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Septic Tanks help

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  • idlerx
    idlerx Posts: 1 Newbie
    edited 8 January 2019 at 10:24AM
    Here in rural Norfolk, septic tanks are very common. My property has a Klargester - one of those spherical tanks you see being movedaround on the back of trucks. You hear many legends. I will allege that people who never have their tank emptied are either lying, or pumping out sewage illegally on to other people's property, or are using it as a cess pit which will sooner or later be completely clogged up and need major building work.

    I live alone and the tank is big enough for my 4 bedroomed place. I can leave it for two or three years without any problem. If the place was fully occupied, I would get it done annually. This has just cost me £100 and is considerably cheaper than sewage rates.

    To function the tank is always full of water and solids take up about 10% of the total. There are some quite good schematics on the internet.

    There is a design fault in my system in that the final feed-in pipe has a right-angled bend in it. It blocks up when lady visitors put sanitary gear down there despite the warnings. This necessitates three minutes work on my part with a couple of drain rods.

    I've never bothered with any of these bio products/dead rat/dead pheasant etc. The tank is never going to be sterile. It doesn't smell though. The soakaway is on my own land.

    The system works with very little in the way of problems.
  • I have the same as idlerx

    I have a 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house and get my tank emptied once a year

    Feminine products are a no no and I explain that to all visitors who aren't used to tanks. I keep plenty of scented dog poo bags in the bathrooms for those times

    I also have drain strainers so nothing or very little solids go down the plug hole and all cooking fats and oils get tipped into a jar to be disposed of

    It has caused us problems in the past, inherited ones from the previous family who weren't so worried about what went down the pan. We finally got the blockage in the soak away clear and now all is good and everything works as it should
  • Septic tanks can be a bit of a pain compared to being connected to the main sewerage, but it's the price you pay for living in beautiful countryside! My parents have one and these are some of the tips they suggested...

    Septic tanks should be emptied every year, as advised by The Environmental Agency to stop sludge seeping into the soakaway soil as that could lead to a back up of the system and cause it to overflow. Septic tanks can overflow if grease and other non-biodegradable materials are put into the system as the solid wastes to builds up much quicker and are not decomposing as rapidly as organic waste.

    If someone does accidentally put these types of waste into the system get a pump out to clear the system and prevent any sewage from overflowing. Be aware of the products you use to clean with too, don't use bleach or harsh chemicals that will kill off the bacteria and bugs that are breaking down the waste and don't put in a lot of tissue. My cousin did this and blocked the system; it was a smelly summer's day cleaning that out!!
  • We have a soakaway pit which is emtied once a year on average. Its an very old bricklined well (cottage itself dates back to 1575-ish) which drains via claypipes into second soakaway it in the field bordering our properyy. It seems to work well and it is emptied as a matter of routine rather than when strictly needed.
    Tend to use elbow grease/vinegar/bicarb rather than bleach or strong chemicals to preserve the microbes that do the magic...and avoid thick, quilted loo paper lime the plague as it takes forever to be digested! Sanitary products, nappies and wipes are binned as system can't cope with them
    Newly retired and looking forward to 
    a fulfilling, positive & happy future.

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