Thinking of Buying a House with a Septic Tank

Hoploz

My house has a septic system. Most houses we looked at had them as we were looking for something rural. I was very nervous about the whole thing but we've been here since Autumn and all fine so far. We had it emptied as the previous owners said they had it done once a year. I thought it'd be good to get rid of someone else's waste (ew!)

I was worried it would be an issue - I'd thought they were smelly and would cost a fortune. Not so, it seems. No smell at all, none whatsoever, really! It services itself by having a run off, so it can't overflow. It gets emptied just to get rid of sludge from paper etc put down loo, so we will continue annually. £140 a go. Similar to the amount charged on a standard water bill for waste removal, so little difference financially. The only thing to remember is not to use bleach as it upsets the microbes, but I never used much actual bleach anyway. Nearly all standard cleaning products can be used ok. But I wouldn't empty paint or other chemicals like white spirit down it.

One house we looked at the seller had been there 40 years, said he had dug out the system and planted it up with a reed bed about 30 years ago and never had it emptied since! In theory this is how they work, but I would prefer to get it emptied now and again for my own peace of mind.

If on the other hand a house has a Cess pit, this is the one to watch. It will need emptying approx monthly, a lorry load costs the same whatever it's pumped out of, so the £140 becomes a monthly outgoing on this type of system.

My husband jokes that a private drainage system is a status symbol as the 'bog' standard houses don't have them! I was dreading having to have one but I'm not scared of it any more

srn

Many thanks for all of the replies, very helpful and reassuring.

Davesnave

Check where the drainage field for the tank is, (not the tank itself) because there might be complications there if it's on someone else's land, or near a watercourse.

I'll explain with an example.

I have three drainage fields on my land, one of which was installed without formal paperwork. It's been there long enough for the other party to have prescriptive rights, but the law has changed, so it's too close to a watercourse to meet modern requirements.

If this drainage field becomes blocked, as they do when laid in inappropriate places, or if the owner of the tank decides to move, there will probably be complications, because neither the legal position nor the physical one allow for renewal.

In other words, the owner of that tank is blissfully unaware that they'll face a large bill to switch to a private sewerage treatment plant at some point, or they'll be unable to sell their house until they do.

srn

Thanks for that information, Davesnave. Seems a bit of a minefield if anything goes wrong.

princeofpounds

Got one. It's cheaper than a sewer, and I probably overkill by emptying it once a year.


As stated, they do not need emptying much when in working order. Just get someone to take a look re condition.

Rambosmum

We had one, a family of 7, had it emptied twice in the 12 years we lived there. No issues, no smell, worked well. Can't use certain cleaning products.

Davesnave

srn wrote: »

Thanks for that information, Davesnave. Seems a bit of a minefield if anything goes wrong.

No they're only a minefield if not treated correctly, installed inappropriately or if the paperwork is inadequate.

For example, our tank and soakaway was linked legally to the house next door's tank at the time of purchase. Our solicitor advised that this was unacceptable and requested that the relevant paragraph in the title docs be altered. This was done, so we are not now tied to any sewerage problems our neighbour generates and we can 'go our own way' (!) if we choose.

Provided you look at all aspects carefully, there's no reason to be more wary of a septic tank than mains drainage, which is also prone to fail if, say, Victorian, or shoddily built.

Vectis

srn wrote: »

Thanks for that information, Davesnave. Seems a bit of a minefield if anything goes wrong.

Honestly, they're not. They are so simple there's very little that can go wrong.

We have one where we live now, been here 5 years, and no problems.

If you want to spend the money, pay to have it emptied every year, two years, five years if you want, but it really shouldn't be necessary.

AdrianC

srn wrote: »

Seems a bit of a minefield if anything goes wrong.

A septic tank in a minefield would really not be very pleasant at all.

Davesnave

Vectis wrote: »

They are so simple there's very little that can go wrong.

If you want to spend the money, pay to have it emptied every year, two years, five years if you want, but it really shouldn't be necessary.

Tanks are simple, but tank users and installers are human, and human waste has volume too.

Some people believe they never need emptying. Our neighbour was one of them. Unfortunately for both of us, she was wrong.