Mulberry View Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 We have a decent sized plot, around 1 acre, which will be split roughly in half. Existing bungalow remaining on one half, our new build on the other. The current property is accessed off a small shared drive and is not connected to the mains sewer. Instead it has an old septic tank (probably 1950's), which is not looking great (as was discussed here). Our current proposed build location is about 125-150m from the highway, though fortunately mostly downhill. I have had permission from the owner of the drive to connect to the sewer in his land (as was discussed here). I think that a good drainage run could be installed in terms of fall, but it's obviously not going to be long, and a fair bit of work. We have some trees RPA's to consider too. Keep in mind that we're going to need water into the property, so a long trench of some sort is almost inevitable (although of course much simpler for solely mains water) An alternative solution would be to install a treatment plant of some sort, possibly replacing the ST for the existing house in the same exercise. We could also, if practical, consider a plant to serve both houses, though we'd have to consider how this will affect selling the property. Overall, knowing that we have an option to connect to mains, what would be the better option? Furthermore, regarding treatment plants. The SOH is not on board with the idea yet, mainly due to the unspeakable issue of Sanitary waste. I know this shouldn't be going down the toilet ideally, but how are those with treatment plants dealing with this stuff? Also, bleach, cleaning products, toilet cleaners etc. I assume these are a no-no with treatment plants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Yes concentrated bleach cleaners and “solid” objects, cotton buds etc are a no no. If it cannot rot down it don’t go down is my mantra. Mind you even mains drains are suffering big time from wipes and stuff that people flush away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 10 minutes ago, Mulberry View said: ... The SOH is not on board with the idea yet, mainly due to the unspeakable issue of Sanitary waste. I know this shouldn't be going down the toilet ideally, but how are those with treatment plants dealing with this stuff? Also, bleach, cleaning products, toilet cleaners etc. I assume these are a no-no with treatment plants? Exactly right: unspeakable issue. Its that unspeakability which causes so much unnecessary kicking of cans down the road. For one extreme example read this. Bleach and toilet cleaners, in moderation, have made no difference to ours - as yet (2 years in, weekly bleach clean of all loos and bathroom). In normal use, the volumes of good bacteria-killing chemicals like bleach should be too small. But there are alternatives; you might want to try those. In the normal cleaning cycle for the digester, sanitary waste that does not break down will get pumped away every two or three years. If you decide to use a digester, ask the manufacturer what their recommendation is. If we'd had the choice, we would have connected to the mains sewage system. Its a no-brainer. Even if you need to pump it up-hill a bit. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Toilet cleaners are okay in small quantities as are normal detergents etc. Don't put anything down the toilet that has not been eaten first. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitpipe Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Agree with the above - only toilet paper (which is designed to disintegrate) is allowed in our loos and we are on mains sewage. Anything else (wipes, etc) goes into a lined lidded bin in the bathroom. No smells and bins is emptied once a week. We had a blockage early on, likely a wipe snagging on something in the older part of our drains run from the previous build. That was not pleasant to resolve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 59 minutes ago, Mulberry View said: We have a decent sized plot, around 1 acre, which will be split roughly in half. Existing bungalow remaining on one half, our new build on the other. The current property is accessed off a small shared drive and is not connected to the mains sewer. Instead it has an old septic tank (probably 1950's), which is not looking great (as was discussed here). Our current proposed build location is about 125-150m from the highway, though fortunately mostly downhill. I have had permission from the owner of the drive to connect to the sewer in his land (as was discussed here). I think that a good drainage run could be installed in terms of fall, but it's obviously not going to be long, and a fair bit of work. We have some trees RPA's to consider too. Keep in mind that we're going to need water into the property, so a long trench of some sort is almost inevitable (although of course much simpler for solely mains water) An alternative solution would be to install a treatment plant of some sort, possibly replacing the ST for the existing house in the same exercise. We could also, if practical, consider a plant to serve both houses, though we'd have to consider how this will affect selling the property. Overall, knowing that we have an option to connect to mains, what would be the better option? Furthermore, regarding treatment plants. The SOH is not on board with the idea yet, mainly due to the unspeakable issue of Sanitary waste. I know this shouldn't be going down the toilet ideally, but how are those with treatment plants dealing with this stuff? Also, bleach, cleaning products, toilet cleaners etc. I assume these are a no-no with treatment plants? your mains water will need to be min 850 deep anyway so 2 birds with 1 stone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mulberry View Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 Just revisiting this as our plans are marching forwards. Our plot is, as mentioned above, a good distance from the point at which we'd connect to the mains drain. I think it can be done, but it'll be a hefty piece of work, passing various tree RPA's etc. We're still as we were when I posted this, not won over by the idea of a Treatment Plant, though it really does stand out as the favourite solution for so many reasons. I have an non-negotiable hatred for toilet brushes, they are vile, so that's not an option. But I am confident that we can make the changes to fall in line with cleaning products. Nice shiny new modern sanitaryware, a water softener and such like should reduce the need for cleaning products I guess. The only real sticking point is the disposal of ladies products. There are only 2 of us at home, but my good lady has not enjoyed the last 12 months that we've lived in the current Septic Tank served house in terms of having to use a bag/bin method. I know it's the right thing to do, but I don't want her to have to feel repulsed any more than necessary by her monthly 'visit', she suffers enough anyway. Do you think a well-spec'd Treatment Plant might be OK with the relatively small amount of non-preferable waste generated from one person? I can accept that it might make the need to pump more frequent. Maybe in time, she'll be OK with the change, but I think there's a better chance of winning her over if she can do so under her own terms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 100% connect to mains drainage. Regarding tampons and pads, they should never be flushed, whatever system you have. My wife and daughter use a bin. Menstrual blood is not sinful. