I noticed a cottage for sale which has no septic tank and no mains. As
it stands at the moment it's not possible to get a mortgage on the
cottage due to this.

Apparently the site is too small for a septic tank to be placed in the
garden, as the garden is too small and the tank has to be placed a
certain distance from the house.

I was wondering if anyone knew any alternatives to septic tanks which
might be permitted to be placed in a garden.

It's a long shot, but just thought I'd ask...!

Mike wrote:

I noticed a cottage for sale which has no septic tank and no mains. As
it stands at the moment it's not possible to get a mortgage on the
cottage due to this.

Apparently the site is too small for a septic tank to be placed in the
garden, as the garden is too small and the tank has to be placed a
certain distance from the house.

I was wondering if anyone knew any alternatives to septic tanks which
might be permitted to be placed in a garden.

It's a long shot, but just thought I'd ask...!

I once considered buying a place whose septic tank was on an adjoining
piece of property - perhaps you could come to an arrangement with a
neighbour?

Mike wrote:
I noticed a cottage for sale which has no septic tank and no mains. As
it stands at the moment it's not possible to get a mortgage on the
cottage due to this.

Apparently the site is too small for a septic tank to be placed in the
garden, as the garden is too small and the tank has to be placed a
certain distance from the house.

I was wondering if anyone knew any alternatives to septic tanks which
might be permitted to be placed in a garden.

It's a long shot, but just thought I'd ask...!

I think you are going to have to place it at least 15m from any
building.

If you can't manage this on your site maybe you could arrange with a
neighbour that you pay for a nice modern system (like a Klargester) big
enough for 2 houses to be installed on thier property replacing thier
existing septic tank - you may be able to pursuade them that it would
be less problematic for them (hopefully one of the neighbours has a
troublesome tank at the moment and will jump at the offer).

P.S. I expect someone like "BuildStore" would give you a mortgage on
the property as it stands.

I was wondering if anyone knew any alternatives to septic tanks which
might be permitted to be placed in a garden.

See if you can install a Klargester Biodisc. You should have no problem
getting this past the Environment Agency if an installation is feasible. The
active aerobic process needs less space than some other solutions. However,
you might struggle to get approval within 15m of the house. You will also
need enough land for a soakaway, or a permit to discharge into a nearby
watercourse.

Alternatively, a combined system with nearby houses might be possible if
neighbourly goodwill is in abundance and someone can provide land for the
installation. You can get Biodisc systems that are suitable for large
numbers of houses (up to 75 people) and it might be attractive to your
neighbours if they're on a cess-pit that needs constant emptying, or have an
old style anaerobic septic tank that doesn't work in this day and age of
soaps and bleaches.

Christian.

Thanks

If the septic tank, or suitable alternative, wasn't situated on the
land of the house I don't think I'd buy it in case it put off potential
purchasers when I decided to sell on in the future.

I've heard about biomass (is that the correct word?) systems on tv in
the past.

I wonder if this has to be situated a certain distance from the house
also...?

On 19 Dec 2005 08:01:01 -0800, "Mike"
wrote:

I noticed a cottage for sale which has no septic tank and no mains. As
it stands at the moment it's not possible to get a mortgage on the
cottage due to this.

Apparently the site is too small for a septic tank to be placed in the
garden, as the garden is too small and the tank has to be placed a
certain distance from the house.

I was wondering if anyone knew any alternatives to septic tanks which
might be permitted to be placed in a garden.

It's a long shot, but just thought I'd ask...!

I have a packaged sewage treatment works. It is sited "too close" to
the house, but with the approval of the BCO, as there was no other
place to put it that was downhill from the house, and within half a
mile - we live on a cliff top.

Rick

Thanks Rick

How far is your packaged sewage treatment works located from your house?

On 19 Dec 2005 09:09:45 -0800, "Mike"
wrote:

Thanks Rick

How far is your packaged sewage treatment works located from your house?

either 4m or 6m, we only used 1 bit of underground soil pipe from the
house to the unit, its somewhat neerer the old granry / pigsty.

