donkeybee Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 we bought a house and the sewerage system/all waste goes into what appears to be some sort of cesspit it is a well on the outside and we were told it would never need emptying - does this seem ok? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 It does not seem OK, unless your fosse septique has been checked and is 'conforme'. I would imagine that the paperwork should have been given to you when you bought the house if it had.Usually I think it is the Mairie who sends 'SPANC' to come check and I do believe that they charge, and I do believe that one is obliged to pay.http://www.mon-assainissement.fr/definition_spanc.html#SPANCEdit, IF your fosse septique is not within the rules then it could cost you a fortune to get a new one installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickP Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 [quote user="donkeybee"]we bought a house and the sewerage system/all waste goes into what appears to be some sort of cesspit it is a well on the outside and we were told it would never need emptying - does this seem ok?[/quote]Million dollar question? It depends on who you talk to, Our Plumber when I asked his advice was; if it works i.e. doesn't back up, doesn't smell, doesn't overflow, which it could if the drainage field is blocked, and just works OK , leave it alone. We then had a visit from SPANC, who inspect sewerage systems in our area, they said it must be drained every four years. Most of our locals get theirs emptied by a local farmer, which is now illegal. We being British and cowards get ours drained by a specialist company, very important as you mustn't drain it completely or apparently you kill off the bacteria that makes it work. Didn't the house have a sewerage report? Good Luck.Sorry Idun crossed post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donkeybee Posted June 27, 2014 Author Share Posted June 27, 2014 thankyou for your help i will have to look into this, when we bought the house both the estate agent who was very helpful and the notaire said there was no need to ever have it emptied so we assumed this was ok, there was alot going on then, i think we will need to go over all the paperwork, as i am sure you are aware is such alot x it is only now we have begun to think, so am asking for help, thankyou nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donkeybee Posted June 27, 2014 Author Share Posted June 27, 2014 thankyou for your help i will have to look into this, when we bought the house both the estate agent who was very helpful and the notaire said there was no need to ever have it emptied so we assumed this was ok, there was alot going on then, i think we will need to go over all the paperwork, as i am sure you are aware is such alot x it is only now we have begun to think, so am asking for help, thankyou nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Donkeybee, it's probably what is called a septic tank in the UK. I am sure you could google that in English and find out about them. It's like your own mini sewage treatment works - as long as it works. But to keep it working, you must treat it right. Put nothing down the loo that hasn't been through a human being first , with the exception of loo paper, which should not be of too thick and luscious a quality. No nappy liners, tampons etc.eetly.After passing through the holding tank, and then a filter bed, the outflow (probably into a nearby ditch) should be pretty pure water.Look in the supermarket for boxes of Eparcyl, which is a biological activator. An occasional dose of this grey powder is excellent for keeping the bacteria in the tank in good shape and everything flowing sweetly. In my holiday home, I empty a couple of sachets down the loo when I arrive, and then try and remember to put one a week down thereafter. Don't use bleach or bleach-based cleaners in kitchen or bathroom. These might stop the bacteria in the tank working. You can buy special bathroom cleaners such as Clarcyl that are fosse-septique-friendly. If anyone in your household is on antibiotics, it might be a good idea to put an extra dose of the activator down.As people have said above, there has recently been a new rule that everyone has to have their tank inspected by the gloriously-named SPANC organisation. Any flaws are pointed out to the owner, who then has to put them right.In a way, the fosse septique should function for ever, but one is advised to have it emptied every 4 or 5 years. I have had mine done about every 10 years, on the perhaps mistaken principle that I am only there for half the year...Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Is it not the case that a normal FS cannot now discharge in to a ditch and the water now has to discharge in to a sand filter bed that uses a special sand.Because of what is thought to be an old fosse being where our new fosse and filter bed was going to go we had to have a different system (for different also read more expensive). This can discharge into a ditch but consent had to be obtained from the mairie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney and Huggy Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 [quote user="donkeybee"]........ the estate agent who was very helpful.............. [/quote]Our estate agent was also very helpful. On site he explained that although the fosse was old we had around 3 years to have it replaced to meet current standards - turns out there was no fosse and never had been. I suppose the upside was that we didn't have expense of having an old one removed. He also 'forgot' to mention that our plans to fit velux windows would require not just the consent of the mairie but also Batiment de France (likened to a council planning officer having a bad day coupled with a pedantic historic monuments authority).Yes, immobliers are 'helpful' [6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ventodue Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 [quote user="Loiseau"]there has recently been a new rule that everyone has to have their tank inspected by the gloriously-named SPANC organisation. [/quote]How time flies, Angela ... [:)]Arrêté du 7 septembre 2009, modifié par l’arrêté du 7 mars 2012, fixant les prescriptions techniques applicables aux installations d’assainissement non collectif de moins de 20 EH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 le développement de gîtes à moustiques[:)]This phrase conjures up a whole