Maybe1day

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?

snikpoh

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.

themajor

Why not get a local plumber to have a look?

tony

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

Dxf

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

themajor

make sure you do not fall in

tony

Its a nice day for a swim !

flotsum

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.

Dick Dasterdly

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

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

Maybe1day

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

snikpoh

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

Maybe1day

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.

tony

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

Normally just needs a new rubber seal to fix

Pulaski

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.

Maybe1day

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.