All you cesspool owners.

daniel80

About 10 months ago we moved to a house with a cesspool. A bit of a worry at first but soon got used to it. We have it emptied about every 8 to 10 weeks at £100 a go, so really only about £250 dearer than mains wast water drainage. My question is when we get heavy prolonged rain ie 2 or 3 days do you find the cesspool filling up quicker. We have just had it pumped at just under 5 weeks after days of heavy rain. Pump man says its normal as water will eventually get in anywhere, water table high etc. Is this common with you guys.

troubleinparadise

We have a cess pool, but at the most only need to have it emptied yearly, depending on how many we have in our house, whether someone has gone mad with the bleach... and the water table at times!

There have been periods of heavy rain in recent years which have interfered with the drainage of the soakaway which has caused problems - but given that it has been great weather for many months , and only recently some rain again it isn't giving any problems for now.

I'd suggest you may need to investigate what is happening with the drainage aspect of your cess pool as it really sounds far too often to need to have it emptied.

Bluesifi

I agree with Troubleinparidise I would get checked out as we only empty ours once ever 12 to 18 months.

We do only have 2 people in household

daniel80

You two must have a septic tank. A cesspool is basically a holding vessel with an inlet and no outlet, hence no soak away. A septic tank has an inlet and an outlet which goes to a soak away.

nickcc

Having had both septic tanks and cespits all storm water should go to soak aways or your drainage will be overloaded. We had an extension built by a local builder, unfortunately he plumbed all the surface water (storm water) in to the cespit, when the building inspector came to inspect the building work he stated that no storm water must enter the foul water drainage. I ended up having to dig 4 enormous soakaways for the surface water as the builder had departed under a cloud.

troubleinparadise

Good point Daniel80, I've just asked "him what knows better" and you are right - we did have an old brick built septic tank which used to be referred to as the cesspit, and which served our house for many many years - then changed to a new septic tank 3 years ago.

Our old one was much better though - better drainage from the house and no smells!

I can't help you then - having just had a look online it looks as though what you are experiencing is normal for a cesspool, and one website describes buying a house with a cesspool as financial suicide!

http://www.wte-ltd.co.uk/cesspools_cesspits.html

Good luck :eek:

daniel80

My storm water does go to a soak away. I know this because I put a hose pipe into the gutter and no water went to the cesspool. I saw that post troubleinparadise but like I said normally it would only be about £250 dearer. I can see his point if he has a house full of kids but there is only two of us.

G_M

Even if run-off from the roof goes to a seperate soakaway, logic dictates than in heavey rain a certain amount of surface water (or rising water table0 will end up in the cesspool.

A septic tank as others have explained is different and should not be affected.

My advice? Get in a professional to advise on installing a septic tank.....

daniel80

I have thought of that GM but where we are we are it is not possible to have a soak away. Like I said its been fine for 9 months, and we don`t get this much rain that often.
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G_M

daniel80 wrote: »

I have thought of that GM but where we are we are it is not possible to have a soak away. Like I said its been fine for 9 months, and we don`t get this much rain that often.
.

Hmmmmm.... so this will be your first winter there....

daniel80

Moved in Feb so not quite a full year. Spoke to neighbour who has been there 7 years and on average their`s is pumped about the same as our`s. Two of them also. Just have to hope we don`t get much heavy prolonged rain.