The Pit as in Cess!!
 

We appear to be having a few probs with water flow.:( The problem is we don't have mains sewage and we don't know where the access to the Cesspit is. The house is 50 years old so it must surely have been emptied some time in the past. We are in a row of 3 similar houses but they are all configured differently. Our neighbors have inspection covers but we don't?
Would the town hall have any plans of the structures below ground?
Bit of a crock really, HEEEELP, has anyone else found themselves in this situation?

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

We were just like that when we arrived. The previous owner promised to show us where everything was, but never did.

We eventually found it. We have a long gravelled drive and it was buried under about 8 inches of gravel and general rubbish. The 'manhole' was about 4 inches square - no good to anyone so we excavated and put in a 'proper' sized one.

If it's only 50 years old, it may never have been emptied. Have you tried contacting the local sewerage removal people to see if they've been there before? They can usually listen to the water flow from the house and make a good guess as to where it is.


What is the real problem? Is it backing up into the bath/shower etc?

The other approach is to rod from the main sewerage pipe below the loo - messy but it might help.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Why not get a local plumber to have a look?

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

I Have found it quite common for old soak away pits to have no access here ,in the past I have just broken into them and fitted a cast iron inspection cover .

if you find it is full of mainly water you could try pumping it out with a submersible pump , or if full of solid stuff get it professionally emptied

but if it re fills quickly then you may need a new one as its ability to soak away may be clogged, also check that there are no continuous leaks ie toilet always letting water to waste which could be filling the cess pit

Cheers Tony

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Hola

A word of caution; everything in the cess pit / septic tank is "foul water" and must be disposed of correctly. Most septic tanks do not have an inspection hatch as standard until they need attention

Davexf

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

make sure you do not fall in:o

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Its a nice day for a swim !

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

We had similar problems and got a local plumber to clear from the toilet (we took it out first) then put a camera down so he could see which way the pipes were heading. after this we put an inspection hatch in at the mid way point. He inspected the pozo at the same time and it was fine so we did not break into it. The plumber has recommended that we flush with a hose from the inspection point once every 3 months as our drainage does not have enough angle to properly clear and we are only using the house at weekends.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Never had a drainage blockage that five litres of Aguafuerte couldn't solve pretty sharpish. :lol:

Mind I'm not going to recommend it to others for obvious reasons. :eek:

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

OK thanks for the suggestions. We bought the place ( a bungalow) 7 years ago but have only really been here constantly for the last 3. A couple of months ago when my wife was away for a fortnight I had no problems whatever so it seems the handling capacity is reduced, odd though that it doesn't get better over night. During a quick shower the wáter starts to back up after about 2 mins. If the toilet is then used, the wáter rises in the bowl and then runs away in about 20 seconds. During the day it is OK providing enough time is left between usage. Here I think the drainage angle is pretty poor too. Anyway you have given me a few ideas to get on with. I will try the wáter company too and ask if they have ever pumped it out once I have translated the questions.
Thanks again
M

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

It won't be the water company - more likely to be a (private) sewerage contractor.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Here it is the same company. Astosam.
I notice that there is a leak from the cistern to the bowl of the wc, it is very slight but more than a drip, over a 24 hr period I guess it could be quite significant.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Yes it could be filling your pit with water , and your paying for it too !

Normally just needs a new rubber seal to fix

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

It is likely that the septic tank/system is in a straight line from where the main drain leaves the house. So follow that direction if you can find the main drain of know where it is, then, as someone else said, listen for sounds of water. If it has a hatch/ cover you might be able to find it by jabbing a stake or rod into the ground as it is unlikely to be more than a few inches below ground level.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Unfortunately it's a bit more complicated, the cistern is one of those fitted to the bowl so it has to be disconnected and removed. It is not possible to do anything from inside the cistern. The rubber seal is perished.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Water leaking from the cistern into the bowl it is usually caused by the ball valve being incorrectly set and is normally rectified by resetting

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Or it could be that the 'float' has calcified and is sticking - either use a light oil to lubricate it or something stronger to get rid of the lime-scale build up.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

The leak is between the 2 the rubber seals at the bottom of the syphon, the top one was covered in chalk and has cracks in it, I put some Silicon grease on it and it has improved temporarily until I find a permanent solution. Last night with the wáter turned off the cistern was empty this morning, after 6 hours...........

