Fosse Septiques - Eparcyl and cleaning the loo

[David]

We have been reading the articles on this fascinating subject but need to know where we buy the eparcyl from in France. We have not found any thus far. Also, how do we clean the loo, shower and sinks without the conventional cleaners? We would hate to upset our friendly bacteria! Thanks.

[Dick Smith]

Eparcyl in any supermarket, in my experience.

You can get fosse-friendly cleaners, too. We get that for toilet cleaning (fosse friendly bleach), but don't bother too much about the shower - after all if it is toutes eaux you will be putting soap, shower gel and so forth down it anyway.

[saddie]

You can get Eparcyl at any supermarket and most bricos. You can get one which only needs to be applied every 6 months. Tarex is a biological pipework cleaner which I use in sink wastes and is very good. You can use a little bleach occasionaly just make sure that you don't mix it with acid based toilet cleaners. The result is a dangerous gas.

[Cassis]

[quote user="saddie"]The result is a dangerous gas.[/quote]

Chlorine?

[Dick Smith]

You have to be careful about dangerous gases in toilets. Very common problem.

[Cassis]

Perhaps it's a bigger problem in your household, Dick.  Faulty pipework or something.

[Dick Smith]

Something faulty somewhere. Mind you, being in the UK at the moment we have access to takeaway curries.

[Will]

If you can't find Eparcyl then there are other similar products like Septifos, and some made by Harpic. Look in the supermarket with the cleaning products. As there are so many septic tanks in rural France most products generally on sale will be OK. Domestos cleaners are safe for septic tanks.

Dick - maybe that's why you don't find too much curry in France.

[Loiseau]

As well as the Eparcyl powder for keeping your fosse purring along, you can also buy in the supermarkets a loo cleaner called Clarcyl which is fosse-friendly.

Angela

[Rob Roy]

All the cleaners will tell you on the back whether they are suitable for the fosse - there are plenty of products for the toilet, shower and washbasin and kitchen sink available in the supermarkets

[The Riff-Raff Element]

What exactly is Eparcyl? I dutifully use it every week (certainly since

the "Dad, the downstairs loo is throwing up" incident for which two

children and a couple of thousand soiled nappies did little to prepare

me and which may well haunt me for the rest of my natural), but I have

no idea what it actually is.

The box isn't much help - it tells me that Eparcyl is the product of

100,000 hours of research (gosh, I bet that was a pleasent job!), which

sounds a lot but which I rather suspect is not. I have been variously

told that it is:

- The desicated and finely ground carcases of battery chickens. Old

saws tell me that the traditional practice was  to jetison a

(mercifully) dead chicken into the fosse on an annual basis to keep it

healthy, so I suppose that there might be something in this;

- Common or garden fertiliser;

- Dried yeast.

Anyone know for sure?

[RogerW]

All is revealed here:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6319873.html

Roger

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="RogerW"]All is revealed here:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6319873.html

Roger

[/quote]

Well I'll be jiggered! Thank you for that. What a fabulous site - I shall add it to my faves without delay.

So, basically, it's clever clay. I liked the idea of the dead chickens though...

[Cassis]

Crikey, I'm glad you could translate this, JonD!

Biological activator for a septic tank
Document:	United States Patent 6319873
Abstract:	This invention relates to a biological activator for a septic tank of the type comprising a product in the form of solid particles, which is non-corrosive, non-toxic, finely divided, and of large specific area, comprising a colloidal phase in suspension and a flocculent phase, having a reducing power of mineral origin, its function being to form a support for anaerobic microbial flora in a septic tank in order to increase the bacterial saturation density in a septic tank for an equivalent quantity of nutrients, its specific area being (in m.sup.2 /g) between about 25 and 66, more particularly between about 35 and 66, and advantageously between about 46 and 60, and a cation exchange capacity (in meq/100 g) between about 9 and 38, more particularly between about 14 and 38, and advantageously between about 24 and 35.

[:'(]

[Christine Animal]

Now we know at what age we can use it most advantageously, but how do we know what is actually in it?

 

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Christine Animal"]

Now we know at what age we can use it most advantageously, but how do we know what is actually in it?

 

[/quote]

It's a bit further on - kaolinite and zeolites (so, clay) doped with

(amongst other things) copper, cobalt, titanium, manganese, zinc and

beryllium. The last one's a bit worrying given how toxic it can be, but

I'm sure that the 100,000 hours of research covered that! Basically, as

far as I can make out, it hangs around as a sort of cloud in the liquid

part of the septic tank and more or less provides a nice comfy home

(hot and cold running solids) for all the bugs and beasties that eat

the poo. I shall treat my dosing with Eparcyl with a little more

respect henceforth.

[Dick Smith]

You put it down the toilet?

I've been eating it!

No, not really. But I am sometimes worried that it doesn't flush away and hangs around in the toilet for ages. We also had some visitors who almost put the whole sachet down unopened - there is some other product which you flush in a gel bag which dissolves when it gets to the fosse.

[David]

I am pleased to have started such an interesting topic! My thanks for the help.

[Motorhead]

Well, well, well, I'd always assumed it was a microbial culture as everyone told me but I never thought there could be many freeze dried fosse bugs in it at the price they sell it for.

[powerdesal]

Dick,

if you pour in the powder whilst flushing it doesn't hang around at all.     [:)]

Regards

[londoneye]

we have a fosse and used to have a soakaway also.  due to problems with soakaway and as our fosse is tout eaux (not sure of spelling) we have diverted our bathroom waste to our fosse now.  no problem with toilet cleaner, no problem with toilet paper - used to all that.   however when we went to supermarket to look for general cleaning products i couldnt find anything at all which was suitable for fosse.   when i asked a supermarket employee she looked at me as if i were demented - no she said, we dont have anything in cleaning range which is suitable for cleaning showers and sinks etc, only for toilets.    anyway since then i have been using a bucket of water with small amount of cif and washing everything with bucket of water then tipping bucket outside.   i can do without it to be honest and i have to say my bathroom is looking a little unloved currently.      i have searched site honestly but if anyone knows a product name and a chain of supermarkets which sellit i would be very grateful.    currently i go to intermarche by the way.

thanks

[Adam]

Sorry to bring up an old topic, but we have moved into a property that has a cesspit and the previous owners left a box of Eparcyl behind which we have been using each fortnight.

However, this seems to have caused a brown stain in the bottom of the toilet that we don't seem to be able to shift.

Has anyone experienced the same problem or has any suggestions in how we can remove the stain?

Thanks.

[Thibault]

I didn't realise this was an old thread and started reading from the first page and what a roll-call it was of old familiar names and avatars from the past.

Where are they all now?

[Spyder]

That brown stain is probably calcium deposits. Buy some of that very cheap white vinegar in the supermarket, warm a bottle of it in a microwave and pour into the pan. Leave for a while and use the loo brush to scrub around a bit, works a treat and is foss friendly.

[Théière]

Use the loo brush first to displace as much water as possible thereby not diluting the vinegar too much.