Fosse/pipework problem

[fittersmate]

Hi Scarlet1 - If your fosse is the same as a french fosse this is what happened with ours:

We had been suffering increasing episodes of toilets backing up, blocked, wouldn't flush the stuff away etc.

Called out the pump out man for an emergency pump out, all covers off, we could see that the level in the filter chamber was high with turds on the top of the pozzolana rock in the filter basket, due to that filter being blocked so the level rose up to the overflow from the main chamber into the filter chamber. He pumped the 3000 litre fosse dry, but didn't have the time or the inclination to sort out the filter.

So muggins had to excavate a lot of the rock from the filter to make it physically possible to lift the filter basket. the flimsy rusty metal handle had broken long ago – the spanc inspector broke it!

As far as we can backtrack the history of the fosse, installed 2004, the rock in the filter has never been changed and was a mass of black slime when we both lifted it out, very heavy even though only half full of the rock, you both have to reach down into the filter chamber and get a hand each into the hand holds in the basket - :shock: a nasty unpleasant job.

Plans for this coming week are to make a decent proper stainless steel handle and attachments so the basket can be lifted out if necessary.

Also I'm going to replace the 30 kg of rock in the filter with these plastic “boules” in a net.

https://hydrodiv.com/home/27-filet-filt ... 70107.html

To make it physically possible to lift the filter out and take it down to the compost heap to hose it or pressure wash it clean which is recommended to do every 6 months. and to change the pozzolana rock every time the fosse in pumped out. Presumably the plastic boules will be much lighter. be easier to wash out, won't clog up like the rock does and won't need changing – we will see!

[nomoss]

Many years ago we had a septic tank for our house in Cornwall.

The toilet backed up one day, but before calling for help I lifted the inspection covers at each end of the main run from the bathroom outlet to the tank, and found the blockage was between them.

I borrowed a set of rods and found the blockage was a large wad of tissue handkerchiefs, which was easily removed. They had been used instead of toilet paper for a couple days, since we were not conveniently near any shops.

Many paper handkerchiefs have "wet strength", as they have a fine plastic or similar coating, and do not disintegrate easily.

This can easily be checked by submerging them in a bucket of water and observing whether or not they break up. The same applies to any toilet paper you propose to use.

No other materials should be even considered. In fact the best rule, usually applied to toilets on boats, is not to put anything down them which has not been eaten first.