Septic tanks

JimmyTheWig

Just found out that the house we are buying has a septic tank.

Should this concern us?
Anything we should know about them?


Thanks,

Jim

GwylimT

As I have only lived in old isolated properties until this year this is our first home without a septic tank, they sewerage system performs just the same as a standard one, the only difference it is stored for a short time and then drive to the sewerage treatment plant in a tanker, unless you have a very sophisticated site which acts a sewerage plant and turns your sewerage into clean water.

Angelicdevil

Find out if the tank is shared with your neighbours and if so, how are the emptying costs and frequency of emptying managed.

Werdnal

If they are working properly, they shouldn't need emptying often, but as above, you should check the set-up and sometimes several properties share the same unit.

Working correctly, a Septic tank collects all waste water and solids from the property, allows the solids the settle and start to self-digest, and the clear water ontop should flow to a separate tank, then out to the ground via pipes spread into the surrounding land. In order to maintain the balance of "good" bacteria, you are advised not to use bleach or bio washing powers as they kill off the very bugs you need to help the tank digest.

Some properties still also have "cesspits" which are basically collection tanks with no overflow for the clean water to escape and have to be emptied several times a year, if not monthly!

You need to check the set-up, who uses it, how often emptied, what cost etc. Ideally vendor should have it emptied before they leave!

princeofpounds

I've got one. It's fine. I empty it once a year and it probably doesn't even need that - a tank in good condition should operate without regular empying for years.

Bizarrely it's cheaper than hooking up to the sewer system, which puts questions in my mind about how that system is run!

I don't need to be there when it's emptied.

Obviously there is the chance that it might need to be replaced, which is not so cheap, but this is once every couple of decades, perhaps longer. I think mine went in the mid 80s.

Make sure it's a septic tank and not a cess pit (it needs to process the waste, not just store it).

It does limit you in terms of household chemical use, but this is not really a problem (some people are obsessed with cleaning with bleach, which is entirely unnecessary much of the time).

Don't flush anything that can block it up (obviously). Less obviously you need to avoid the pores in the soakaway becoming blocked so it's not just about big physical blockages. eg. don't try to run a chip shop with a septic tank, only small amounts of oils and fats (for regular cooking not an issue but I'd be wary about pouring a deep fryer down the sink on a regular basis!).

Inspect the soakaway area. If it's damp on the surface or in a location liable to flooding that's not a good sign.

They don't need 'feeding' as some people seem to believe. All the necessary bacteria are in your gut, the soil, and the walls of the tank itself.

JimmyTheWig

Any ballpark figures on how much it would cost (a year, say) to maintain in terms of emptying, etc?
Do the tanks themselves, pipework, etc have a limited lifespan? If so, again, any rough estimates of how long they last and how much they cost to replace? [Cross-posted with princeofpounds, who has answered this question to some extent!]

princeofpounds

Any ballpark figures on how much it would cost (a year, say) to maintain in terms of emptying, etc?

Afraid I can't remember the amount exactly, but I THINK I paid roughly £140 for emptying and the sewerage charges I avoid are about £190. And I don't live in a cheap area of the country.

Remember that you don't need to empty every year, I just choose to do so as my tank is nearer the end of its life than the beginning.

Angelicdevil

princeofpounds wrote: »

Afraid I can't remember the amount exactly, but I THINK I paid roughly £140 for emptying and the sewerage charges I avoid are about £190. And I don't live in a cheap area of the country.

Remember that you don't need to empty every year, I just choose to do so as my tank is nearer the end of its life than the beginning.

Depends how many other dwellings are using it.

JimmyTheWig

princeofpounds wrote: »

Afraid I can't remember the amount exactly, but I THINK I paid roughly £140 for emptying and the sewerage charges I avoid are about £190.

That's cool. If it's in the same ballpark as you'd pay if connected to the mains then it hardly matters at this stage.
If it was going to be a case of £1400 rather than £190 then we'd have to consider our position.

calicocat

Mine must have been a cesspit then, we had to get it emptied around every three months if memory serves me, and I think it was around £60?..but I am talking about 20 years ago.

arbrighton

We have a septic tank, which was originally installed a century ago. It doesn't need any attention apart from when trees historically grew roots through some of the pipes. We don't use bleach etc and have had a reminder card to have it emptied but not exactly urgent, don't know how much it costs though as we have only lived here a year