3829 Septic Tank - advice needed

This is not an uncommon situation! In general terms it is difficult to advise - for instance, if your house is rural, with a decent slope on the ground, it is quite possible that all your "sewage" drains to a soakaway and you need give it no more thought - so long as it doesn't smell!

However, especially if you are adding a bathroom, your geometra will probably advise you that you must put in a new septic tank. This isn't a very expensive option - so long as you can get rid of the (relatively) clean water which will emerge from the septic tank (let us call it a treatment plant). If you have a fair amount of land, and even better if it slopes, this should not be a costly problem.

If you have the opportunity, check out the pipe which "disappears into the concrete" yourself. Chuck a load of water down it, listen to the ground where you think the pipe might be, and try to work out where it goes to. Probably your architect friend is UK based, and is applying the sort of usual UK standards to his advice - which will be very good standards, and guaranteed not to give you future problems.

One thing to bear in mind (because for sure Italian drainage standards are very approximate) is that while you might envisage two (or more) showers a day, a washing machine, dishwasher etc etc, whereas in the past the drainage system coped with two showers a week and most necessities happening behind the proverbial bush!!

When you consider where to locate the discharge for any septic tank, just remeber that it smells.

It is perfectly clean and normally drinkable. It does however have a sulphuric smell to it (Think along the lines of stink bombs)

Andy

Sorry, but I've just started a thread on fossa biologica in the utility section of the site, asking for general advice on maintaining and cleaning these type of fossa. (Should have checked this section for relevant threads.)

How is a septic tank different from a fossa biologica? What should we be doing to keep it working well, and how often should it be cleaned?

Sorry for any confusion...

Hi,

I posted these in the other thread, before I saw this thread, so may as well post here to avoid confusion.

These may help you

[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/sho...eferrerid=2092[/url]
[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/sho...eferrerid=2092[/url]

:) :)

There are a couple of ranges of septic tank activators sold widely in supermarkets and agricultural shops. WC net and Diavolina are two. You flush a little sachet down the toilet at intervals to top up the bacteria levels which digest waste. There are also treatment programmes if the tank has ceased to work. You can also usually buy septic tank friendly toilet cleaner and other detergents for dishwasher and washing machine. Avoid washing bleach into the tank.

[LEFT]Can anyone help with brands that are 'septic tank friendly' or the wording one should look for. I have looked in the supermarket and can't see any difference between the brands. Having just got a washing machine I am anxious not to bombard the tank with non-friendly detergent. Also an indication of friendly cleaners would be welcomed.

Thanks.[/LEFT]

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]You could think about a compost toilet.There's lots of info on the internet.Although septic tanks arent hugely expensive you do need to add on the cost for clearing them out every year or 2 which here costs about £100.

We have a drainage issue so I am quite concerned that our discharge of water is controlled.One way to do this is to treat greywater from the house and use it for irrigation thus not adding to any drainage problems.Dealing with Black Water is much more contentious which is why I suggest the compost loo.It also gives in 9 months a supply of clean compost to use on your garden you will not need to plumb in water pipes ( for most models) which can be a problem in old houses without an exsisting loo.

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT]

There is a range of friendly products under the Eco range with fast biodegradability. The washing machine products have a natural lavender oil smell. The conditioner is a light liquid rather than a cream. I think these work well. They also do a full range of dishwasher and other cleaning products but I haven't tried these yet. They can be found in biological shops and many supermarkets. Grenny certainly sell the full range. I rate them as superior to Ecover in performance, very light natural fragrance and certainly didn't appear to irritate the skin.

[LEFT]Thanks. Will actively seek them out. Certainly haven't seen them locally to us but will spread out my search next time I'm over.[/LEFT]

Thanks for everyone's advice - what a fantastic site!