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

...or the float could have sprung a leak. Some are made in two sections and have been known to open up after a while.
Also the rubber washer at the end of the float arm occasionally needs replacing after years of service having lost it's flexibility and ability to make a tight seal when closed.

Considering the overall picture I'm inclined to the view that there probably is no major underground leak and water is probably being lost by one of the numerous faults previously mentioned.
A major underground leak would take very little time to rack up a bill of many thousands of euros rather than the sums mentioned.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

As per my previous advice Get a local plumber. It is possible for you to cause irrepairable or very expensive damage.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

"Very expensive damage" ...... It's a toilet! :rolleyes:

The optimal result is buying a new seal and fitting it yourself; if you're taking it apart replace the valve mechanism while you're at it. Cost: about €40 tops. If you pay someone to do the same work, parts and labour, you're looking at €150-€200.

If you try the job yourself and destroy the toilet, you're facing maybe €120 for a new basic toilet and some labour to install it - so probably around €220 +/-.

So if you decide to not do it yourself you going to face a similar bill as if you tried to do it yourself and destroyed the toilet entirely. It seems to me like having a go at a DIY repair is a fairly safe, low cost bet. :unsure:

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

My advice would be do not talk to the local council or any other official- very few self contained sewage plants (cess pits or septic tanks) work as the regulations require. If you start making noises to officials they feel obliged to do something offical - which will doubtless end up costing you both money and pain. Most authorities are happy to leave such things alone until someone rattles their cage, then they have to act according to the regulations.

Either locate the problem yourself or get a local self-employed plumber to help and do it all without any noise or fuss

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

That has consistently been my experience, and not just about cess/sewage systems. Round here (US/NC), the authorities turn a blind eye to pretty much everything that nominally needs a permit and inspection whether it is done by a contractor or the homeowner (this is not true for new-build). No questions were asked even when I demolished two chimneys entirely, which ran through the center of the house.

The licensed plumber, electrician, and heating/AC contractors I use have all asked me if I want permits to be obtained for the work - their preference, and mine, is consistently "no".

Ironically, the only exception I have experienced was when I consulted a septic system contractor about expanding the drainfield - when I asked how much bigger it should be to solve the poor drainage issue? he replied that he would do what the county permit said was required.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Complete toilets are available quite cheap from lee roy merlin if your one is beyond repair ,

the seats tend to be poor quality though on the cheaper ones.

Cheers Tony

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

It is not just the toilet. he has back up in the shower and the toilet. Local plumber is the only way. :thumbsup:

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

OR maybe the toilet leaking water to waste is causing the pit to fill up , then causing the back up ?

Cheers Tony

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Hmm could be:thumbup:

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

As I am not a professional plumber, perhaps you would care to explain to me how botching a DIY repair to the toilet might cause damage, expensive or otherwise, to the shower, :unsure:

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

I would have posted some pics but it doesn't look like it is posible here. The cistern is emptying in about 2 hours, so over a day that's about 12 x 9 litres a consistent amount. I am keeping the supply to it disconnected today apart from when it is used.
As for the regs, here everything is in order and the Torremolinos wáter Co, Astosam provides wáter and sewage collection facilities. I called them once about 5 years ago about another wáter cistern under the garden. They said they would empty it if I insisted for 120 Euros but that it was for irrigation. They have a standard fee around 150 Euros now. They are supposed to be providing normal sewage facilities, this has been talked about ever since we moved in, The main is about 100 metres from us.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

If its 100m down hill then it might be worth a connection - providing you don't need to cross too many other properties

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Maybe1day has I believe found one problem, that being the leaking gaskets in the bottom of the cistern. Changing these is a very simple job for anyone a little handy and cost minimal.

Once this is done it may or may not solve the other problem, but this will soon become evident.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

A video from Youtube to get you started.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

An easy and safe way to relieve some of the strain on a septic system is to divert the outflow from the washing machine into the garden. That water is, at worst, "grey water", and can be safely left to soak into the ground or into a drainage ditch.

Re: The Pit as in Cess!!
 

Sorted the cistern with a pack of 3 from Brikomart, big rubber washers for 2,25Euros.
Bit of a pain to fit properly without removing the cistern, it requires slight chamfering of the inner hole. It has improved the situation a fair bit. Having a go with the plunger in the Loo also improved matters which points to a blockage somewhere in the pipe. The fact that previously it had blocked a couple of times after it had been stressed, which I won't go into, probably means some other technique is necessary.....