Jump to content

After the fosse diagnostic report...


OldBlue
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello all,

I have a general question to ask on behalf of my Dad who has difficulty with forums/computers. He has bought a small cottage to renovate and has a copy of the fosse report (Controle de bon fonctionnement) which basically says that the installation doesn't comply. We don't know how old the cottage is but it's shown on the 1830 cadastre along with the neighbouring buildings. There is a functioning toilet there. At the back of the cottage, behind the bathroom, there is a slab which I lifted up and saw it was covering an opening to a tank full of white liquid. I guessed that this is the fosse septique but I'm not sure. A few metres away there is a VERY heavy rock that I mangaged to lever up a few inches and it appears to be some sort of round inspection hole that has been filled in.

Now, here are three interesting quotes from the report...

"la présence d'un prétraitement et d'un traitement n'est pas prouvée"

"Commentaires généraux sur le prétraitement: Pas de fosse septique trouvé le jour du controle."

"Commentaires généraux sur le traitement: Probablement un puisard."

So I gather that the tester didn't find a fosse septique. So I wonder what that tank of white liquid was?

My Dad is wondering what to do next. He doesn't want to pay for a full new installation if the current system can be upgraded. The estate agent told him that the fosse only needed a filter added, but I'm pretty sure that was a lie. My Dad is wondering whether to get someone else in to advise on it, or whether we should do some digging to see what's what. What he doesn't want is another vague report for 250EUR, or a builder persuading him to have a new installation if it's not required.

The other complication is there is a communal well about 9 metres from the suspected 'puisard'. But he and the neighbour just use it for watering the garden.

Thanks for reading. Any thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The tank is probably a holding tank.....I had one under my WC, it may have an overflow, but by the sounds of it it doesn't have any sort of filter system.....It'll be diffcult to identify what you've got unless you've any history on what was installed, but I reckon you'll maybe have to install a fosse (assuming that the exissting one is not to the minimum size and a sand filter of some sort.

Start by getting a couple of devis, hopefully in the process you may learn some more about your system.

Bon chance.

M.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It sounds a bit like our system. The hole with white liquid is perhaps the grey water from kitchen, bathroom etc.

There might be a concrete fosse somewhere, we found ours just outside the downstairs toilet. It was covered in about a foot of earth, and has a concrete lid which we removed with a bit of difficulty. We had it emptied.

Ours works ok, but doesn't comply with the regs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or it could be a "fosse etanche", or cesspit. We had one at our first cottage because there was not enough land for a "fosse septique". The fosse etanche was simply a holding tank for the WC waste, and had to be emptied when it was full.

Angela

Link to comment
Share on other sites

we just had our fosse checked(a one off legal requirement) and the guy said about 50% of the houses in the area need to be redone.

He said some have a fosse but no filtering.  Apparently there are some new norms that need to be adhered to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all for taking the time to reply to my post. :-)

It does sound very much like what you say, a 'holding tank' or a 'fosse etanche'.

I actually looked inside the tank fairly soon after my Dad bought the

property, and the place was empty for a couple of years before that

because the previous occupant had passed away, so the fact that the tank

looked quite full would agree with the 'holding tank' theory. I had

better have another look inside when I go there next time to see if it

needs emptying!

A builder has just made a site visit but didn't give any clues as to what system is there currently. His quote over the phone, before even visiting the site, was for 6,700EUR (if I remember correctly) for a 'traditional' septic tank. Plus I think it was either 250 or 350EUR for a report before doing the work, which he said is mandatory. That's probably for a 3000 litre tank as the property is very small.

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My suggestion would to speak with the Mayor. If he is in a village with neighbours, then the likely hood is all the neighbours will be in the same situation. I might not be 100% correct on this, but in my village the mayor has to address this problem and look at putting in a joint Micro station, or perhaps individual ones. I know with our friend purchasing a property in our village, the notaire pointed out it is not up to regulation, but was told not to worry about it at this time, see what the mayor is going to do as all the neighbours have all got to do the same and if he contracts the same artisan to complete the work, it may be that the mayor can negotiate a deal.

The individual micro stations are around 6,000E. Frustrating thing is, you can get them for half the price from Belgium but because it does not have NF written on it, it wont pass when inspected, however I believe this is changing in the next few years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
Sorry to bring this up again, but we are due an inspection and I am sure we will not conform to the norms.

All the neighbours, and even the Maire ! say to just ignore the report as they cannot enforce it

Anyone had any experience of this ??

Has anyone been pestered / prosecuted for failing to modify a old system.  Real experiences please, not anecdotes [:)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for that information, I did try a search but kept coming up with a server error as a response.

I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens, our fosse does not drain into a waterway and the output is diluted by any rainwater before it is dissipated anyway.

Perhaps I will have to buy and learn how to use a JCB, would appear to be cheaper than the quoted devis [:)] or does it have to be done by an 'approved' installer? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our Fosse has now been inspected three times.  The first time the report said it complied.  The second report said it didn't and the third time (last May) it didn't.  The inspector told us that next time the Mayor might want us to do something about it.  Our next door neighbor claims that one neighbor has been fined if I remember correctly the fine was €130.  We are not rushing to remedy our non compliance!  Incidentally our Commune pay for the inspection!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Racerbear02"]Thanks for that information, I did try a search but kept coming up with a server error as a response.

I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens, our fosse does not drain into a waterway and the output is diluted by any rainwater before it is dissipated anyway.

Perhaps I will have to buy and learn how to use a JCB, would appear to be cheaper than the quoted devis [:)] or does it have to be done by an 'approved' installer? 
[/quote]

It is a current topic:

http://services.completefrance.com/forums/completefrance/cs/forums/2846542/ShowPost.aspx

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Well a charming young man arrived this morning, spent 10 minutes trying to remove the cover of the fosse, decided against it in the end, asked me a few questions, did it work OK? any problems? any smells? where does it exit to? then said OK no problem, it does not conform to the modern norms, but you do not need to do anything until you come to sell the house, I will send you a report saying so and the invoice for my visit.

The report will contain recommendations and advice but it is not obligatory to act on the contents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
I couldn't see this mentioned here:

I believe that the banks (or at least CA) offer an interest free loan (what I presume is a government initiative) on certain types of eco-friendly work on your house and some septic tank installation fall under this category - worth checking out anyway.

"Eco pret"

http://www.credit-agricole.fr/particulier/credits/credits-immobilier/eco-pret-a-taux-zero.html
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...