Friday, July 1, 2011

Things To Know About Cesspits

By Jason Restall


Lots of people ask, what is the difference between a cesspool and a septic tank? The straightforward answer is that cesspools do not have an outlet pipe, like the septic tanks that can connects to an soak away. Therefore the cesspool is a sealed unit, as a result of this the cesspool need to be emptied more frequently. Based on the usage it may need to be emptied anywhere between every two to twelve weeks. In contrast to the septic tank there is no treatment for the sewage. The cesspool is just a large underground tank that is connected to all waste water outlet pipelines from the given property.

You will find only two types of cesspools that are used in the UK, domestic and non domestic. The domestic cesspool are generally only used as a last option, where a sewage treatment plant or septic tank cannot be installed. This is typically the case if there can't be a soak away installed, often this happens when the house does not have sufficient land, or the ground is not suitable i.e when the ground is mainly clay. The new rule, brought out by the Environment Agency and the building regulations state that the bare minimum size for a cesspool is currently 18,000 liters (4 1000 gallons), this size cesspool would only cater for a one bed room home.

Some property often connect the rainwater downpipes to there septic tanks, however this is not recommended for cesspools as it just fill the tanks up more rapidly and then require more frequent emptying. The non domestic cesspools are used only for non permanent settlements, such as camp sites, parks, building constructing sites e.c.t

Occasionally there can be a horrendous smell that is generated for the cesspool, the smell typically escapes through the vent or through the pipework. If you are facing this problem, please do not enter the cesspool to check out the issue. This would be extremely perilous as the toxic gases are very powerful and can overcome you in a short time, it has been know to kill individuals! This issue is normally caused by the micro organism in the cesspool dying, this can happen due to modern washing products like bleach and different powders. The best thing to do is to simply add some bacteria. The bacteria is often sold based on the size of your house. The majority of bacteria is simply flushed down the toilet once a day over a 3 to 4 day period and typically last for 3 years taking into consideration the usage of modern cleaning products.

The other query many individuals ask is what measurement cesspool do I need for my residence. The rules and regulations from British Water state that the capacity should be based on allowing for 180 liters of waste water per person per day and that the cesspool will be able to hold that waste for 40-50 days before it requires an emptying. So based on those amounts a 18,000 liters cesspool will be good for two adults living in a one bedroom property, and for each individual added you need a cesspool that increases by a minimum of 6800 litres.




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