new idea, rental gîtes with a difference! [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickP Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 [quote user="Cendrillon"]le développement de gîtes à moustiques[:)]This phrase conjures up a whole new idea, rental gîtes with a difference! [:D][/quote] [8-)][8-)][8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 QUOTE VentodueHow time flies, Angela ...END QUOTEAgainst 45 years of cottage ownership, that is indeed the blink of an eye, ventodue! ;-)Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 There's a lot of variation among the different SPANCs.Ours had an offer of a grant for half the cost of a new system, up to 3000€. Not means tested. It's finished now, purse empty probably.But it's worth asking about.We still have a rather primitive system which seems to work, empty every 4 years. We're just keeping quiet and hoping the rules aren't applied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 [quote user="Patf"]There's a lot of variation among the different SPANCs.Ours had an offer of a grant for half the cost of a new system, up to 3000€. Not means tested. It's finished now, purse empty probably.But it's worth asking about.We still have a rather primitive system which seems to work, empty every 4 years. We're just keeping quiet and hoping the rules aren't applied.[/quote].That's fine if you have no foreseeable plan to sell your property.Certainly, one of the requirements for sale is that the fosse is inspected if it is more than 3 years old. Now I am not sure when this requirement came into being. Someone on the Forum could answer that one, perhaps?So, to properly answer the OP, it would be necessary to know when exactly he bought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickP Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 [quote user="Patf"] We still have a rather primitive system which seems to work, empty every 4 years. We're just keeping quiet and hoping the rules aren't applied.[/quote]Same for us Pat, Spanc or what ever can only make recommendations, if there is a fine for non-conformity it comes from the Mayor and the council. I spoke to our Mayor two years ago about the penalties, his reply was "if I fine you I have to fine everybody; as all the houses in the village have the same old fashioned systems". Like lots of things in France the French know the rules; but do seem to apply them in a very practical manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Mint (can't get used to your new name!) - If and when we try to sell we know we'll probably have to drop the price to compensate for the cost of replacing the oldfashioned fosse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Pat, I don't know why I replied to this utterly depressing subject!I have just finished with a lot of hassle and worry to do with a fosse (not the one we built and used) in our old house previous to its sale. It was very tricky to negotiate around the requirements and a VERY méchant neighbour so I think I'll leave this subject well alone.If you can't get used to my new name, Pat, you call me by my old one or indeed any other one you fancy!I am now "Susie" to ericd and Wooly is calling me nimt for nimty-numpty no doubt but what's in a name,eh?[:)]It's not nice to think of dropping a price or indeed of having to replace a fosse at the time of sale, is it?Even worse, in the course of replacement, a whole garden might have to be destroyed and re-instating a garden is no overnight project, is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 We and many in our village are in the same boat as NickP. [blink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericd Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 [quote user="Loiseau"] ... Look in the supermarket for boxes of Eparcyl, which is a biological activator. An occasional dose of this grey powder is excellent for keeping the bacteria in the tank in good shape and everything flowing sweetly. In my holiday home, I empty a couple of sachets down the loo when I arrive, and then try and remember to put one a week down thereafter. Don't use bleach or bleach-based cleaners in kitchen or bathroom. These might stop the bacteria in the tank working. [/quote].... Or use natural yogurt, it's cheaper. Eparcyl contains dried up yogurt bacterias. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I used to use Bio7 every few weeks. And I used to use those milder bleaches too. We never had a problem with our fosse septique and were in that house for 25 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 [quote user="ericd"][quote user="Loiseau"] ... Look in the supermarket for boxes of Eparcyl, which is a biological activator. An occasional dose of this grey powder is excellent for keeping the bacteria in the tank in good shape and everything flowing sweetly. In my holiday home, I empty a couple of sachets down the loo when I arrive, and then try and remember to put one a week down thereafter. Don't use bleach or bleach-based cleaners in kitchen or bathroom. These might stop the bacteria in the tank working. [/quote].... Or use natural yogurt, it's cheaper. Eparcyl contains dried up yogurt bacterias.[/quote].... Or have a sh1te in it every day or so, its free. Turds contain plenty of bacteria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 [quote user="ericd"].... Or use natural yogurt, it's cheaper. Eparcyl contains dried up yogurt bacterias.[/quote]Good tip, Eric, thank you.I do find these fosse products, Eparcyl, Septifosse, etc all very expensive. There's no need of course to use them at anywhere near the recommended frequency. As an aside, no need either to use clothes detergents in the amounts recommended[blink]best regards, Susie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 [quote user="dave21478"][quote user="ericd"][/quote].... Or have a sh1te in it every day or so, its free. Turds contain plenty of bacteria.[/quote]So, combining your advice with that of ericd's, all that's required is that you ate a yoghurt everyday?Do you recommend any special flavours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Well, given the scatalogical undertone of this thread, I suggest it should be fruity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 But some say antibiotics are harmful for the fosse contents, so anyone taking this medication has a problem - where to go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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