Good Idea
- Do have your septic tank emptied once a year at least, according to EA standards, by a qualified desludger.
- Do consider the size of a Victorian septic tank when they used much less water and chemicals. A modern family will fill up a small Victorian brick built septic tank much faster.
- Do ensure your stench or stack pipe is above the edge of the roof so it can draw as a chimney.
Do collect waste cooking oil and fats and dispose of it with your food waste recycling service, or pour cooled oil in a sealed plastic container and put it in the general waste bin.
Do consider the amount of bleach or other chemicals used, not using to much.
Do a test to see if rain water is getting into the septic tank.
- Do make sure the septic tank cover is not corroded (and is safe to walk on) and properly replace any corroded or cracked septic tank covers.
Bad Idea
- Don’t leave your septic tank unemptied for over a year, which can eventually lead to system failure.
- Don’t overload your septic tank, causing a failed soakaway.
- Don’t let bad smells come into your property by not fitting the stench pipe or stake pipe properly.
- Don’t allow cooking oil to build up and clog the pipes.
- Don’t pour an insane amount of bleach into the septic tank, which will kill the bacteria that you need in there to break down the waste, and disrupt the sewage system.
- Don’t Let roof, yard or surface water enter the foul system.
- Don’t let untreated water from the septic tank enter a ditch, land drain, council drain, or road drain. Even if you have had permission previously, check with the EA or Allerton!
Don’t leave a corroded septic tank cover alone or replace it with insufficient materials (such as wood or newspapers) and allow someone to fall through the hole.
For more information about Septic Tank Problems, check out our page: 5 Most Common Septic Tank Problems.
FAQ
Q: How often does a septic tank need emptying?
A: As a rule, once a year for the average household. It depends on the size of the septic tank and how many people are using it. Two years is possible, depending on the size of the septic tank. If the frequency is more than once a year, it is usually because a soakaway has failed and that shouldn’t be happening. Check out this table about the pros and cons of septic tanks. Frequent emptying can be quite expensive.
Q: Are there septic tanks that don’t need emptying?
A. No. All septic tanks should be emptied to protect the soakaway!
Read the section about septic tank emptying on our Septic Tank and Soakaway Problems page for more information.
Q: Can rain water go into a septic tank?
A: NO, heavy rain can wash all the stored solids into the soakaway or ditch or block the ConSept.
A: 1. You will need to establish what type of water is flowing through each manhole on the property.
2. You will need to work out where the water from the stormwater manholes flows to e.g. into a ditch or soakaway.
Lift the manhole covers and observe. Have someone flush the toilets, then run the taps for the shower, then bath, etc. The water coming from each of these sources is foul water. And if you see it flowing through the manhole, it is called a foul manhole.
Once you establish that it is a foul manhole, then check to see that no stormwater goes into any foul manhole. To check that, on a rainy day stand in the rain with nobody in the house and see if any water goes through each foul manhole. On a summers day you can squirt water into the gutter to imitate rainfall.
Afterwards, draw a plan of the property and show the foul manholes and pipes in red and the pipes and manholes for the stormwater in blue. This is also useful when you sell the house.
Q: Does shower water go into a septic tank?
A: Yes. All lavatory, showers, wash basins, sinks etc are classed as foul. These must go to the septic tank. Rain water must NOT go into the septic tank.
Q: How do I clean my septic tank naturally?
A: It should emptied regularly by a registered waste contractor. The mess inside the walls of the septic tank is actually full of bacteria and should be left alone. Do not hose it down!
For more information about Septic Tank Problems, check out our page: 5 Most Common Septic Tank Problems.