grey water

[MKJ]

after much digging we have discovered that our black and grey water flow down separate pipes which run parallel until you get to the septic tank. There the black water pipe goes into the tank which miraculously appears to be working properly and doesnt smell. the other pipe, the grey water, just er... ends and flows out into the ground (this is about two foot down)

The ground in question is a 10 foot square clump of bamboo, also hiding the fosse itself. if we run alot of water, the ground does get very boggy (obviously).

any suggestions or ideas as to what we need to do? ie leave well alone, put a tank in - how big, what sort, how , is it legal etc and finally, the distasteful question of what happens to the 'bits' that go down the sink?

Maria

[Moorejw]

You think you've got problems? Our grey water from the kitchen runs across what used to be a farmyard on the surface!! We do plan to divert it in underground pipes into the fosse, but at the present time it just runs down the yard and soaks away!

John and Angie Moore (17)

[Alcazar]

LAST EDITED ON 02-Apr-03 AT 04:37 PM (GMT)

All grey water is supposed to be properly dealt with under new regs out this year.In your case, this would mean into the fosse.
But how big is the fosse? Have you uncovered it entirely? Does it have a drainage field, (is there an outlet FROM the fosse?)
Our new system has a fosse of 4000litres, a filter, and a large(about 100 sq m) drainage field, which I know to be at least 5 feet deep, as I saw them dig it out. It took 17 tonnes of gravel and sand when it had to be filled.
If your fosse is big enough, and HAS a drainage field, you could get the grey water diverted into the fosse. What you have at present is the older system.
I would get someone to have a look, and then either do it, or get it done, but it may mean having a drainage field put in place, and that may mean a new fosse. Our system was 3800, this February!
Alcazar
Edited to say: Bits?? They'll just rot away........hence the smell

[Les Flamands]

In a traditional French septic tank installation the grey water passes through a grease trap but by-passes the septic tank and goes directly into the drainage field or soakaway, and for this reason the grease trap is very important. In my opinion, this arrangement is much better than the modern 'tous eaux' systems where everything goes through the septic tank and all the detergents from the washing machine and dishwasher upset the balance of the process. I suspect the grey water pipe is broken (maybe by the bamboo roots) and it did originally go to the soakaway.

Regards

Charles

[Washy]

The "bits" rot or are eaten by microbes, the smell is probably cause by too much or these bits on the surface under the bamboo. This sounds like a half hearted attempt at installing a reed bed system. We have had a similar "soak-away" system for years with no smell, but I do strain the washing up water as I empty the bowl, the strainings are then emptied into my kitchen compost bin and from there onto the compost heap. I do not use heaps of detergent and no bleach. To run properly reed beds need sand to filter and more bog type plants and reeds to aerate the water that does find its way to the surface to stop any smell. We have dry toilets. This all started as an alternative which was to be temporary until the installation of our septic tank. We have difficulties with this now as we are in an area mostly on rock and do want to keep our dry toilets and reed bed system as this uses hardly any water. We are planing to improve the reed bed system for the grey water so that we do in fact recover the water again and will direct this onto the garden. We also collect rainwater from several locations which sees us through the summer droughts. There are other links to compost toilets and reed beds. Suggested reading - The Humanure Handbook by John Jenkins. Funny and informative.