Many individuals inquire, what's the difference between a cesspool and a septic tank? The simple answer is that cesspools do not have an outlet pipe, like the septic tanks that can attach to an soak away. Therefore the cesspool is a sealed unit, on account of this the cesspool need to be emptied more regularly. Depending on the usage it may have to be emptied anywhere between every two to twelve weeks. Unlike the septic tank of course there isn t any treatment for the sewage. The cesspool is just a large underground tank that is connected to all waste water outlet pipelines from the given home.
You will find only two types of cesspools that are used in great britan, domestic and non domestic. The domestic cesspool are generally only used as a last option, where a sewage treatment plant or septic tank cannot be established. This is naturally the case if there can't be a soak away installed, often this happens when the residence does not have sufficient land, or the ground is not suitable i.e when the ground is mainly clay. The new guideline, brought out by the Environment Agency and the building regulations state that the smallest size for a cesspool is now 18,000 liters (4 thousand gallons), this size cesspool would only cater for a one bedroom property. Some property often connect the rainfall downpipes to there septic tanks, however this is not recommended for cesspools as it just fill the tanks up faster and then require more regular emptying. The non domestic cesspools are used only for short-term settlements, such as camp sites, caravan parks, constructingbuilding sites e.c.t
Every so often there can be a terrible smell that is generated for the cesspool, the smell normally goes out through the vent or through the pipework. Should you be facing this problem, please do not enter the cesspool to enquire the situation. This would be remarkably perilous as the toxic gases are very powerful and can defeat you very quickly, it has been know to kill people! This problem is normally caused by the micro organism in the cesspool dying, this can happen due to modern cleaning products like bleach and different powders. The best thing to do is to simply add some bacteria. The bacteria is often sold according to the size of your house. The majority of bacteria is simply flushed down the wc once a day over a 3 - 4 day period and typically last for 3 years taking into consideration the application of modern cleaning products.
The other query a lot of people ask is what size cesspool do I need for my home. The guidelines and regulations from British Water state that the capacity ought to be based on allowing 180 liters of waste water per person per day and that the cesspool should be able to hold that waste for 40-50 days prior to it requires an emptying. So based on those sums a 18,000 liters cesspool would be fine for two individuals living in a one bedroom property, and for each individual added you need a cesspool that increases by a minimum of 6800 litres.
