I just fell off my chair.......

[billyo]

I was feeling happy with life,

Just got off the phone with the marie, they had phoned to say that my Pde C ready for collection.

Are you sure I replied,

Yes and can you come and collect it now as we close in ten minutes.

But I only dropped it round two weeks ago I said.

We know, but no ones busy at the moment. She said;

Stunned silence from me. What a result!

Anyhoo, having got it and opened it the first thing I see is the facture for the various local taxes, fair enough this is france after all; But what made me fall off my chair was the second facture:

'Votre projet est egalement soumis au versement de la Participation pour Raccordement à l'Egout d'un montant de 974.67 Euros. '

They cant honestly be serious, Im connecting one new potty, but the connection is going to be on my land and not touch the main sewer in the road. Is this a normal charge that is levied or can I just ignore it?

cheers

billyo

[strebor]

Should that have been 'fell of my throne'

The price price for the connection is a bit cheaper than we paid.

I had read that if tout a l'egout (sp ?) was available and you have a new project it's mandatory to use the egout.

bonne chance   .....M

[Boiling a frog]

It is alsao a lot cheaper that a septic tank which is around 8000€

[mint]

I should say it's a lot cheaper.  Not only that, no vidange, no special products to clean the loos and no special powder to flush down them.  Bring on the Harpic!

[Anton Redman]

Any idea how much the residents in the commune were charged when the treatment station was set up ?

We were surcharged Euros 600 for an upgrade to the local station for our previous house which had been connected for six years. Slightly ironic as it was neccesitated by the number of houses being brought back into use and barns being converted, in the hamlet by Les Anglais.

[Gyn_Paul]

[quote user="Boiling a frog"]It is alsao a lot cheaper that a septic tank which is around 8000€[/quote]

Must have been a bloody big fosse, BaF !

p

[mint]

No, Gyn-Paul, NOT a big fosse.  In fact, ours cost more than that and we only have 3 bedrooms.  We had to have our "stuff" pumped up the garden thus necessitating metres of piping, "canalisation" whatever PLUS a pump.

BAF's estimate is about what you'd expect for an "average" house.

I couldn't let your comment pass because there might be people out there who have to install a fosse and think they cost next to nothing.  I assure you that that isn't the case.  I have the bill to prove it!

[Gyn_Paul]

I only thought that because ours - for a 3000L fosse, bac de graisse, rock filter, quite a lot of piping to and from the 25cu m sand filter, and a 12 yr guarantee - was 5500 euros last June.

That seemed to be Mr The-Bird's standard fee for this size of installation with no pumping. He seems to work on a 'swings and roundabouts' principle whereby he charges the same for those whose property is easy to dig, and those with more rock than soil.

p

[Jacqui Too]

[quote user="Gyn_Paul"]I only thought that because ours - for a 3000L fosse, bac de graisse, rock filter, quite a lot of piping to and from the 25cu m sand filter, and a 12 yr guarantee - was 5500 euros last June.

p
[/quote]

Yes this seems to be about right, We have just had the same spec fosse installed for € 56300 + TVA @ 5%

[Pads]

[quote user="Jacqui Too "]

[quote user="Gyn_Paul"]I only thought that because ours - for a 3000L fosse, bac de graisse, rock filter, quite a lot of piping to and from the 25cu m sand filter, and a 12 yr guarantee - was 5500 euros last June.

p
[/quote]

Yes this seems to be about right, We have just had the same spec fosse installed for € 56300 + TVA @ 5%

[/quote]

How much [:-))].......... 56300 ......!! you could buy a house for that .......

[Jacqui Too]

[quote user="Pads"][quote user="Jacqui Too "]

[quote user="Gyn_Paul"]I only thought that because ours - for a 3000L fosse, bac de graisse, rock filter, quite a lot of piping to and from the 25cu m sand filter, and a 12 yr guarantee - was 5500 euros last June.

p
[/quote]

Yes this seems to be about right, We have just had the same spec fosse installed for € 56300 + TVA @ 5%

[/quote]

How much [:-))].......... 56300 ......!! you could buy a house for that .......

[/quote]

OMG Must have been a slip of the finger [:$] Should have been €5630 + TVA, It  was late last night [Www]

[Boiling a frog]

5500€ 6000€ 8000€       n'importe quoi

 

Still a lot more than the 900 odd euros for connection to mains

[Chancer]

But it was not for connection to the mains it was for adding another toilet to a system already connected to the mains was it not?

