Cesspools - What Are They?

By Jason Restall


Lots of people inquire, what is the difference between a cesspool and a septic tank? The simple answer is that cesspools don't have an outlet pipe, like the septic tanks which connects to an soak away. Therefore the cesspool is a sealed unit, because of this the cesspool need to be emptied more regularly. Based on the usage it may need to be emptied anywhere between every two to twelve weeks. Unlike 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.

There are 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 used. This is normally the case if there isn't a soak away installed, often this happens when the residence does not have enough land, or the ground is not suitable i.e when the ground is mainly clay. The new guideline, brought out by the Environment Agency and the building regulations state that the bare minimum size for a cesspool has become 18,000 liters (4 thousand gallons), this size cesspool would only cater for a one bedroom property.

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

Every so often there can be a terrible smell that is emitted for the cesspool, the smell typically escapes through the vent or through the pipework. If you are facing this issue, please do not enter the cesspool to check out the situation. This would be tremendously unsafe as the toxic gases are very powerful and can defeat you in a short time, it has been know to kill individuals! This situation is normally caused by the micro organism in the cesspool dying, this can happen due to modern cleaning products like bleach and different powders. The best thing to do is to simply add some bacteria. The bacteria is often sold depending on the size of your house. The majority of bacteria is simply flushed down the lavatory one time each day over a 3 to 4 day period and typically last for 3 years taking into account 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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