Cesspit question

[Milims]

What are the best things for cleaning, washing and bathing when you have a cesspit? Is it ok to use things like borax, bicarb, soda crystals etc? What about things like bubble bath and shampoo? And washing powder?

[brett53]

What are the best things for cleaning, washing and bathing when you have a cesspit? Is it ok to use things like borax, bicarb, soda crystals etc? What about things like bubble bath and shampoo? And washing powder?

would not have thought it would matter that much as the content only ends up in the same place as all foul water /sewerage - just as long as you don't throw anything flammable down there or oil - should not be too much of a problem - but if concerned ask your emptying contractor ( unless its one that never GETS emptied and is more akin to a biodigester ?? )

[contadina]

Keep it as gentle as you can, so the poo-munching enzymes can do their thing. I know people who don't flush any toilet paper, yet regularly clean everything in the bathroom with bleach. I prefer a gentler approach, so don't put anything stronger than bicarb and homemade soap into ours. If you are really worried about capacity and/or harmful chemicals, you could always divert all greywater.

[Annpan]

Technically everything is OK to put down it (except a few toilet cleaners) in moderation.... but it depends how far you want to go...

I hardly ever use any bleach and when I do it is sprayed on and wiped off with a kitchen towel (which then goes in the bin) The loo just needs a bit of vinegar and bicarb. I used to be much better than we are now but my sister puts any old gubbins down to her ST (and lashings of it too) having said that, even she steers away from actual bleach.

Obviously NEVER flush wipes or sanitary products or kitchen towels - when we had our tank pumped there were plastic bags and all kinds of sanitary waste down there..... nice....

[Milims]

I'm actually asking on behalf of a friend in Bulgaria. Their Cesspit is one they've built in the traditional manner - basically a hole in the ground lined with stone. I just wanted to be sure that they don't kill off the good munching bacteria with household chemicals. I've told her about not using bleach and to use bicarb, vinegar, soda crystals and borax etc. but I was concerned about her clothes washing products (having seen grimebusters and how they clag up your drains) and bubble bath etc

[theabsinthefairy]

If kitchen waste is draining into the same cesspit then the washing machine/shower soap based products will help to prevent the kitchen fats congealing and causing blockages.

Natural products (in my opinion) are better, but in countries where cess pits/septic tanks are common, there are ranges of products available in most supermarkets up there on the shelf with the more mainstream items.

Reducing paper waste is a good idea too, as this can block the natural drainage through the stone cesspit.

[Millymollymandy]

Is that a cesspit that has to be emptied or one where the water drains away (not having a clue what traditional methods are in Bulgaria)? I thought a cesspit was purely for toilet waste otherwise it would have to be emptied often if all the house grey water went into it!!! There must be some kind of soakaway if that is the case.

We buy products to put down our loo which goes into the septic tank which is basically bacteria and helps with doing whatever it is that septic tanks do. Our grey water goes through a grease trap and into a soakaway and is separate from the septic tank which is just for the toilets. The grease build up from soaps is vile and smells worse than the septic tank!

[Mrs Moustoir]

Our septic tank set up sounds very much like MMM's. We buy products that are labelled as being suitable for "fosse septiques" ie those that don't harm the fosse fauna.

If the waste all goes into one tank, I'd imagine you'd need to avoid biological washing powders that would kill the bacteria, keep the flushed paper to a minimum and don't flush things like tampons/pads (but then - who does!?).

[pumpy]

It's best to avoid putting most detergents down there....... you could end up with a chemical cocktail. Incidentaly, if you have an outflow pipe, don't put cotton-bud sticks down there, as these are bu****s for getting caught in bends & causing a backlog (no pun intended).

[ADG]

all cess pits have soak aways they have to or they would be full in no time, a good active pitshould only need emptying every couple of years as the soil matter does eventually build up, byt the sweet water(god knows how it got that name) goes out through the soakaway , another good thing to plant near the end of the soak aways is Polars especially if you are planning on harvesting them for fire wood, 1/ they soak up loads of the water and 2/ they grow quicker.
Every time we fit one I always reccomend a herring bone soakaway but not every one want to pay the bit extra, most soakaways split in two nowadays but some tight buggars only have 1 line off but then have to have the pit emptied more as the ground around the soakaway becomes saturated.
When you have it emptied make sure the tanker man leaves 6" in as a bacteria starter , and or throw a road kill in with it, just to give it a kick start

[Millymollymandy]

But those as I understand it are septic tanks, not cess pits, which do need to be emptied when full as they are nothing but a tank (the cess pit I mean!). In order to give advice to the OP we really need to know which kind it is.

[ADG]

no they all have soakaways they need to have, if its filling up and coming over its because they have soakaway problems

[ADG]

here you go this is the simplest I've found

http://www.mtmdrains.co.uk/tankoperation.html

[Millymollymandy]

That's what I have and it's a septic tank. I have heard of people with cess pits which need to be emptied out regularly because they don't have outlets to soakaways or sand beds. Anyway that would be an expensive business and wouldn't be much point in installing one in this day and age, and certainly not if the grey water went into it!

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesspit

In the UK a cesspit is a sealed tank for the reception and temporary storage of sewage; in America this is simply referred to as a "holding tank". Because it is sealed, the tank must be emptied frequently — in many cases as often as weekly. Because of the need for frequent emptying, the cost of maintenance of a cesspit can be very high.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septic_system

A septic tank, the key component of the septic system, is a small scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by local governments or private corporations

This is why I'm asking Milims what kind of tank/pit she is talking about, as they are very different.

[contadina]

I wouldn't get too bogged down (sorry couldn't resist) about whether it's a septic tank or cesspit as the old-fashioned variety favoured by much of rural Europe (but not the UK) lies somewhere between the two.

Ours leaches liquid into porous limestone while enzymes munch their way happily through all solid matter. It's not needed to be emptied in the 30-years since it was built and we've not noticed any problems since living here for four years. Which brings us back to Milims original question about what is safe to use. I don't think you should put anything down which could stop the bacteria from working. Others prefer to use chemicals but drop a sachet of WC Net, containing concentrated bacteria, http://www.boltongroup.net/pages/Brand_ ... px?bid=120 down the toilet once a week.