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Septic Tanks and Oil Central Heating

18 replies

Karcheer · 19/06/2020 22:13

We are moving to a house with both, I've never had either.

Any tips for using them?

Can i, for example use normal cleaning products with a septic tank?

Sorry city girl moving to the country...

OP posts:
didireallysaythat · 19/06/2020 22:57

No bleach down a septic tank, best to go with the eco end of cleaning ranges if you can.

Get a monitor for the oil tank so can see the level - running out of oil isn't a complete disaster but you may need to get some in to reprime the system (our oil delivery man did it for us)

Madmoomoo · 19/06/2020 23:04

Ooh you could be our buyer!
We have both oil and a septic tank. We get our tank emptied once a year which is fine, we’ve never had any problems with it. I don’t use anything special with regards to bleach and the tank functions fine.

Oil is cheap at the moment the only problem occurs when you forget to order it!

I suppose it would be worth checking the age and maintenance record on the boiler, old ones can be inefficient.

If the septic tank is brick you would definitely want to get a survey done on it.
Good luck

Scrunchcake · 20/06/2020 01:04

We've just moved into a house with both, and like you never had either before. Please please please get a good survey on the septic system before you exchange contracts, to make sure it's working and up to the new regulations (if it discharges into a water course). We had a survey and found the whole system was buggered, only went ahead with the purchase after agreeing a price reduction.

Scrunchcake · 20/06/2020 01:05

Oh, and with oil it might be worth looking at joining a local syndicate for buying.

endlessginandtonic · 20/06/2020 03:42

We have both.
Legislation has just changed with regards to septic tanks, make sure yours meets latest regs.
Oil tank, make sure you have a fuel indicator. We have a remote sensor which is plugged in in the kitchen.
We also have a regular oil delivery and direct debit payments. Oil varies a lot in price so worth checking when it is cheap, filling up in summer etc.

catfeets · 20/06/2020 04:48

I second what @Scrunchcake said.
My mum bought a house with a septic tank and within a few months it was buggered. She spent £15k on a new one and has had nothing but trouble since. They're regularly without a toilet as it breaks so often and have to drive to the nearest supermarket to use the loos!

lovelyupnorth · 20/06/2020 07:53

We’ve not long done the same.

Septic tank - make sure you get a survey done and it meets the new legislation.

We can use parrazone bleach which is okay with septic tanks.

Oil heating - get it serviced, have a monitor and as people say oil is cheap at the minute. Worth shopping round for oil and joining a buying group like oil club.

Glendaruel · 20/06/2020 08:09

Always ring around for oil, they will often knock money off when they realise you're doing your homework. If you can afford to fill up in summer and you will make big saving.

My septic tanks were emptied once a year. Was fine putting chemicals down. Don't flush sanitary items down or you may block pipes

Karcheer · 20/06/2020 09:17

Thank you!

We’ve had the tank looked at with regards to the new legislation and the waste runs into a treatment tank managed by the council which our new house shares with some cottages across the road which were/are council homes.

I’ve saved a picture of eparcyl to my Pinterest to remind me to order some when we arrive.

Will look at oil levels and see if there’s a monitor when we get there.
Thanks again.

OP posts:
ScottishStottie · 20/06/2020 09:22

My parents have septic tank and oil heating. One thing to mention with oil heating is be careful not to run out!

Its my dads responsibility to check and order oil, without fail he will forget and it runs out (usually in winter) and they will need an emergency order! Always causes an argument 😂

Most recent time was just before lockdown and my mum went crazy thinking they wouldnt be able to get any until i reminded her that of course oil delivery was essential work, and also that it was summer and warm, so no massive deal anyway.

TeacupDrama · 20/06/2020 09:38

Note the regulations are not the same in all parts of UK regarding septic tanks

You can buy a Watchman gauge for an oil tanker for about £60 so it's not an essential for a sale.
I would suggest the very rare use of bleach with septic tank, we're in Scotland so it doesn't need replaced it is a huge Victorian one and works fine has never been emptied in last 10 years no smell ever but it relies on bacteria breaking stuff down so the more bleach chemicals that get in the more it is going to need emptying. I never use bleach unless someone actually ill.

GoldenBlue · 20/06/2020 09:49

Always get your oil filled in the summer, as full as you can afford, fuel prices always peak in winter.

