Any tips for a soon to be owner of a septic tank?

[Elmrosie]

We've just had an offer accepted on a house in a lovely village, with great views BUT it has a septic tank. Neither I nor DH have ever lived in a house with one before. Does anyone have any good tips for looking after it?

Do not use antibacterial soap, washing powder, washing up liquid or antibacterial hand soap. The anti bac stuff kills off the bacteria needed to make the septic tank work properly. The one my friend has gets emptied about every 3 years or so. Ecover products are the best for septic tanks.

Got one here, it's really no big deal. As other pp have said your water bill will lose the water water element of it. If it outfalls into local water course (some do but lots don't) you should be careful what you put down your drains so as not to inadvertently add a toxin to the environment, but whilst you don't want to swamp the bacteria in it with too many chemicals they can cope with modest amounts of bleach etc.
Some tanks don't digest and are just a holding tank so even that doesn't apply to all. I've had mine 3 years and still haven't needed to empty it

I use greenscents products, which are similar concept to ecover but I find they go further.

I haven't lived in a house with one for years but ours was a pain til we got a new pump put in but then fine.

The only thing I would be wary of is I think that there were new regulations coming in this year or last about types of soakaway. I may have remembered incorrectly but I thought they were going to come into force when houses with septic tank systems were sold - so you could grandfather in the old regs until sale. I couldn't in any way say for certain but definitely worth having a look into it.

Ecover products (which I used loyally since the 1980s) are probably still environmentally friendly but the company was sold to a multinational (SC Johnson) a few years ago, and they changed the formulas so now they smell vile, just like every other overscented supermarket brand. I now use Bio D from the local Oxfam shop (glad I stocked up before lockdown).
I think (though happy to be corrected) that bleach breaks down readily enough not to be a problem with septic tanks, so I continue to use it sparingly from time to time.

First find out if it’s a septic tank or a mini sewage system
Be careful what goes down no wipes nappies fat sanitary pads etc. Go easy on the cleaning products, quilted loo roll is fine, we wash paint brushes out but don’t pour paint down the drain.

I was worried too - I've moved into a house with both a well for water, and a septic tank having never experienced either.

But I'm in Ireland, and it's pretty common in more rural areas, and no problem at all.

I got chatting to the guy who came to empty it after we moved in (discovered that lots that was promised hadn't been done by the previous owner, so did the full works of septic etc), and it was all the advice above - no wipes/tampons/cotton buds etc. down the toilets, no chip fat (that's a given anyway on sewers too), can use bleach etc, but take it easy, get it emptied every year or two (120 Euros here). Not had any issues so far, seems not significantly different to being on a sewer.

This is the Government advice. You need to empty out the sludge so they work efficiently. There’s a lot of info available about owning one and you must ensure they don’t pollute.

Thanks so much everyone, some great advice here! I'm going to organise a survey when we get our Memo of Sale through, so I'll be sure to ask if they can cover this. The house seems to be a noughties/tens build and it's definitely a septic tank with a soak away - hopefully that means it's in fairly good order. The owner mentioned that it gets emptied about every 18 months, largely because she's and the next door neighbour have done a two-for-one emptying deal with the service provider. My mind's much more at rest now.

I think the new regs only affect new septic tanks. Don't think the house changing hands causes a requirement uplift on the standards for the property, but perhaps worth a quick check to be sure

Blimey, if people need the info on here then it is no wonder that London is full of fatbergs. If you know the difference between a drain and a bin you will be fine. For those that don't - toilets are for body waste and toilet paper, nothing else. Sink drains are for washing up water and nothing else. This applies whether it is main drain or septic tank. Cooking oil, paint each don't go down any drain. Sanitary products go in bins.

No waste disposal ( eco disaster anyway) , use washing liquid not powder and don't chuck bleach down the toilet, which is pointless anyway. Clean toilet with brush or scrubber and CIF or similar.

I use normal washing up liquid and dishwasher tablets. Tank has been emptied once in nine years and works fine.