Cesspit - How much hassle?

[Mark Lewis]

I’m on the verge of buying a property In the middle of nowhere-in common with everything I have been looking at, it has no mains drainage but unlike everything else I have seen (which had septic tanks or newer water treatment systems). This one has a sealed cesspit.

The estate agent has dismissed this as no big deal and something that only needs emptying once every six months or so but online it seems to be that this old style sealed tank system is a money pit (in addition with being a pit of the obvious!)

Long term the plan would be to ditch it and install a water treatment system-it is an old mill so can discharge into the stream from that. But is it going to be grief in the meantime or worrying about nothing? Also, when I do switch over Would it be a case of just seal up the old tank and leaving it forever and then put the water treatment plant somewhere else or does the old system need ripping out at this stage, I don’t know when the cesspit was built but I would imagine it was a very long time ago.

Property is pretty perfect in every other way - If you like things in the middle of nowhere 😂

[Mark Lewis]

He has said every 6 months but is that right? As a cesspit has no outlet at all (compared to a septic tank) surely it feels that faster than that – either we’ve just two people

[Mark Lewis]

Well if it is the survey will be interesting as it’s next to a steam so that would be breaking a couple of laws.

[Mark Lewis]

So ball park cost to do away with the pit and install a water treatment unit? (all this is right next to the old mill stream so I assume the water can flow out to that from the biodisc)

[Mark Lewis]

So this is definitely a cesspit - its with a few meters of the stream so no where for a drain off.

So it sounds like - if it works fine, the only hassle is having to get it drained every 4-6 weeks. If it leaks or is crazy old....then the seller will need to fix as leaking into the stream would be illegal anyway.

So - our plan would be to switch to a water treatment plant ASAP - I'm guessing 10-15k tops including filling in the old pit and then I can discharge into the stream with the right permissions.

So if I can get a bit off the house to compensate - no huge drama?

For reference - the pit is under the patio table area, Logistically - how does any work even get done there? You can't get a digger to that spot - the front lawn would be a good spot for the water treatment plant but is re-piping to there going to be a nightmare? A digger can easily get on the front lawn.

Edited by Mark Lewis on Friday 5th July 11:44

[Mark Lewis]

Ok. Turns out the seller is a bit of a Muppet. It is a septic tank not a pit. Although in that location, no idea where the drainage field would be and he doesn’t even think he has one! Obviously a survey will uncover all this stuff, but I am trying to avoid getting too deep on this if it’s going to be dealbreaker stuff.

Is it possible that it drains straight into the stream, as was allowed in years gone by, and has never been updated?

[Mark Lewis]

indigochim said:

Bottom left of your pic running to/from under the bridge looks to be a large diameter pipe is that not where it's going?

That carries power cables to the field this side of the bridge - there are some agricultural buildings with lighting etc

[Mark Lewis]

Lotobear said:

I would say it's a racing certainty that it goes into the stream

...is it in Wales?

https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/permits-and-p...

Edited by Lotobear on Friday 5th July 14:01

It is - I assume he'd not have been able to register it if it flowed to the stream??? So is it possible he just kept quiet about it? Seems odd given he knows a survey will pick it up and make the place unsellable.

[Mark Lewis]

Lotobear said:

i'm not fully conversant with the Welsh Regs but if you look at the link I posted, it might possibly be okay if it's an existing discharge which has been in place since before 2010 but it might still need to be registered?

You’re right! The owner has gone through paperwork and discovered he has an exemption granted because it was operational prior to 2010. So it sounds like the run-off from the septic tank just goes straight into the stream and is allowed to do so.

Looking at the site-I’m not sure whether I, water treatment plant could even be installed that close to the stream under current regulations so it may be that the existing system is the one the house is stuck with for good. But at least it’s legal!!

[Mark Lewis]

Actual said:

Mark Lewis said:

But at least it’s legal!!

Legal now.

Check that there is no requirement to update to meet current regs when a property ownership changes.

Future legislation may require the owner to upgrade the system.

No requirement to upgrade on change of ownership but yes-it is possible future rules could change. The trouble then is, a water treatment plant would not be an option at this property because there is no space to place one 10 m from the stream, which is the current rule. So no idea what would happen then. Rapidly looking like a bad idea.

[Mark Lewis]

Having spoken to a few people now it seems this might not be as big a problem as I thought. Switching it, at some point in the future future, to a sewage treatment plant is a great idea but I thought it would not be possible due to the rule that a plant needs to be 10 m from a water course and 7 m from the building. It turns out these are just guidelines and Can be ignored when no other option exist. So I could just replace the existing septic tank with a treatment plant and discharge straight into the stream.

[Mark Lewis]

Wales. The existing system is registered and approved on the basis it was operating prior to 2010.