Septic tank question

[mjc55]

So we have started clearing our site of at least 20 years of growth, reached parts of it not trodden on for many years.

 

We found an old septic tank on the boundary of the house to the North, it was covered with a very thick concrete block which I managed to move and it looks reasonably solid.  May well have been there since the pub (which burned down in the 60's) was on the site.  Since then the pub was replaced with a house which was subsequently bought by Salisbury Diocese and turned into vicarage.  Our site was split off at that point (about 20 years ago) and a wall was built then between our site and the house.  As far as I can tell there is another manhole about a meter or so away on the other side of the fence.

 

I don't know when main drains were brought into the village but foul drains now run around the vicarage (to the North of it) and we will have to install drains into the lane next to our land.

 

My question is regarding what we should do with the septic tank?  I suppose we could just leave it but we were thinking of building a separate small "pod" to the West of the septic tank (the house will be to the East and next to the lane where foul drains will be connected.  

 

If we were to try and decommission the tank how much of a problem (and cost) could it be.  It could be complicated as this could just be an overflow tank from the main septic tank next door!

 

Any advice or experience welcomed.

[Russell griffiths]

As long as you are 100% it’s not in use, smash the top in with an excavator and fill it in with crushed stone. 

I did one last year. 

Didnt bother pumping it out. 

Its now under the drive somewhere. 

[saveasteading]

Is this brick or fibreglass?

 

if brick it will be very old, and could also be taking rainwater, because they didn't think about this sort of thing back then, just getting rid of it.

 

If fibreglass, well there was a naughty habit of bashing a hole in the bottom to save on emptying costs.

so lots of unknowns. Keep an eye on the levels.

 

is there a layer of 'brown' floating on top?

 

[mjc55]

10 hours ago, saveasteading said:

Is this brick or fibreglass?

 

if brick it will be very old, and could also be taking rainwater, because they didn't think about this sort of thing back then, just getting rid of it.

 

If fibreglass, well there was a naughty habit of bashing a hole in the bottom to save on emptying costs.

so lots of unknowns. Keep an eye on the levels.

 

is there a layer of 'brown' floating on top?

 

Water looks clear

[saveasteading]

 A live tank for sewage would have brown crud on top and black sludge on the bottom.

That pipe isn't right for sewage either. It would turn down to be below the surface, both at in and out ends, to let the contents settle and digest.

 

So i think it is rainwater.

 

Is that another pipe at the bottom?

[Russell griffiths]

Go to toolstation and buy some drain tracing dye. 

You can go to all the drains onsite and pour some down and look for where it goes. 

The last thing you want to do is smash it up if you need it. 

Can it stay until your build is underway, you might have a better understanding of what it is by then. 

[saveasteading]

If it has been there long enough you probably  still have rights to use it, unless it's clearly causing pollution.

 

[mjc55]

The site was originally part of a larger plot belonging to the House to the North (now owned by Salisbury Diocese).  This was sold in 2003 and the plot we have bought kept by original owners.  Before the house there was a pub on the site that burned down in early 60's, so in all probability something to do with the original Victorian pub.

 

The wall/fence was built when the diocese bought property and there looks to be another chamber on the other side of the nearby fence.  

 

It's a little difficult doing anything there as the vicar would prefer us to deal with Diocese directly.

 

Yes, there is a vertical pipe under the water.

 

There are no drains on our side so a little difficult to investigate.

 

It is definitely something to investigate further down the line as potential build is not close to the septic tank.

[saveasteading]

In case it is relevant. 

My house has a brick chamber in the garden. When we bought it and applied for change of use, the water company demanded a treatment station was installed.

But with a letter from the vendor stating that the brick chamber had been in use for many decades, and where the soakaways were ( in the adjacent field) the matter was dropped.

I have contrived to reduce the amount of rainwater connecting to it and it works fine, having been sucked out once in 20 years.

After the sucking out I saw that the pipes in and out were badly damaged and at the surface so i sorted them.

The reason they were damaged was apparent. There were  lumps of old roof (tiles and mortar) chucked in the pit: old builders clearly weren't scrupulous any more than now.