thunder box/ compost toilet question/s

[pumpy]

Another big culprit for blocking pipe-work is the humble cotton-bud stick. These little buggers can get stuck in 90degree bends, so causing a log-jam (is that a pun?)

[Millymollymandy]

I missed this thread but we got our septic tank emptied out after we bought the house to be on the safe side, as generally you have no idea when the previous occupants did it, if at all. They do recommend it is done every 3-4 years but as our tank is for a 4 bedroom house (4,000 litres) and we're only 2 then I'm not bothering for a while yet!

[Annpan]

Oh, I didn't put my detailed explanation of the septic tank emptying...

Our next door neighbour (in his 60's, lived there all his life) told us he didn't know when it was last emptied... maybe never.... then he decided it was when the Smith's were here, so that was at least 5 years ago (and they were unlikely to have had it done when they knew they would move out soon... so probably more like 7 or 8 years)

So they started emptying it and the ball had got stuck in the top of the cone... so they went in the inlet pipe to try to get the ball to drop and it didn't, the whole cone did. so the ball is stuck inside the cone and the cone has broken off of the inside of the tank.... which means we need a new tank they also had a terrible time emptying it because there was very little liquid in there... it was solid solids... including sanitary products, wipes, plastic wrappers from stuff and.... a plant pot (as you do)

But, at least that is it done.... just shows how much time we bought ourselves though... we started 'clearing' it regularly over a year ago, and the whole time it was just needing emptied

Well we know now.

Interesting thing to watch though... and they were nice guys too. and £130 for same day call out... actually it only took them 30min to get here from when we phoned :D

[ina]

A plant pot? Did they flush that down the loo???

To pumpy's post - I use the organic paper and cotton sticks - and they go on the compost.... Could never understand how anybody ever got the idea to put those down the loo.

[Millymollymandy]

Someone I know's cat fell in hers - cat was OK but boy he must have ponged and needed a good bath!

Annpan did you get a tanker or a tractor pulling a tank - like is often the case round here. Generally the farmers just spread the waste on their fields along with the cow muck etc although it is technically illegal these days. A local guy said if we just wanted a farmer to come and do it on the cheap (about €30) he knew someone, well we declined as I didn't like the thought it might go on the fields next door and found someone from the yellow pages...... who came along in a tractor pulling a tanker so I think I know where it went - just luckily he wasn't local so it didn't go on our fields!

[Annpan]

It was a purpose built tanker.... and they had just come down from the t in the park festival... so I hope to God it wasn't going on any feilds I don't even want to think about what toxic substances would have been emerging from people there

Having said that when I said I sympathised with them working at that horrid stingy festival the guys shrugged and said "well, shit's shit"... never a truer word spoken.


BTW... before someone points out that I went to T in the Park, yes I did, but I get to use the clean hospitality toilets (my prize for putting up with my beautiful, musical brother)

[ina]

Residues from medication and hormones (from the pill, for example) are really the main problem. So if it's just your own muck, and you know you don't take any of that, it shouldn't be too bad...

[Millymollymandy]

We put stuff down the loo every 6 months which adds or activates the bacteria.... er I really don't know quite what it does other than everybody with a septic tank here puts stuff down the loo for it! Especially important when it's just been emptied out - did you know that apparently you are supposed to fill it up with water again but bugger that, what a waste of money!!! Mind you if yours is a cess pit type then you wouldn't do that, that's just for ones like ours which have a run off for the liquid/water. We don't have a posh 'complies with new French regs' one either as it's only the loo waste that goes in it, rather than all the household water like the new types have. But then we don't have a sand filter bed either, only a soakaway and a ditch! But hey, lots of houses in France only have ditches or rivers for their loo waste.