Here are some pictures (later down the page)
http://www.pen-y-geulan.com/diy/ivor.html

Everyone recommends the kargester, whih IMHO is an expensive thing.
Mine was 3K, we fitted the tank (cost less than 1K), did all the
groundworks etc, the people that made it (APCO), then come and check
it all out, and fit the gubbins in the middle. You can use any tank
you like, I got mine from APCO.

We backfilled with a dry mix concrete.

We pump out every year.

We got a consent to discharge, directly from the tank, via 250m of
pipe into the river in the pictures. The people of chester &
birkenhead then pump the water out the river & drink it.


Rick

On Mon, 19 Dec 2005 17:36:21 GMT, Rick wrote:

On 19 Dec 2005 09:09:45 -0800, "Mike"
wrote:

Thanks Rick

How far is your packaged sewage treatment works located from your house?

either 4m or 6m, we only used 1 bit of underground soil pipe from the
house to the unit, its somewhat neerer the old granry / pigsty.

Here are some pictures (later down the page)
http://www.pen-y-geulan.com/diy/ivor.html

Everyone recommends the kargester, whih IMHO is an expensive thing.
Mine was 3K, we fitted the tank (cost less than 1K), did all the
groundworks etc, the people that made it (APCO), then come and check
it all out, and fit the gubbins in the middle. You can use any tank
you like, I got mine from APCO.

We backfilled with a dry mix concrete.

We pump out every year.

We got a consent to discharge, directly from the tank, via 250m of
pipe into the river in the pictures. The people of chester &
birkenhead then pump the water out the river & drink it.


Rick

Also you may remember the grand designs, white cube on the coast, they
got their sewage system in the garden, just uder a sea wall, so that a
second example of the 15m being a bendable guidline rather than a rock
solid rule.

Thanks

I think I found their site... http://www.apcoltd.co.uk/flashindex.html

Is the "kargester" which you mentioned the name of a septic tank model?

Ahhhhhhhh
Thats why me's tea tastes peppery nowadays

Mike

On 19 Dec 2005 10:36:25 -0800, "Mike"
wrote:

Thanks

I think I found their site... http://www.apcoltd.co.uk/flashindex.html

Is the "kargester" which you mentioned the name of a septic tank model?

One of the previous posts have it spelt right :-

Klargester Biodisc

There are others, Hepworth did one, at a mindbloing price, I could not
see the different between that and the APCO.

The two main types are the "pumped air bubble through", which has all
the moving parts (an air pump) outside the tank, and a disc, which
sits half in the "mix" and turns lifting some of the mix out, into the
air (all inside the machine)

If you want to discharge into a river, you need to be 100% certain the
machine will clean the muck to a sufficient level. We are also very
carefull never to put paints and the like down the drains.

If you are using a secondary treatment, read beds or soakaway, you can
go for a simple seperator system. I guess you don't have space for
this.

I got the EA people out to my place, and they basicly told me what to
do, for free. I found a counsulant to advise me, who wanted 500 quid
just to turn up, and then he would price the work he needed to do - I
didn't use him.

One other thing to do, is to find a groundwork contrator, thats a
small local company, who will have done many of these type of things.
My guy charged an hour rate, and then did a guarentee of "done in 5
days else extra is free", it was done in less than 2.

Final note, as you are buying a place, you need consent from the
current owner that you can approach the EA. The current arrangment is
probably not completly legal. Once this is a know fact, it has to be
discolsed. If the EA decide to take action - troubble could occour -
its called Cover Your Arse in my line of work.


Rick

I noticed a cottage for sale which has no septic tank and no mains. As
it stands at the moment it's not possible to get a mortgage on the
cottage due to this.

Apparently the site is too small for a septic tank to be placed in the
garden, as the garden is too small and the tank has to be placed a
certain distance from the house.

I was wondering if anyone knew any alternatives to septic tanks which
might be permitted to be placed in a garden.

It's a long shot, but just thought I'd ask...!


You need to get all the legalities sorted before you buy. The actual plant
can be quite close to the house but the soakaway, assuming there is to be
one, needs to be more distant. One will be needed unless their is somewhere
else that the discharge can be made.Unless you can get formal written
agreement from a neighbouring landowner for this then forget it. This link
shows the possible consequenses if you get it wrong http://tinyurl.com/cd6o6

Peter Crosland

On 19 Dec 2005 08:33:47 -0800, Sadly wrote:

Mike wrote:
I noticed a cottage for sale which has no septic tank and no mains. As
it stands at the moment it's not possible to get a mortgage on the
cottage due to this.