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell griffiths Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 I was under the impression that ladies stuff should not go down the toilet regardless of mains-drains or a treatment plant. Same as condoms, cotton buds wipes etc. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 I have been through this and it drives me insane, my ex- partner continued to flush wipes and woman’s wares down the loo despite my insistence of how bad this practice was and it was not until I told her that next time the old pipes got blocked it would be her job to clean the blockage that she stopped the practice. It just beggars belief that some people are just so stubborn about best practice even when carefully educated on the subject..... rant over.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 +1 all the above. My Vortex has a “solid” trap around the incoming pipe where large bubbles break up “natural” solids but accidental wipes and such stuff gets trapped and easy to fish out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 Take part in a beach clean, once you've picked up your 100th cotton bud you'll be come quite militant about what goes down the toilet, I know I did. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 6 minutes ago, Ralph said: Take part in a beach clean, once you've picked up your 100th cotton bud you'll be come quite militant about what goes down the toilet, I know I did. Did that too: on the beach at Roa Island by Barrow in Furness . Could not believe how many bread wrappers we picked up - from a Bakery in Newfoundland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mulberry View Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 41 minutes ago, Ralph said: Take part in a beach clean, once you've picked up your 100th cotton bud you'll be come quite militant about what goes down the toilet, I know I did. To clarify, we don't put anything else untoward down there. Wipes, Cotton buds etc etc all go in the bin and always have. This is only about the 'monthly' products and I know change is needed. I have a reservation about having to tell visiting female family members, or do most people know? I certainly don't want a sign in there! Perhaps a nice-but-discreet bag dispenser and a good bin will be the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 29 minutes ago, Mulberry View said: Perhaps a nice-but-discreet bag dispenser and a good bin will be the way to go. yes, must do this (fir when people CAN visit again ?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 I am not trying to give you a hard time just showing a different approach to this situation, I run a cabin that I rent out to tourists and have had over 100 reviews and ALL of them are 5 star reviews, the only comment I get regarding the loo and my very clear signage is from people who were not aware of the requirement to do this and the signage was helpful. Being the cleaner, handyman and everything else I am always very thankful when I go to clean the toilet area and it’s virtually spotless. Best sign I ever put up. I appreciate it’s not for everyone but as I said it’s just a different approach that works very well for me. Right I promise not to comment any more on this subject ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedreamer Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 15 minutes ago, Cpd said: I am not trying to give you a hard time just showing a different approach to this situation, I run a cabin that I rent out to tourists and have had over 100 reviews and ALL of them are 5 star reviews, the only comment I get regarding the loo and my very clear signage is from people who were not aware of the requirement to do this and the signage was helpful. Being the cleaner, handyman and everything else I am always very thankful when I go to clean the toilet area and it’s virtually spotless. Best sign I ever put up. I appreciate it’s not for everyone but as I said it’s just a different approach that works very well for me. Right I promise not to comment any more on this subject ! One of the holiday lets down the road had foreign tourists stay and they had to ripped out the entire toilet because one family destroyed it. I don't know what happened, but everybody knew about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 1 hour ago, ToughButterCup said: Did that too: on the beach at Roa Island by Barrow in Furness . Could not believe how many bread wrappers we picked up - from a Bakery in Newfoundland It's amazing what you do see washed up. The younger people were gobsmacked at Tenants lager cans from the 70s with scantily clad women on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperJohnG Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 I find this crazy. Nobody anywhere regardless of mains or TP should be flushing sanitary products down the toilet, nor wipes (flushable wipes only mean flushable most do not degrade properly!) and corron buds. As said above...only if its eaten does it go down there. Last year I fished a 250mm diameter ball of sanitary towels compacted with sh$t from the drain at my rental property while the tennant looked on....he could see I was not best impressed and im pretty sure he passed the message on to his missus what shouldn't be happening. There is no shame in a cycle and it should not be treated that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mulberry View Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 1 hour ago, SuperJohnG said: I find this crazy. Nobody anywhere regardless of mains or TP should be flushing sanitary products down the toilet, nor wipes (flushable wipes only mean flushable most do not degrade properly!) and corron buds. As said above...only if its eaten does it go down there. Last year I fished a 250mm diameter ball of sanitary towels compacted with sh$t from the drain at my rental property while the tennant looked on....he could see I was not best impressed and im pretty sure he passed the message on to his missus what shouldn't be happening. There is no shame in a cycle and it should not be treated that way. Trouble is you only know what you know and until recently, like many others, we didn't really know. We do now, so that's what counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperJohnG Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 15 minutes ago, Mulberry View said: Trouble is you only know what you know and until recently, like many others, we didn't really know. We do now, so that's what counts. Right enough for sure. I dont actually recall anyone ever telling me it, but seemed to know. I grew up rurally so we had a septic tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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