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Help or Advice >> Water, cisternas and so on >> Septic tanks......
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Message started by Paula on Jun 11th, 2016 at 3:12pm

Title: Septic tanks......
Post by Paula on Jun 11th, 2016 at 3:12pm
I thought that a septic tank was, or could be, a sealed unit, we don't seem to have a lid to ours, so emptying would be an issue.

We tried googling & it said that a septic tank should be emptied annually....is this so?

Title: Re: Septic tanks......
Post by PlanesPete on Jun 12th, 2016 at 7:33am
It is not usual to empty a concrete, traditional, septic. It's important to keep natural bacterial processes going to dissolve the waste. You can buy sachets of bacteria to flush down the toilet. Look for WC-Net in many supermarkets. Also avoid putting bleach down as it kills the bacteria.

Title: Re: Septic tanks......
Post by nilly_bear on Jun 12th, 2016 at 10:16am
I was told once that you could also put
A bit of raw meat in their as well ,
To keep the bacteria going

Title: Re: Septic tanks......
Post by Betty_Swollox on Jun 12th, 2016 at 11:40am
I thought you had to put a live suckling pig in the tank ...... or was that in the scrumpy?

Title: Re: Septic tanks......
Post by nilly_bear on Jun 12th, 2016 at 11:52am
Either way the aroma has got to you

Title: Re: Septic tanks......
Post by dijs5152 on Jun 12th, 2016 at 1:26pm
Planes Pete,

Is WC-Net the selling name ? and in which shelf with what kind  of products should I look ?

Rob

Title: Re: Septic tanks......
Post by Ritaratbag on Jun 12th, 2016 at 1:33pm
Yes that is the name and you will find it on shelves with the Toilet cleaning products.

Title: Re: Septic tanks......
Post by Paula on Jun 13th, 2016 at 6:25am

PlanesPete wrote on Jun 12th, 2016 at 7:33am:
It is not usual to empty a concrete, traditional, septic. It's important to keep natural bacterial processes going to dissolve the waste. You can buy sachets of bacteria to flush down the toilet. Look for WC-Net in many supermarkets. Also avoid putting bleach down as it kills the bacteria.


Thanks, it's what I though. We do use the sachets.

Following on from the bleach comment, if I'm refreshing my cisterna with bleach, will that be an issue?

Title: Re: Septic tanks......
Post by PlanesPete on Jun 13th, 2016 at 8:09am
The very small quantities of bleach in the cisterna won't be a problem. The bleach disperses pretty quickly and is too dilute to affect the septic.  :)

Title: Re: Septic tanks......
Post by phoebedog on Jun 13th, 2016 at 1:27pm
Hi folks
I have the same problem. Smell coming through one sink in particular. However I noticed it was worse on windy days and sometimes worse when the wind was in a particular direction. I went for the high tech solution. I  put two plastic plant pots over the breather tube, you can twist them round to regulate how much room there is for the wind to blow through. It's loose fitting and allows the breather to work. Up to yet, touch wood it's working.  Worth a try.
image_003.jpg ( 130 KB | 246 Downloads )

Title: Re: Septic tanks......
Post by PlanesPete on Jun 13th, 2016 at 5:22pm
The U bends here are often very shallow and the wind can push the water out and alow the smell to come up. Spanish usually don't fit an air pipe either, in the UK you have a pipe going right up to roof level to stop the U bends getting emptied when a loo is flushed. If we notice a pong then we let a little water into sink and bath to refil the bends.

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