Apparently the site is too small for a septic tank to be placed in the
garden, as the garden is too small and the tank has to be placed a
certain distance from the house.

I was wondering if anyone knew any alternatives to septic tanks which
might be permitted to be placed in a garden.

It's a long shot, but just thought I'd ask...!

I think you are going to have to place it at least 15m from any
building.

If you can't manage this on your site maybe you could arrange with a
neighbour that you pay for a nice modern system (like a Klargester) big
enough for 2 houses to be installed on thier property replacing thier
existing septic tank - you may be able to pursuade them that it would
be less problematic for them (hopefully one of the neighbours has a
troublesome tank at the moment and will jump at the offer).

P.S. I expect someone like "BuildStore" would give you a mortgage on
the property as it stands.

I think that is the most positive option.

OTOH if its really isolated, approach owners of neighboring land to
purchase a bit.

I'd be more worried about lack of mains water meself.

Expect high costs anyway - the klargester is cheap, but getting round small
land purchases/legal agreements/and passing all the tests MAY not be.

On 19 Dec 2005 08:39:25 -0800, Mike wrote:

Thanks

If the septic tank, or suitable alternative, wasn't situated on the
land of the house I don't think I'd buy it in case it put off potential
purchasers when I decided to sell on in the future.

Don;t be. That is where yoiu need a lawyer: You come to a binding
arrangement (is it an easement? ) to mave use of the land for a specific
purpose.

Its no worse than being on a private road, for example.


I've heard about biomass (is that the correct word?) systems on tv in
the past.

I wonder if this has to be situated a certain distance from the house
also...?

I suspect so.

Is it really 15 meters?

I thought it was 5 meters...

I'd certainly be happy with a klargy IN the house meself...absolutely no
smell (until they stop working)

On 19 Dec 2005 08:39:25 -0800, Mike wrote:

Thanks

If the septic tank, or suitable alternative, wasn't situated on the
land of the house I don't think I'd buy it in case it put off potential
purchasers when I decided to sell on in the future.

I've heard about biomass (is that the correct word?) systems on tv in
the past.

I wonder if this has to be situated a certain distance from the house
also...?

http://www.klargester.com/pdf/Klarge...wsletter01.pdf

All you ever wanted to know about **** digesters.

It looks like the key issue is the OUTFLOW from a motorised Klargy has to
be 10meters from the house.

Since that is an undergriound pipe, into a ditch or soakaway, its not THAT
hard to organise.

"Mike" wrote in message
oups.com...
I noticed a cottage for sale which has no septic tank and no mains. As
it stands at the moment it's not possible to get a mortgage on the
cottage due to this.

Apparently the site is too small for a septic tank to be placed in the
garden, as the garden is too small and the tank has to be placed a
certain distance from the house.

I was wondering if anyone knew any alternatives to septic tanks which
might be permitted to be placed in a garden.

It's a long shot, but just thought I'd ask...!


My septic tank is in my garden and is shared by the other half of my "semi
detached block". The outflow goes into a field which adjoins the garden.
There are legal agreements covering joint use of the tank plus permission
for my outfall to go into someone elses field. I had doubts at first but
my solicitor put my mind at rest.

On Mon, 19 Dec 2005 17:36:21 GMT, Rick wrote:

We got a consent to discharge, directly from the tank, via 250m of
pipe into the river in the pictures. The people of chester &
birkenhead then pump the water out the river & drink it.

The Dee estuary had a two foot effluent pipe from the mustard gas works
for years and no-one noticed.

In article .com, Mike
writes

I noticed a cottage for sale which has no septic tank and no mains. As
it stands at the moment it's not possible to get a mortgage on the
cottage due to this.

Apparently the site is too small for a septic tank to be placed in the
garden, as the garden is too small and the tank has to be placed a
certain distance from the house.

I was wondering if anyone knew any alternatives to septic tanks which
might be permitted to be placed in a garden.

It's a long shot, but just thought I'd ask...!

http:/www.biotank.co.uk
--
Mr X