To feel panicked about this in a holiday cottage we have arrived at?!

[Ubghren]

Arrived at a holiday cottage this morning and there was a large sign saying septic tank so be careful with only flushing loo roll.

I know nothing about these apart from once reading that they can allow dirty water into the bath/shower facilities or into drinking water. Is this remotely possible due to a tank like this? I am so stressed and been worrying all day as have young dc.

How old is the property,? V old properties have had issues of hot water contamination with septic tank.

Not a cottage that is in rentable condition. FGS she's anxious enough.

OP ignore this. I promise you that your fresh water supply cannot, and will not, be contaminated by the septic tank. It's a perfectly normal waste disposal system used by millions of rural properties in the UK plus many millions more globally.

OP I recognise what’s going on here - you are a very anxious person seeking reassurance. It’s been a busy couple of days and you’re not in your own home now so things feel heightened. You have nothing to worry about but your brain has planted a seed and it’s exhausting, I know. I can imagine there are many things that you worry about and seek reassurance for (honestly I’ve been here, it really takes one to know one) and I honestly advice you go and get a referral for CBT which will give you lots of coping strategies for situations like this. Relax, enjoy your time.

And to all the nasty, scathing people who responded who think they’re so much better - actually you’re not.

No wipes, no tampons, no condoms.

Otherwise it works just like a sewer.

Relax, I live in a house with a cess pit. The sewage/waste water drains directly into it - unless someone puts anything other than loo paper/human waste down the loo and then it will block just like a loo on a main sewer. Twice a month a nice man (truly an unsung hero) in a yellow van comes and pumps it out and takes it away.

All water comes from the mains just like yours at home so no chance of cross contamination.

You know not everything you read online is true, right? Clean water will come into the taps either from mains of from a private safe source such as a borehole (most likely mains) than the waste water goes into a tank buried underground that eventually seeps through further away, so no, it does not feed back into the incoming pipes at all. In case of flooding that makes waste water come back up, it would do anyway with mains sewage. Lots of rural properties have septic tanks, its completely safe! Maybe read a more reputable source?

My dc are alive and well after 13 years - you have nothing to worry about, enjoy your holiday

You don’t stick pads etc as they don’t break down in the tank. You shouldn’t use harsh chemicals either in them. I have never had one backup but have had them block but only when people put wet wipes, tampons etc down them.

Fresh water tank > sink/toilet/bath > drain > septic tank

Where else is it going to go? If you have a septic tank, it’s because your house isn’t connected to the mains waste pipes. All waste water goes to the septic tank.
And, in your house without a septic tank, all the waste water from your toilet, sinks, plug holes all goes to the same place. There aren’t separate waste or water treatment pipes and plants.

Waste water is taken away in the same pipes. It’s why pouring fat and oil down your kitchen sink can cause “fatbergs” with the hardened fat and baby wipes and everything.

If there are really bad blockages in your house, you could end up with sewage backing up through your sink. It doesn’t happen as blockages like that really don’t happen, but it’s possible. Same as with a septic tank. Possible but never actually happens. It’s not something to even think about. Doesn’t happen:

No as many people have now said/ it won’t happen. Have you spoke to anyone about your anxiety op?

No cotton wool, cotton buds, nappies, cigarette buds, kitchen paper, sanitary pads, bits of plastic, hair ...

just pee, poo and paper.

The houses in our whole very rural village have septic tanks, mostly built at the time of the houses 150 years ago. Nothing like this would, or could, happen. The septic tank sewage system is not even connected to the incoming CLEAN water system.

Septic tank is literally a pit in the ground directly under the loo. No other plumbing around. All that shite goes into the ground, never to be seen again.

OP, I can tell from the way you are replying that you have an anxiety issue. So do I. It’s hard. But you really are ok here, I can see from the many replies that it’s really not an issue.

That’s not what it is 🫤

Er no.

It’s like Ama tells Bing when he hides Sula’s shoe in the loo…’if it isn’t wee, paper or a poo…don’t put it down the loo’.

No it goes down a drain, long drain into a massive tank usually a good 20 metres from the house.

Then once a year you get someone to pump it out.

OP every house I've ever lived in has had a septic tank and this has never happened.

I've lived in houses with septic tanks for the last 10 years and have never experienced the issues you describe, OP. Please don't worry.

We stupidly bought a house that’s septic tank was actually broken! Rainwater was flowing back into the tank and it frequently backed up. Only ever backed up in the toilet though. Was a blooming nightmare for a year until we changed the system to a lovely sewage treatment plant. It does now discharge beneath our own garden though. I don’t know how the op would feel about that 🤣

How is your post helping the OP?

It isn’t helping at all.

I don't understand why anyone would ever try and do this, nappies are huge, suck up all the water and grow even more! Just because it involves your bum doesn't mean it belongs in the loo. I used to flush tampons but stopped.

@SprinklesandSparkles , DC2 decided aged about 13 months that she could use the loo. Weeks of a self-toilet training toddler putting her nappy down the loo. Wasn't funny at the time.

Child lock on the loo seat and a potty next to it :D