"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
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On 28/07/2020 14:49, NY wrote:
"Jim GM4 DHJ ..." wrote in message
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so...how far does a septic tank have to be from a dwelling and how far
from a public sewer do you have to be these days to be allowed a septic
tank..?

How do you mean "how far from a public sewer do you have to be these days
to be allowed a septic tank"? Are you saying that if there was a public
sewer running past your house, you would even *want* a septic tank? They
are a solution of last resort when there isn't a sewer nearby.

As regards "how far does a septic tank have to be from a dwelling?", is
the restriction where the tank is/are, or is it where the outflow is? Is
it legal to have a tank within about 10 feet of part of the house, but
the discharge is about 50 feet away?

I don't think septic tanks are allowable any more AT ALL.

They are not allowed to be fitted as a replacement for an old one, or for a
new-build. But if you already have one, you are not required to have it
replaced with a mini sewage works as long as it discharges into a soakaway
and not into a water course. Let's hope that ruling doesn't change,
otherwise we'll be saddled with a large bill.

https://mpcservices.co.uk/2020-septi...ulation-change says "Septic
tanks discharging into a soakaway (subject to compliance with Part H of
Building Regulations) are not affected by 2020 septic tank regulations."

It doesn't mention any difference in regulations between existing and new
discharge, just that if you already or were planning to in a new
installation discharge into a water course, you need the full plant; but if
you already or were planning to in a new installation discharge into a
soakaway, then a septic tank is fine.

Of course that may not be a full and accurate statement of the regs., though
it seems to correspond with
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/general-...-to-the-ground
and related pages.

The gov.uk site says "You must get the sludge that builds up in your septic
tank or small sewage treatment plant removed (desludged) before it exceeds
the maximum capacity. As a minimum, you should have your treatment system
desludged once a year or in line with the manufacturers instructions." I
presume "at a minimum" means "at least as frequently as".


My parents' holiday cottage has a septic tank for the sewage, as have all
the other houses in the village. But the grey water (bath / washing up
water) discharges (via a communal drain) into a nearby stream, which I'm
sure is not allowed...

Funny story: when we bought the cottage, the septic tank had been installed
and was being used, but in the back garden was a large breezeblock-lined
open pit, with a ceramic T piece from a pipe half-way up. It was about
15x10x5 feet. Apparently in the past, someone had installed a cesspit (there
was only one chamber and no outflow) and at some point (hopefully before the
toilet was flushed for the first time!!) they worked out that the exit into
the chamber was *higher* than the toilet. ****, like water, doesn't flow
uphill...


It's just dawned on me why the house with the noisy treatment plant has one:
it's right next to a stream, so even if there was space under the lawn for a
soakaway / discharge field, it would probably be too close to the stream.