Grian Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 Do I need a soil vent pipe on a spur connecting a shepherd's hut to the existing septic tank which serves the house? I hope not as the one on the house roof was set low - single story building - and sometimes absolutely stinks... Thank you. Kirsty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 36 minutes ago, Grian said: Do I need a soil vent pipe on a spur connecting a shepherd's hut to the existing septic tank which serves the house? Nope .. but .. 36 minutes ago, Grian said: hope not as the one on the house roof was set low - single story building - and sometimes absolutely stinks... That means your septic tank isn’t working properly as they shouldn’t smell. When was it pumped out last, and also do you use bleach etc as you’re probably killing the good bacteria in the septic tank. They are a lot more sensitive than packaged treatment plants 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grian Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 2 minutes ago, PeterW said: Nope .. but .. That means your septic tank isn’t working properly as they shouldn’t smell. When was it pumped out last, and also do you use bleach etc as you’re probably killing the good bacteria in the septic tank. They are a lot more sensitive than packaged treatment plants Hi Peter, thanks for your reply. The house was completed and we moved in last November, we haven't had the tank emptied yet, there are only two of us. I don't use bleach, and only mild detergents. Coming from an area where septic tanks are the norm I've noticed others smelling on occasion - is it inevitable if gas is released through a vent? Sometimes there is a mushroom-looking vent on the ground near the tank and I've noticed they occasionally have an odour around them. Ours doesn't have one by the tank, just the one on the roof - does that have a direct uninterrupted connection to the tank? If so, and it releases gas from the tank then it surely must smell, and this is why they are usually high on a roof above any windows? I'd love to understand this better if anyone can explain it in idiot-proof terms. The odour from the vent on the roof is occasional and I think perhaps happens because the house is at the base of a steep bank, the vent is low on the roof at the rear, and in some conditions the airflow doesn't carry the smell away over the rooftop and instead it sinks behind. Aside from this the only smells is very rarely from the tank itself coming from one of the two lids, it has a crack at the side where it screws onto the tank and I suspect if I replace that it would be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 As @PeterW says it should not smell. As it is new, it may not have "started" yet? The local advice here is drop a dead rabbit in the tank to get it going. You can buy some stuff to put in to provide it all it needs to get going and start digesting, someone on another thread posted a link. Our treatment plant does not smell at all, even if you lift a drain cover for any reason, no smell, and if you are in the garden right by the discharge point into the burn, no smell. On the other hand our neigbour still has an old septic tank discharging to the burn and that smells a lot at times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 1 hour ago, Grian said: The house was completed and we moved in last November, we haven't had the tank emptied yet, there are only two of us. I don't use bleach, and only mild detergents. Ok so that must be a treatment plant not a septic tank - Chuck one of these in and it will start up properly https://septictank-shop.co.uk/product/starter-kit-home-sewage-treatment-system/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grian Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 33 minutes ago, PeterW said: Ok so that must be a treatment plant not a septic tank - Chuck one of these in and it will start up properly https://septictank-shop.co.uk/product/starter-kit-home-sewage-treatment-system/ Thank you, very definitely a septic tank, will have a look at that link, appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grian Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 1 hour ago, ProDave said: As @PeterW says it should not smell. As it is new, it may not have "started" yet? The local advice here is drop a dead rabbit in the tank to get it going. You can buy some stuff to put in to provide it all it needs to get going and start digesting, someone on another thread posted a link. Our treatment plant does not smell at all, even if you lift a drain cover for any reason, no smell, and if you are in the garden right by the discharge point into the burn, no smell. On the other hand our neigbour still has an old septic tank discharging to the burn and that smells a lot at times. Maybe it just needs to get going then. I did look at a treatment plant but budget was perilously stretched, we've lived with septic tanks all our lives and I didn't know what would happen in a power cut. Clearly a superior option though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 Maybe worth trying this. https://septictank-shop.co.uk/category/septic-tank-bacteria/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grian Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 9 minutes ago, joe90 said: Maybe worth trying this. https://septictank-shop.co.uk/category/septic-tank-bacteria/ Thank you, maybe I should have given it a wee house warming dose when we finished the build but better late than never! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 40 minutes ago, Grian said: I didn't know what would happen in a power cut. The air stops pumping or the wheel stops turning, but the microbes carry on munching and gravity makes the liquid flow. Then the power comes on again. Nothing to worry about. I think human waste and the air contain plenty of microbes and the additives should not be necessary , but wont do any harm. Just avoid the first deposit being after a curry night. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grian Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 2 hours ago, saveasteading said: The air stops pumping or the wheel stops turning, but the microbes carry on munching and gravity makes the liquid flow. Then the power comes on again. Nothing to worry about. I think human waste and the air contain plenty of microbes and the additives should not be necessary , but wont do any harm. Just avoid the first deposit being after a curry night. We do eat a lot of chillies... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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