I found our fella on yell.com by searching for waste disposal-domestic.

HTH

economiser

Sounds as the OP has a septic tank rather than a cesspit. If so it will only need empting when the there is a significant accumulation of solids. This will vary according to usage. We empty our rather small tank every couple of years (wish I could get it done for £45 - best we can do at the moment is £110 for 1000 gallons) but I have neighbours who haven't emptied theirs in decades.

longforgotten

Yes, my mistake I should have said septic tank.

Thank you all for your replies.

Merry Christmas

Reliag

longforgotten wrote: »

I have looked in the cesspit and it seems quite full and thankfully appears to be just water. I have put some eco-friendly stuff in it some weeks ago that eats up the unmentionable. Only the outside toilet waste goes to this cesspit and this toilet is hardly ever used. The water from the bath, shower and wash hand basins also goes there. The rest of the water from the house goes to another cesspit that is massive.

When I look in I can see a pipe fairly near the surface and there is a bucket on the end of it with holes in. Is this the soakaway ? If the soakaway works ok does this mean the cesspit does not need to be emptied?

I'm unsure about it all and dread the idea of overflowing. Yet am I being foolish by spending my money for it to be emptied when I don't need to ? I'm all new to this, I'm used to living in town.

Probably long past the useful time for you but it may help somebody else...

I too am new to living in a rural, off-mains drainage area and looked all over for a reputable cesspit / septic tank service company. Unfortunately, there are a lot of cowboy outfits out there, but one company I would strongly recommend, (who also happen to be nationwide), is a company called Cleansing Service Group - they gave me very helpful advice over the phone for free. They said I didn't need a clearance straight away but would schedule me in for 4 months time... very professional and reliable!! I called them on 0800 011 6600