I suppose an increase in taxes foncieres will follow swiftly!

I would like to ask the OP and the other person that responded saying that they had to finance the expansion of the distribution system needed by the Brit influx how they pay the commune for their water.

If it is like me by metered consumption (I think 1 euro m³ + 1.44 per m³ for sewage)  not only does it does seem rather unfair but I can look forward to yet another nasty surprise before the end of my building work.

[powerdesal]

Why unfair?

Metered water means you pay for what you use, surely this is how it should be ? Use more - pay more, use less - pay less, seems very fair to me.

[Gyn_Paul]

No, I think he means he's already paying via the meter for the water used and the waste charge, and now he can look forward to stumping up a lump sum as well.

p

[billyo]

Sorry not checked the puter for a while, seems that its becoming a bit of an emotive topic!

It is going to be a new connection to an already exisiting connection on my property, what I object to is that Im going to have to pay this facture, and Im assuming that no one from the water company is going to come out and carry out the connection for me, which leaves me paying twice. Installing a new potty does not mean Im going to be flushing more waste away it just gives me a choice of where I go and read the news paper, so I dont understand why this tax is levied. I realise and accept that this 'luxury' will mean that I end up having to pay more tax fonc and have no issue with that (untill I read in said newspaper what they are spending my extra tax on, but thats a different story...).

I thoroughly approve of water metering, anything that reduces the consumption of a valuable resource is a good thing, assuming that the money is spent on upgrading services and reducing leaks and not on the director generals dinner/car/luxury yatch.....

 

Billyo

[Chancer]

So Billyo do you currently pay for your water by metered supply?

If not then I suppose it is reasonable to increase what you pay on the basis that the taxes foncieres would increase, I do appreciate that you cannot take a dump on both at the same time but you could always have visitors or sell to a larger family.

[clarksinfrance]

billyo, sorry for appearing a bit dim, but why don't you just go back to the Mairie and explain you already have a connection to the mains sewerage, you do have a connection to the mains don't you? you don't make it clear. If not, I suggest its about right, we paid €750 3 years ago.

[billyo]

Hi, sorry for not making it clear, I do and always have had a water meter here in france, and my house has been connected to the mains tout l'egout for the past eighteen years.

I agree with the notion of you pay for what you use, but the fact that I have a second potty does not mean that Im going to start inviting more friends round for a cuppa and therefore cause more need for waste disposal. I also agree that the extension Im building is going to add more space to the house and therefore if I do ever sell will enablle more people to live here, but that is what the tax fonciere and to a lesser extent tax hab is for.

I will also go and have a word with the nice lady in the Marie, but I have a strong suspicion that Im still going to come away poorer...

Cheers

Billy 

[Chancer]

Billyo

I wonder whether the tout à l'egout connection made 18 years ago was done on a Sunday or in the dead of the night if you follow my reasoning?

A give away woud be to check a facture for metered water and see if you are currently being charged for sewage.

For example from my last facture:

Eau part commune - 20 cubic metres @ E0.85

Assainis. (sewage) part commune - 20 cubic meters @  E1.84

Sorry my french keyboard cant do a Euro sign [:P]

One last question (I should add that this subject is very relevant to me) is the new toilet connected to your existing drain within your property or run seperately to the main sewer? And finally could it be classed as being in a seperate living area say a converted outbuilding?

Good luck with the Mairie and please let us know how you get on.

[Gluestick]

JR:

If you go here Whoopee! 

You will find a printable resource of all Windows accent keys.

Very useful for both French and British (American) standard Windows keyboards.

The Euro sign, for example is (Number Lock on) "Alt" +0128" com ça. €

 

[Cat]

The euro sign is also AltGr  + 4 (the one with the dollar symbol on it, not the one on the numberpad).  Useful key the AltGr, try it with a few vowels [:)]

 

[Chancer]

Gottit!

€

Alt Gr E on my keyboard, and now that I look closely with glasses I can see it is printed on the keycap but very small.

[Anton Redman]

Thanks for the € key info.Bought a new 'Microsoft QWERTY Keyboard and 'ctrl alt 4' does produce the € symbol.