***NO LONGER URGENT**** re leaking waste tank!!

[mikesjn]

Hi,
We are now on mains, but we had a shared system with another house and it was the same when we were on the old septic tank system. Either the previous owner or the neighbour had put some fat or oil into the drains and this had blocked up the liquid soak away (the second drain off tank). We had it drained and I looked down it using a torch, it was just a concrete column with some holes punched in it on the sides and bottom, I assume to let the water drain into the ground. The next day it was overflowing again. I went into one of the DIY shops and got an 11KG bag of acid pearls, I think hydrochloric, but I cannot remember, it was just a solid beads. Poured this into the full soakaway and about half a day later I checked it and it was empty, despite being used. It didn't do it again, we went onto mains 3 years or so later. Wear coveralls, gloves and goggles when you do it and I showered immediately just in case.

[JimX]

Houdinibun.

Just a question do you throw toilet paper down and flush?

We never have in 14 years, our system is an old one but it still has the wood seals in place, never needed emptying.

[trevnhil]

I have never heard of wood seals before. Where are these at in the system..?

[Dominic]

Houdinibun.

Just a question do you throw toilet paper down and flush?

We never have in 14 years, our system is an old one but it still has the wood seals in place, never needed emptying.

Yes, but it wasn't the toilet paper that was the problem. The previous owners of the property (or the ones before them) seemed to have flushed loads and loads of wet wipes down the loo. These don't degrade, unlike toilet paper. I had the unpleasant job of fishing out bag loads of old wet wipes that had stuck to the walls of the tank. I had a nice long knobbly stick which was ideally suited for the job. Now every time I hear somebody use the phrase "wouldn't touch that with a shitty stick" I see wetwipes.

[JimX]

Yes, wet wipes will clog up your pits just as well as toilet paper and nappies, yes folks do throw them down the toilets here. You could get away with doing this, surely members have noticed those bins in toilets?

And those wood seals are usually put in place when this property I live in was built about 18 years ago, normal then to do that as my SiL builder tells me, my seals have never been broken, this says our soakaways pits have never needed to be cleared out, of course, some people do not understand the need not to throw all sorts of stuff down old Cypriot systems, not advisable to do this with any Cy loo..

(Wood seals) Trev next time you are over our way I will show you, and can assure all this is not unusual in older Cy properties such as ours, most though have been removed for pump outs at some stage,

You ask where are they, mine are at the top of the cess pits both metal covers, under those are the seals

[Dominic]

Toilet paper degrades very quickly. Wet wipes don't. Neiter, as you say, do nappies.

The toilet paper issue that restaurants etc have was, I was told, to do with pipes getting blocked. This wasn't the problem here. The pipes themselves are fairly wide, and we don't share them with any other house. It was the tank itself that had become swamped by wet-wipes.

[trevnhil]

Thanks for the reply about the seals Jim. As far as I know ours are just small square metal lids with slots in for the lifting handles.
Ours too have not been disturbed since the installation in 2010.

[Jimgward]

In the UK, there's new regulation coming in to make all wipes biodegradable as the sewer systems cannot cope.... as we have all moved to pamper our posteriors....

[Mrblobby]

Thanks for the advice and phone numbers . I contacted Nick the plumber and he came and sorted it (97659405) .

There was two more covers under the gravel , a good poking saw the water rush away .