Septic tank newbie.

[RammyMP]

They normally have an overflow that goes into a soak away. A passer by complained to United Utilities about the smell of ours a month or two ago, they thought it was a sewer so sent their tanker wagon to empty it. They realised after they emptied it that it was our tank, then knocked on our door to inform us that they had emptied it for free. Happy days!

[HotJambalaya]

RammyMP said:

They normally have an overflow that goes into a soak away. A passer by complained to United Utilities about the smell of ours a month or two ago, they thought it was a sewer so sent their tanker wagon to empty it. They realised after they emptied it that it was our tank, then knocked on our door to inform us that they had emptied it for free. Happy days!

and now once a year like clockwork "someone" will be complaining about the smell in the area


Back to the op, the other thing it might be worth spending a few quid on is having the tank inspected. You dont want to buy the place and find out the tank is rusted away (check if its steel or newer and plastic) and needing imminent replacing.

I had mine looked at, and they suspected a small leak somewhere because the soakaway looked absolutely pristine, they also pointed out that it lacked some kind of T valve fitting. In the end I've decided to just get onto the main sewer line which now runs by the house. Slightly more expensive then putting in a new tank, but not by much, an estate agent friend reckons it will add some to the value of the house too, and of course it won't need any worrying about in the future.

I wonder if you can get the sewer plans off the land registry and see how far it is and if you can get onto it. Not right away of course, worth keeping in the back of your mind if it ever needs repairs.

[King Herald]

RammyMP said:

They normally have an overflow that goes into a soak away. A passer by complained to United Utilities about the smell of ours a month or two ago, they thought it was a sewer so sent their tanker wagon to empty it. They realised after they emptied it that it was our tank, then knocked on our door to inform us that they had emptied it for free. Happy days!

All the soakaway etc should be buried underground. I did loads of research before ours was built, and it is probably the biggest and best in the whole area.