Septic tank owners - this way please

[mummyjaguar]

We are in the process of buying a house with a septic tank but have never had one before. Are they a hassle and does it cost a fortune to get them emptied? And how frequently do you have to have them emptied.

Country life - I never dreamed there would be this many things to think about!

A septic tank contains bacteria which eat the solids, while the liquids drain away via a soakaway. It stops working if you put biological washing powder or bleach down. You can put the bacteria back down to help it along (think someone mentions this further up the thread).

omg, just seen this thread in archives and we have a septick tank in our house in uk (rented out). i always used to put bleach down! didnt know you couldn't why not??

and what is an activator - where do you get it from? our tank was emptied each year.

egypt, because a septic tank relies on enzymes breaking everything down - otherwise the contents just kind of sit there, festering and stinking , and bleach kills enzymes.
An activator is enzyme powder to 'get it going' when it's been emptied or if the enzymes have been killed off by something.

We have a septic tank and it is no problem. I was told that it needs emptied when the sinks begin to drain slowly and that it takes years to fill up.

eeek
better email our tenants then!

mmh well I've googled this now and it doesn't actually seem to be a problem unless you regularly use lots of bleach (I suppose that's why those loo blocks are a problem). Apparently a healthy septic tank contains so much bacteria and enzymes that it can cope with the occasional bit of bleach.

Do you think we are being unreasonable to ask as a condition of the sale, for the current owners to have the septic tank emptied before we take possession?

I don't know whether we're being silly and over-demanding. BUt kind of feel that I'm buying the house, not their s**t.

No, I don't think that's unreasonable at all. worth a try

We have lived in the country in a seven-bedroomed house for thirty years. Our septic tank is the kind that drains away down the hill below our house. We have never had it emptied. We don't use bleach or biological washing powder. In France (I don't know if you can get it here) we bring back some powder which re-invigorate the bacteria in the tank.

Pooka - we bought a country house 3 years ago. The septic tank had never been emptied by the previous owners (30+years) but we asked them to have it emptied and the company also put some cameras down to check the condition (we wanted to know if it would need replacing) cost about £150. It was fine.

It's also good to chuck gone-off milk / bio yoghurt. You can get sachets in France to 'feed' it, but I've never seen any in the UK.

it is a filter and biodestroyer for the waste, the water goes out into a drain field area beyond. BTW don't drive over or park on the drain field!

nothing down toilets except bodily wastes and toilet paper - this is no different from what you should do anyway. Provide bathroom bins and make it clear that no pads, nappies or tampons (not even applicators) are to be flushed. Make sure everyone understand the difference between a toilet and a bin.

no bleach at all, anywhere. Clean toilet with scrubber/toilet brush and a LITTLE jif. Absolutely no rim blocks etc.

no coffee grounds down the sink - tip them on the garden. (the grounds block the tank) No waste disposal unit - use a compost bin.

use disinfectant sprays on surfaces if needed. Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda work well for freshening sink if smelly, or just chuck boiling water down it.

minimal washing liquid, no fabric conditioner (you don't need it anyway)

half a dishwasher tablet each go (GREAT mumsnet tip, that!)

We have a clean house, functioning tank and money saved! Haven't had to empty ours yet, previous owner had a washing machine and family and said last empty was several years back. No smells or backup...so far...

We have a septic tank. The first few years were fine and then we seemed to have a run of bad luck when it completely blocked. We had a few minor problems, down to our teenage daughter putting facial wipes down the loo - dont do it!

When it completely blocked we got dyno-rod out and they were absolutely useless and costly. We thought it needed major work and had to contact our insurers - then my husband bought some rods himself and cleared it in minutes.

We get ours emptied about once every 2-3 years, partly because of our bad experiences of late. It is costly at around £180.

Our neighbour used to get the farmer do empty hers, spraying crap in our garden at the same time. I dont know whether this is legal now, but could be wrong. He was prosecuted for spreading it on the adjoining fields!

Someone has mentioned looking at a house with a septic tank offsite. Be very cautious about this. My friend had this situation and within a few months of moving in was asked to remove it from the land in question. I also had a shared septic tank which was also a nightmare. No-one wanted to take responsibility and there were continual issues and problems.

Our (wealthy) neighbours could not live with the odour of the tank and had a new state of the art one installed. When she told me it cost £36,000 I could not believe my ears. Our other neighbours had years of problems, partly because they never bothered to get it emptied!

Septic tanks, oil fired central heating, coal fires - the smell of country living!

Stop fucking spamming Lilly!

Hey Lilly - only boring prople get bored enough to spam

Reported.

Me too. Miss spam is also lying, tanks don't need to be removed.

I reported these posts ages ago, maybe 45 mins??? There's loads on all the septic tank posts.

We have a septic tank and it's a 1930s original. We are a big family with loads of water use, so ours is emptied every 6 months. I'd love to not have to use bleach and plug hole unblocker but due to some shonky plumbing by the previous owners, we have no choice but to use due to an smells/blocks in an en suite. Doesn't seem to affect it but it might make the emptying more frequent I expect. £80 a pop but no more expensive than being on the mains.

ZOMBIE

This thread started over 9 years ago

A properly installed septic tank should be a happy little ecosystem quietly doing it's job with minimal intervention. Do not 'kill' it by putting excessive bleach or non biodegradable stuff into any drain that goes to it and then it should only require emptying every year or so (depending on household numbers and capacity). The ability for treated water to drain from it is enhanced by being on a slope otherwise it depends on the structure of the soil underneath. If they start to smell significantly then it it is time for an investigation, probably just needing emptying (the solids).