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davidkent

Apologies if I am posting this in the wrong forum, but thisi one was the closest to the subject I am writing about.
I have found a property in Thanet, buuilt about 1938, which I am in the process of buying (have not exchanged
contracts yet).
I am not a plumber and know nothing about the subject which may explain my horror when the estate agent
contacted me yesterday to say that the elderly vendor had just discovered the property was not connected
to the mains sewage pipe in the road. Her house as three other older properties in the road all use a system
which, believe it or not, is called 'the everlasting Pit' in their front gardens.
Its essentially like a septic tank but with holes in it that drains out the ('biodegradeable') waste into
the ground around it.
Its not visible but seems like a chimmney or well with slots in it. I phoned the council and spoke to a person
in building control who had not heard of this system and seemed worried about pollution but suggested I
speak to one of his colleague who was knowledgeable about the area in which the property is located. I spoke
to him and he said he had heard of the system and (quote) 'if its working OK, then its fine'. I also understand
the vendor, on discovering how her drainage worked, called Southern Water who looked at the situation and
said they were happy with it and would confirm so in writing (letter still awaited).
The vendor's son has said it is a very efficient system of disposing of waste and builders I have spoken to
have also said the description of it makes it sound efficient and ahead of its time (and of course no sewage
charge is levied on the property).
I would certainly describe myself as 'Green' (ecologically-speaking) but I still can't help worrying about it. I
assume it cannot be converted into a septic tank as the front garden is only about 6 or 7 metres long (and
about 6 wide) and therefore would be too close to the property, and I am told the cost of linking to the main
sewage system in the road would be very high (which to me is the best way to stop my worrying), although
no figures have been mentioned.
If anyone has any knowledge of this system (which I cannot find anything about on the internet), I would
appreciaite their input.
Many thanks.
David
 
Ahead of it`s time ? Everlasting pit ?
Someone has been yanking your chain I think ?
This system is probably the worlds oldest most rudimentry form of sewerage system dating from Roman times or before .
It has may guises and many names but in principal they are all the same it is the forerunner to a septic tank where sewage is allowed to settle and bacteria breaks down the effluent in anything from a single chamber to several normally 3 in a modern system .
What you have if there is not another tank or chamber before it is a seepage pit or cess pit it relies on being built into well draining ground ,and are often built as a honeycombe of brickwork or just dry stonework with loose stone surrounding it to aid the draining of the liquids .
While this may work ok for an old lady on her own I doubt if it will cope with a modern high water usage family ?
If this really was built as a single stage in 1938 sounds like a money saver as they were installing more advanced system by then .
If the property is on a road with a main sewer in it then I am almost certain there will have been a spur put in for every property to their boundary in that road just these days no one remembers it being done but my old mate worked on installing many sewers and this was how it was done .
Often a camera down the main line and you can locate the spur this saves a penny or two as no road excavations but I doubt many will tell you that .
Do not let it put you off buying the house because if it is working as you say no sewerage charge .
 
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Forgot to say they do sometimes need digging out now that is a fun job !
Dodgy builders still construct them in Spain known as a pozo negro (black hole)
They really are just that a car size pit is dug if you are lucky concrete lintels laid over it a bit re mesh and concrete poured over the top then sold to some unsuspecting Brit who either finds it when he parks his car on top or when he digs the pool and the lorry falls in !
 
my sister had similar in her back garden for years hers had a tray that was tilted by an electric motor at set intervals im not sure what actually happened but i know she had to replace it with a pit that needs a sludge gulper to empty
 
Firstly, thanks to those people who took the time to reply to my question.
I have decided not to buy the property and the main reason for this is because of the unusual waste system.
I have been told this system is 'very efficient' (if this is so, where aren't there more of them and why have so few people heard of them?) but the fact remains that in view of the age of the property, the underground pit/well has taken all the waste water and human waste for nearly 80 years. As it is underground it cannot be seen or maintained and even if it is working perfectly now (and I cannot see how that can be known for certain), there must be a limit to its life.
I could see myself moving in and then within a short time of this, the pit would start to disintegrate and I would then have a frantic task to join up with the main sewer system in the road to which all but the four oldest houses in the road are linked. I ascertained from the Council that it would cost £12-£15,000 IF there was a connecter on the main sewage pipe, and about £20,000 if there wasn't. Plus all the paperwork, waiting, and disruption.
I asked the vendor to reduce the price to accommodate this but I did not receive an answer in the time I expected, so I decided to withdraw and look elsewhere. I told the estate agent that however wonderful the system is, or is supposed to be, it is inevitable that it will have to be linked to the mains in the near future. What concerned me was not only the age, and that nearly 80 years' worth of waste water and human waste had been poured out in a small underground area in a smallish front garden in a totally residential area, but apart from the pit having no maintenance, its four walls obviously had earth pressing up against them, and there was a concrete block on its top (i.e, apart from the soil pipe from the property, there is no other access), so I could not see it lasting that much longer. And of course, if I had bought the property, I would have all this trouble if I ever wanted to sell it. I was also told that it would be very difficult to obtain a mortgage to buy it. I stress this is not a farm or smallholding but a properbty in a built-up area
in a residential road in Kent.
I could not use it as a septic tank as I gather there are many holes in it, and there would still be leakage into the soil around it (the area covering the top of it is only about 3 yards way from the next door neighbours front garden).
If it did begin to disintegrate, I could hardly expect someone to come round and repair it in view of what's been continually poured into it for some 80 years. Surely physical contact would be a health hazard? I am no chemist, but I did just wonder about what happened to the gases being created from all the waste material in this pit?
I was told that another of its supposed 'positive features' was that it would save me about £25-£30 a month sewerage charges; well, l'd rather just pay this and have some peace of mind.
So, that's how this saga ended. Sadly, I was only told several weeks after I started the process to purchase the property, so I have wasted about £1000 in surveyor's and solicitors fees.
 
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