SepticTank Advice

[katogrove]

Are there regulations on how far a septic tank should be away from the house? Thanks in advance, Terry

[G&M]

[Peter Stockdale]

According to a programme on tele today, they should be sited at least 50ft. from house. Whether this is a "regulation" or a recommendation, I am not sure. Regards Pete

[Peter Crosland]

There is a lot more to it thatn that! Take a look here for a start

[Peter Crosland]

This gives a quick overview.

[John Anderton]

It is a recommendation(at least in England) as my recently installed tank is about 20ft from the house.

As Peter has mentioned further down this thread there's quite a lot involved in putting in a septic tank these days (assuming, since the OP is asking a fairly basic question, that he hasn't waded through all the rules and regulations from the environment agency and building control that need to be dealt with)

To summarize (and without any guarantee that I haven't forgotten anything)

The first step is to carry out a percolation test to see if the ground is suitable for a septic tank and a survey of the surrounding area looking for ditches, wells, ponds, springs, streams etc. to make sure none of them are within a certain radius.

Using the results of the percolation test and an estimate of the amount of effluent you will be discharging, figure out how big a soakaway you need and whether it can be fitted into an area which is

7m from any dwelling and 5m from any boundary.

Then fill in a form from the environment agency requesting a consent to discharge.

Wait a while.

Once you get the consent (which only lasts for twelve years) you've done the hard work and just need to make sure that your installation complies with building regs (which don't seem too onerous)

Oh, and make sure that after you've put the tank in your hole in the ground you fill it with water BEFORE filling in the hole

Otherwise, come the next heavy rain your tank may rise from the ground like the some primeval monster :-)

Cheers,

John

[Peter Stockdale]

house. There are of course other considerations but that was not the question asked.

Pete

[Andy Dingley]

BTDT 8-(

[Christian McArdle]

Indeed.

I would suggest that the OP doesn't mess around with traditional septic tanks, either. For a new installation fit something decent like a Klargester Biodisc. Building control/environment agency might insist on one, anyway.

Christian.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I am fairly sure they are, everywhere, irrespective of soil type or location.

Thy are simply infintely better, and what comes out is so low pollution that even if it ends up draining into the neighbors pond, it won't kill little Johnny, or create an antisocial pong. Very pleased with mine except for teh industrial appearance. Shrubs planted, time will tell :D

[John Anderton]

They weren't this time last year as I was allowed to put in one of the classic flasks,

Cheers,

John

[Peter Crosland]

Just checked my consent that is for my mini treatment plant and there is no mention of a 12 year limit. Does that 12 limit only apply to septic tanks John?

[Robert]

but was that actually a septic tank or rather a cess pit (sealed)? Robert

[John Anderton]

Septic tank with soakaway

Cheers,

John

[John Anderton]

Could be.

It does specifically mention that it is a consent to discharge from a septic tank via a soakaway. Presumably it's because what's coming out of my septic tank is more "potent" than what comes out of your treatment plant ?

Having re-read the consent form I'm even more convinced that the environment agency is taking these things a little too seriously.

In addition to the 12 year time limit there is also a condition that I can't discharge more than 1 cubic metre of effluent a day plus three pages of other terms and conditions including the requirement that I keep a detailed log of "all non-routine actions undertaken that may have adversely affected effluent quality".

All this for a tank for a small three-bedroomed cottage in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a dairy farm with a couple of hundred cows plus all the deer, badgers, foxes etc, all of which discharge their own effluent direct onto the ground.

Still, I'm sure it's all for the best, after all it's not like people around here have been using holes in the ground to dispose of sewage for the last few thousand years is it ? . . . . . . Oh, wait a minute . . . .

Cheers,

John

[The Natural Philosopher]

Its all about arses, what comes out of them, and the covering of the aforesaid.

IF you end up connecting 17 cottages to the septic tank, as well as washing the cowshed contents into it, and teh givernment has subsequently premiited the whole of the rest of the farm to be developed, they can then sue you for breach of contract when little johhny falls into the hole he has dug in the next door garden and gets a tunmy upset form contaminated groundwater.

Rules and made by surburbanaites for suburbia. They neither understand nor like the countryside, and their bleating about 'environment' is usually no more than a treehugging post Bambi response to knee jerk sentimentality.

Iv'e got a shade over an acre of land, home to zillions of crap dumpers, with everyione walkimng dogs up and down alog it, but my crap HAS to be processed in case it infects the foetid ditch that runs down the bottom.

They dutifully have given me a brown bin for compostable wate, which we don't use, because every last vestige of organic material is piled up in odd corners to make plant food.

We laso have a bvlue bin, which is full off all the unsolicited junk mail that other suburbanites send us, and is usually discared unpoened...unless there is a free pen inside. I keep those.

Today the garden is scattered with the feathers of a pigeon. Obviously cruelly hunted to death by some owl, or fox, but I am not allowed to set a dog on the fox, or shoot the owl, though I am allowed to maim the pigeon with birdshot, and leave it gasping and flightless ready for another fox to get it.

I have just chainsawed up a land rover full of wood, to feed the open fires, which is probably something that will get banned as well, although all the wood is entirely renewable scruib trees, and will help save oil consumption.

No, don't expect the government to have a clue of what life outside suburbia is all about. They can't even manage suburbia successfully: By rtestricting traffic gflow through residential areas, teh roads are completely congested elsewjhere: By raising city rates and restricting inner city parking, everyone now whas to drive to teh out of town supermarket, and by thius incereasing traffic on the roads, the kids have to be driven to and from school, and by having all these ertswhile housewives who don't drive on the roads enough to be competent, we now have rash of 4 wheel drivers taking the kids to school in dumbed down safari trucks, whilst the very few of us who need one, get insulted on the one day a week we have to brave the ghastly mothers and their ghastlier kids to go and do the supermarket shopping.

And they just can';t wait to make it a one size fits all ciast to coast suburban nightmare, full of pettifigging rules, and neighbor disputes with animlas penned up in carefully controlled 'wildlfe' parsk and ruvver tracks (so teh kids don';t hurt themselves) on specially construicted 'nature walks' through them.

Frankly mate, do whatI do.

Piss on the ground in sheer defiance instead of using the toilet at all. Crap down the bottom of the garden in yer compost heap.

Or one Tony Bliar, if he stoops sufficiently low.

[Dave Liquorice]

I don't think the EA are particulary worried about human waste, thats fairly bio-degradeable. However the same can't be said for the chemical cocktail that also goes down the normal household drain.

[Dave Liquorice]

You ought to piss on your compost heap. It is a very good "compost activator"... Crap in hole and sprinkle a bit of the spoil over the top, leave for a year or two then dig out for use in the garden.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I would, if it wasn't such a beastly long walk.

[Rob Graham]

Don't tell the authorities but my septic tank must be 70+ years old - a brick built 2 tank structure that discharges into the local stream along with 5 other houses. Am I likely to get someone coming round my door at some time saying that this is no longer acceptable ?

Rob