When we bought Roseveare House, we knew that there was a problem with the Septic Tank but decided that nothing was going to deflect our intention to buy the house so we chose not to ask too many questions, despite the very soggy ground around it that had a distinct sort of aroma!
Some time after we moved in I decided to have a look inside the first chamber cover; it was full to overflowing!! I had a look in the next Inspection Cover towards the house which had some fluid present but fortunately the pipe under the Inspection Cover next to the house was clear.
I found a local man who came along with his lorry and emptied as much as he could and, having had a discussion with him, it was decided that the only way to resolve the problem was to have a new Soakaway.
Here follows a quick lesson on Septic Tanks:
Chamber One - Where everything from the drains go. The "Solids" sink to the bottom where biological action breaks down the solids, effectively "eating" them, leaving fluids to flow into the second Chamber.
Chamber Two - fills to a certain level with fluid, which then flows out of the tank into a Soakaway - in theory this should be very clean water!
Soakaway - takes the overflow and dissipates it into the ground.
Our problem was that the fluid was never discharging from the second chamber, which simply filled up, then filled up the first chamber, allowing solids into the second chamber. The Second Chamber then overflowed out of the cover. Digging a new Soakaway was the answer and my local man knew a man with a digger - surprise surprise. He came along, had a look and a price was agreed upon. Unfortunately the weather then transpired against us and it was not until February that the work was carried out.
Below are some before and after photos; I have thrown lots of grass seed at the scar and now await everything turning green. There is some residual smell in the ground near the boundary fence but nothing much; it is also going to be some time before the ground around the tank dries out but, given a decent Summer, everything should be rosy by the end of the year.
Some time after we moved in I decided to have a look inside the first chamber cover; it was full to overflowing!! I had a look in the next Inspection Cover towards the house which had some fluid present but fortunately the pipe under the Inspection Cover next to the house was clear.
I found a local man who came along with his lorry and emptied as much as he could and, having had a discussion with him, it was decided that the only way to resolve the problem was to have a new Soakaway.
Here follows a quick lesson on Septic Tanks:
Chamber One - Where everything from the drains go. The "Solids" sink to the bottom where biological action breaks down the solids, effectively "eating" them, leaving fluids to flow into the second Chamber.
Chamber Two - fills to a certain level with fluid, which then flows out of the tank into a Soakaway - in theory this should be very clean water!
Soakaway - takes the overflow and dissipates it into the ground.
Our problem was that the fluid was never discharging from the second chamber, which simply filled up, then filled up the first chamber, allowing solids into the second chamber. The Second Chamber then overflowed out of the cover. Digging a new Soakaway was the answer and my local man knew a man with a digger - surprise surprise. He came along, had a look and a price was agreed upon. Unfortunately the weather then transpired against us and it was not until February that the work was carried out.
Below are some before and after photos; I have thrown lots of grass seed at the scar and now await everything turning green. There is some residual smell in the ground near the boundary fence but nothing much; it is also going to be some time before the ground around the tank dries out but, given a decent Summer, everything should be rosy by the end of the year.
The Machinery
Just about Empty
Covered Up
Raked and Seeded
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