Septic Tanks help

Hippyhop

Hello,
We are just about to move and we will have an septic tank, I’ve never had one before, any tips or things we should consider?
Thanks
Rachel

scottishminnie

Hi

We are in the country so no mains sewage. We've been in the house approx 22 years and have emptied the septic tank once in that time (just two of us though).

I'm careful not to flush wipes or anything other than loo roll and tampons (sorry if that's too much info) down the loo and we treat it once every three months with a product called Greenpig which we buy while in the US - I've never seen it back home however I'm sure you could find something similar.

We've never had a problem with smells at any point and the only other thing worth mentioning is that you will have a manhole type cover however mine has a very large planter which sits on top and disguises it.

Happy to try and answer any specific questions.

happydays89

We used to live on a small holding with a septic tank.
We only used toilet cleaners that said they were safe for septic tanks,the environmentally friendly ones should be ok.Its all to do with the bacteria in the tank that breaks down the waste.

Hippyhop

Thank you so much.
The house we are buying hasn’t been lived in for a couple of years so we were thinking about asking a company to check it for us, do you think that would be worth while?
I didn’t know about usage of specific products- thank you for that.
The product that you mention - how do you use that? Sorry for being stupid, I’ve never come across one before so wanting to know the ins and outs 😊
Thank you for being kind and answering- I really appreciate it.

scottishminnie

Hi

The "greenpig" product is really easy. It's a little sachet which you simply drop into the toilet bowl and flush- once every 3 months or so. You may be able to get it on Amazon or if you have friends/ family going to the US on holiday it's readily available in Ace Hardware stores.

LaineyT

Crikey SM we have to have our tank emptied every year to 18 months so 22 years is a long time, must be a big tank or someone has connected you up to the mains on the quiet
It costs £90 per emptying.
Ditto on using products only for septic tanks and being careful what you flush down. Our tank is located at the side of the house, next to the field, so only problem we’ve had was when a combine harvester came so close to the fence it disturbed the soak away pipe. We had to have the pipe dug out and replaced but despite having numerous harvests since haven’t had anymore problems.

scottishminnie

I don't remember it being a huge tank Lainey.
We built the house although i do recall that planning insisted on one bigger than the builder thought necessary.
No danger of us being connected to the mains - that's about 2 miles away:D

I guess we also have the advantage of an on site slurry tanker if it did need emptied but less said about that the better.

Hubby tells me we have emptied it twice in 22 years but once was just to try out a new tanker that a friend had so it wasn't in need of emptying. Guess that's still not too bad.

retiredinfrance

Hello. We here in France have a tank and we don't have to put any products into it to keep it working. Use no bleach as it kills the bacteria that break down the "waste". Don't flush anything down as it will maybe block a drain and fill up the tank.- the first tank that holds all the "waste". We are supposed to empty it when the sludge level is one third full - about every four years. Our tank is 3000 litres., a modern one. If you go to your public health dept. they might have a guide to tanks, but then again they might say it is too old or something. You should do lots of research on them first and also since they are expensive things to buy and install, you should ask the vendor to have it checked as conforming to regulations. Best wishes with it.

Hippyhop

Thank you.
Do I also have to be careful with washing powder/detergents? And dishwasher products? What would you use? Also instead of bleach what do you she? Thank you.

Katiehound

I also have a septic tank at my holiday home.
As far as I am aware laundry products are fine. I never use bleach and don't have a dish washer.
Toilet cleaner products I just check the label.
The water is very soft so no need for limescale products.

I had the tank emptied once in 25 years (but then I am not living there all the time.) Now have a new (expensive) one which has an electric pump but I still don't know how it works-exactly!!

Last year I got a severely blocked pipe from Kitchen sink- Used sink unblocker- that's a big no no! (it didn't unblock the pipe- the plumber did) Nothing to do with tank, but since then use a thingy in plughole to catch all the bits that might go down the sink-- I don't need another flood and a half!!.

I'm thinking soda crystals & boiling water should be fine for cleaning.

scottishminnie

Hippyhop wrote: »

Thank you.
Do I also have to be careful with washing powder/detergents? And dishwasher products? What would you use? Also instead of bleach what do you she? Thank you.

I use standard washing powder/dishwasher tablets. Usually Costco versions. I also use bleach and have been known to chuck Mr Mus**e down the shower drain if it runs slow. Never had any issues, it's a soft water area so don't know if it makes a difference.