At the moment it's a brilliant price, fill her up 😀

AlphaDalpha · 20/06/2020 09:52

You must get an oil boiler serviced every year, the nozzles should be replaced every service. They're more expensive than gas to service.

Septic tank, don't run too much water, so run the washing machine over 5 days rather than 5 times in one day, use non-bio for the majority of washes and use chemicals sparingly. I have Ecover bleach regularly and normal bleach rarely.

DiddlySquatty · 20/06/2020 09:56

We have both too.

With the septic tank - we continued the approach of the previous neighbours which is not to worry too much about what goes down (my toilets need bleach!) but have it emptied every 12-18months which costs us about £150 (south east, not sure on size of tank but it’s quite big).

Oil has been fine. Obviously fluctuating price is a bit unnerving, but nice and low currently. We try to put money aside each month into another account to spread the cost evenly over the year.
We also fell foul of running out one time so now have a watchman wireless gauge thing which was really easy to install.

DiddlySquatty · 20/06/2020 09:58

We like the oil club website for oil prices. Groups together people in your area to get the best price and then added bonus of emailing you regularly with their price so prompts me to check the gauge.

mencken · 20/06/2020 11:20

don't use a direct debit for oil tank. keep a check on the level - the standard gauge will do (no need for gadgets) but you MUST pull out the valve on the bottom to see the actual level. As others say, don't let it run dry but if you can organise not running out of knickers you can organise not running out of oil. It is not a job that requires a Y chromosome. Oil heating generally cheaper to run than gas, although you will pay a bit of a premium on your electricity without the dual fuel discount.

oil theft is pretty rare but check that you have insurance. Don't lock the tank, all that will get you is a hole in it.

boilerjuice is a good way to track prices but they charge a premium, so find a good local supplier. Price has gone up a bit since the recent low but is still good, so tank up as soon as you move in. There's no rhyme or reason with prices and seasons, and it isn't related to petrol price either. Boiler MUST be serviced annually by someone OFTEC registered, ask who the neighbours use. Get it done in the summer.

if it is a really old boiler it will guzzle oil. As VAT is charged at full rate on replacements it will take about years to pay off, but it is worth doing especially with a probable no-deal coming and the resultant massive inflation. This is a summer job though and you may struggle this year.

septic tank; same as normal sewage, nothing goes down the toilet except body waste and bog roll. Nothing goes down the sink except washing up water - same as mains drainage. You can't have a sink waste disposal (nasty environmentally anyway) and make sure no coffee grounds go down, little pellets clog the tank. Also means you must use washing liquid not washing powder, this will knacker up your washing machine in a few years so don't buy a pricey one. If you are a type that chucks bleach down sinks and toilets, time to stop - pointless anyway. Clean bathroom with normal stuff, a bit of bleach on surfaces doesn't hurt but tipping it down the toilet is ridiculous.

HOWEVER with a shared tank you've no control over what others do, so expect to be paying to empty it yearly or more often. Our private one needed doing after 7 years because we don't use bleach beyond the tiny amount in the dishwasher tablets. Find out who does the emptying because when it needs doing, it needs doing quickly. Check beneath manhole covers occasionally. You pay less on your water rates because no sewage element.

other no-nos are dishwasher and washing machine cleaner. Although you can do what we do, disconnect the drain hose outside, run the cleaner, let it empty into a bucket and chuck in a quiet part of your garden.

good point about spreading out washing machine use, depending on how good your drain field is. We get a bit of a puddle if the machine is used more than 3 times in a day, which is pretty rare.

WhoWants2Know · 20/06/2020 11:44

I have both. A oil tank monitor that shows you when you are getting low is a good plan, as is putting good security around your tank. Lock it, and have good lighting. I also have thorny shrubs planted up a trellis around the sides to make drilling into it difficult. Sites like boiler juice help you get good prices when you order oil.

We have a cess pit as well and it takes us about 2 years to fill it, so much cheaper than mains. We also check with neighbours when we book a tanker to empty it, so it's cheaper when we all do it at the same time. And make sure you don't put fat or wipes down the drain.

WhoWants2Know · 20/06/2020 11:52

I used to leave my tank unlocked, like a pp said, because sometimes they drill into them. But I ended up with an empty tank in the middle of winter not long after ordering. Now my back garden is more secure and the tank is sort of walled in and surrounded by thorns as well as locked. They might still get my oil, but it'll be painful 😁.

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