Cesspit woes

[lucysnowe2]

Hey all - so there's a house DH and I are quite keen on - under budget, great big garden, good location. However, it's been on the market since Nov 2019 . It's got cesspit drainage so not ideal, but on looking into the legal stuff it appears that two neighbours also have their cesspits under the garden (??) so there are three manhole covers altogether - one on the porch, and two in the garden. (So three different pits??)

I'm thinking this is a dealbreaker, what are your opinions? Is there any way we can move neighbours' access, or change to septic tank/mains drainage? TIA :)

It would be a deal breaker for me, sounds like a nightmare!

It kind of does :( of course, the estate agent didn't mention this when we visited...

What’s the sales history like on it?

It's been with the same family since 1997. Unfortunately (apparently) they have separated, and now need to sell... supposedly there was an offer last year but it was rejected (according to agent which I am finding a bit untrustworthy!)

Is it a shared cesspit? If so I’d 100% walk away. You can change a cesspit to a sewage treatment unit which is expensive but well worth it. Ours cost us in the region of 15k plus additional works. I looked into joining the main sewer network but they wouldn’t give any sort of price estimate and others experience was that it was a money pit.

Is it extremely well priced?

Hi, yes I think it is shared, but there appear to be three manhole covers, not sure if that is normal? It's not clear which belongs to who.

It's nicely priced and we can afford to upgrade it but would neighbours be willing, and would they still have access I wonder...

No the manhole covers won't be for individual cesspits, probably two will be inspection chambers and drain junctions. The 3rd one will likely be the tank. It wouldn't necessarily bother me but I am on private drainage already. What's the deal with the neighbours regarding maintenance, do they share pump out and maintenance/repairs?

We have a septic tank. It is under our garden and not shared. The soak away is also under the garden. It really isn’t a problem. We have it emptied more regularly now because it is very old, but that is no effort. They come with a lorry and 40 minutes later it is gone.
Another positive we don’t pay the water company for sewage!

The man hole covers are needed as that is how the tank is accessed for emptying.

I live in a village without mains sewage so we all have the same experience. I don’t even think about it tbh.

Of course the house may have stuck because the tank is a simple basic that discharges the grey water at the other end into a watercourse/ditch and the whole systems needs upgrading due to environmental legislation. You need to check this.

Ah ok that makes more sense for it to be one tank!

the title says 'power to enter upon the said land of the Grantor from time to time when necessary for the purpose of repairing relaying renewing and cleansing the said line of pipes and septic tank.' Nothing about costs...

Neighbours also have the right to use the drainage which is fair and just! :)

(NB think it is cesspit rather than septic tank but now not sure!

Of course the house may have stuck because the tank is a simple basic that discharges the grey water at the other end into a watercourse/ditch and the whole systems needs upgrading due to environmental legislation. You need to check this

hmm so a septic tank in that case? (I am learning a lot today!!)

You need to know a) if it is cesspit or septic tank b) how old the system is and c) who actually uses it.

if you have a bleach fan next door you'll be forever emptying the thing. And there may be rules about updating it on sale, or because as someone above says, it is draining where it shouldn't.

lots more info needed. Actually living with a septic tank isn't an issue (I do) as long as you don't chuck bleach about and follow the rules about what goes down it. Almost the same as mains drainage with the addition of only using washing liquid, not powder. But you can't control what neighbours do.

I think legally these need to have been update to a sewage treatment plant by the end of last year.

I wouldn't let it put me off an otherwise ideal house.

Bleach issue noted :) I'll update when I get more info!

If it’s a septic tank then it’ll need updating to a sewage treatment plant. That shouldn’t be shared.

If it’s a cesspit how often is it emptied? How much does it cost each empty? I’d certainly want a whole lot more info

We're in a run of 6 ex council houses. We have a shared cess pit under the last house. In our deeds the council are responsible for emptying and maintaining it. They usually come every 4-6 weeks to empty. A couple of years ago they did some work improving the soak away which they covered the cost for under their responsibilities.
Twice a year we get a waste bill from the council, which costs about the same as it did in our last house that was on mains drainage.

And I also meant to add that the only issue we have is the smell when it's emptied! Need to make sure the windows are closed 🤢

My understanding was that septic tanks only need upgrading to treatment plants if they discharge to surface water (eg to a river or stream or ditch). If they have an underground soakaway or discharge to a drainage field then they're fine.

@HasaDigaEebowai

My understanding was that septic tanks only need upgrading to treatment plants if they discharge to surface water (eg to a river or stream or ditch). If they have an underground soakaway or discharge to a drainage field then they're fine.

Yes that's my understanding too

OP what you do need to understand is the differences between a cesspit, septic tank and a private sewage treatment plant.

A cesspit is basically a holding tank for everything that enters the drains and will need frequent pump outs.
A septic tank differs from a cesspit in that the solids sink to the bottom, the surface water stays on top and there is a runoff at the other end where the "grey" water goes to a soakaway/drainage field thing or a ditch/watercourse. If it runs to a ditch then you have an expensive problem. This I fear might be the case here if it's keenly priced and been on the market a long time.
A private sewage treatment plant is a more sophisticated septic tank where the grey water is treated somehow and comes out of a sufficiently good quality that it's allowed to discharge to a ditch/watercourse as it's not going to pollute it. They are expensive (thousands) to install.

Our cesspit has 3 manhole covers. I have it emptied twice a year. I do use bleach occasionally.

We find it no trouble at all - I have calling the sewage company diary dated for emptying - costs about £160 each time. Water rates are reduced.
They are nothing to be scared of

Thankyou for reassuring advice and your experiences!

OP what you do need to understand is the differences between a cesspit, septic tank and a private sewage treatment plant.

In an interesting turn of events (interesting to me anyway) DH has discovered the original plans from the 1960s. In these it looks like ALL the houses in the cul de sac (about 12 or so) drain into what is called a 'standard sewerage disposal plant' at the bottom (?) of potential house's garden, with effluent going into the ditch! However the fact that the manhole covers are much nearer the house now I imagine it was abandoned at some point and replace with a load of cesspits. I hope anyway!!

You need a drainage specialist to look at this.

Emptying a cesspit regularly is expensive. £100 plus every 6-8 weeks. If it’s a septic tank and soakaway it’s not a big issue as long as it’s been maintained and has the necessary permissions from the water authority. It could be that draining into a ditch was not acceptable and the sewerage has been altered. You need an expert to tell you this. A local consulting engineer who is familiar with domestic drainage would help you. So likely to be a civil engineer who does drainage for housing developments.

Any shared system is a pain in the backside. Water consumption with washing machines can fill up cess pits in no time. If it’s a septic tank it should be emptied once a year. They are ok with bleach. Ours is 30 years old and no issues.

cesspits don't need emptying every 6-8 weeks!

Ours is done every 6 months and can go a couple of months longer but its easier to have a regular pattern (well it is for me anyway).

They absolutely can do! My DHs parents had a shared one. Depends on age, size and number of people using it. They can be a total nightmare and expensive. Great if yours is only every 6 months but that cannot be guaranteed. Definitely not.

Our septic tank had been emptied once in eight years. No, it is not leaking. Only two of us and bleach used only in the dishwasher tablets.