Where to put waste if there is no centralized sewerage system? The most popular way is to arrange a cesspool on the site. country house. There are several types of sewer systems, each of which differs in installation and operation features.

Sewer silting is a common problem owners face. It happens inevitably. During operation, not only watery waste, but also fecal matter, solid sewage enter the sewer. They become the reason why it silted up cesspool.

If silt is formed in the sewer tank, the functionality of the system is sharply reduced. She can no longer effectively cope with the waste entering her. As a result, the accumulation of liquid waste at the bottom, the overflow of the sewer pit with water. The situation is aggravated if the walls are also covered with fatty deposits. Then liquid waste simply cannot go into the ground due to the lack of a passage.

Silting and overflow of the cesspool

The cesspool needs to be provided with quality service so that problems such as silting do not arise. It is good if the owner of the house notices in time that there are some problems with the sewer system. If you start the state, you will have to decide not only how to get rid of the silt in the cesspool, but also how to improve the sanitary and hygienic condition of the territory, because sewage can pour out, forming a persistent, unpleasant smell in the area that enters the house.

How to remove sludge from a cesspool

The sludge in the cesspool is a thick layer of sediment that microorganisms living in the ground cannot cope with. The accumulation of sludge occurs regardless of what type of sewer system is installed on your site. Timely resolution of the problem will help prevent unpleasant consequences. Here the owner has the right to decide for himself whether to turn to a sewage company for help or do everything himself.

Professional cleaning of the cesspool with sewage equipment

Today, silting a cesspool is not an impossible task. There are a number of ways to correct the situation:

• professional cleaning with cesspool equipment;
• removal of the sludge layer with a fecal or water pump;
• use of biological products or chemicals.

It is not necessary to allow liquid waste to rise high due to silting of the sewer pit. You need to solve the problem after the first signs appear. Pouring sewer waste outside is not only an aesthetic problem. Bacteria live in sewage, which are carriers and pathogens of infections.

Help from the vacuum cleaners

Each owner over time is faced with the fact that the cesspool has silted up. What to do in this case, how to correct the situation and prevent the appearance of an unpleasant odor? How to restore the performance of the sewer system?

The easiest way is to call the sewage company and order the services of professionals. So you can save your nerves and efforts and save yourself from such an unpleasant job. But be prepared for the fact that the services of vacuum cleaners are not cheap. The price includes not only cleaning the pit from the silt layer, but also the disposal of sewage.

Before calling the experts, make sure that your site has access for equipment. The depth of the cesspool should not be more than three meters, since the hose of the sewer machine is designed for just this size.

Instead of using a traditional waste hose, professional workers can use a device called an ilosos. This is a special device with a hose up to 16 meters long, which is used to destroy a layer of dense sludge. As a result, the functionality of the sewer system is restored, problems with the accumulation of liquid waste or the occurrence of a fetid odor on the site go away. Calling vacuum trucks is the best, but not the most profitable solution for how to remove sludge from a cesspool.

DIY cleaning

To save on the services of professionals, you can try to eliminate the silting of the cesspool yourself. What to do, where to start?

Do-it-yourself cesspool cleaning

First you need to decide which method you prefer to use to get the job done.

• Pump. You will need a fecal or water pump and several nozzles for it. You need to download everything you can. The silt itself is destroyed and removed with a bucket and a rope.
• bacteria. In this case, you also cannot do without a pump, but the procedure is simpler. We also pump out the waste, fill the container with water, pour in the biological product. Microorganisms will corrode the layer of silt, and the water will easily go into the ground.
• Chemicals. They work in the same way as biological ones. They are more aggressive, so precautions should be taken.

Note! If you use a water pump to pump out sewage from a sewer pit, do not forget to stock up on nozzles. They will need to be changed very often to prevent failure of the device.

If the cesspool is silted up, what to do will be the main issue that requires an immediate, effective solution. Timely cleaning of the bottom and walls of the cesspool is the key to its high-quality functioning. Spare no time, effort or money, because if the waste spills out, it will be a problem on a different scale.

A properly built cesspool has been functioning for years, absolutely not requiring any attention. However, over time, the efficiency of its work decreases and there comes a time when the filling of the sewage tank occurs very quickly. At first, of course, you can save yourself by calling a sewage machine to clean the sewer. When the interval between calls is reduced to several weeks, the understanding comes that the problem cannot be solved by simple pumping out. In the meantime, there are several effective methods ranging from fairly simple to radical ones, the use of which will make the sewer system work with the same force.

During the operation of the cesspool, the effectiveness of its drainage layer decreases over time.

When equipping a cesspool, a leaky structure with a drainage layer at the bottom is usually used. For a long time, the drainage performed its functions, diverting liquid waste into the ground. Over time, the gaps between its elements became clogged with fat residues, food residues, and simply silt. Spontaneous sealing of the bottom of the pit occurred. As a result of this, wastewater does not have access to the soil layer and simply fills the tank, and since a sewage pit is usually built based on a three-day drain volume, its volume is filled very quickly.

Another reason for the inefficient operation of the sewer system may be its freezing in winter time. Naturally, draining water onto frozen ground will be impossible.

For the normal functioning of the sewerage system in winter, it is necessary to insulate the sewage well

With a decrease in the efficiency of the cesspool, the following signs are observed:

• The walls of the waste sewer tank are covered with fatty deposits, which are quite problematic to wash off;
• Accumulation of bottom sediment;
• A fetid odor from the pit;
• The time to fill the cesspool is reduced to a week or less.

For the normal functioning of the sewage system, it is necessary to properly clean the cesspool and restore its performance.

Sludge removal

Silting of the bottom of the cesspool

The main reason for blocking normal work sewage tank, is the siltation of the bottom. You can overcome this problem in the following way:

• First of all, it is required to pump out sewage using a sewage machine. In order to remove deposits from the bottom of the pit as much as possible, it is necessary to drain the sewage from the machine under pressure. In this case, the upper layer of silt deposits will be eroded and pumped out again by the sewer.

You can mix the bottom sediment well with the help of a long pole with an element in the form of a fungus at its end.

• Fill the bottom with clean water. So they will be further liquefied.
• Add special biological preparations containing bacteria directly into the pit or through the sewerage system. The fact is that bottom sediments are food for many types of microorganisms. After processing, there will be very little solid residue, because the main part of the sludge will turn into a liquid that will successfully go into the soil. It is best to add the biopreparation directly into the pit, splashing it on the walls.

Biological products for septic tanks will help to cope with the problem of silting the bottom of the cesspool

As a result of the use of preparations containing bacteria, they achieve not only liquefaction of the solid sediment and a decrease in the amount of waste in the pit, but also the elimination of bad odors, as well as the restoration of the drainage system.

The positive side of the use of biological preparations is to obtain organic matter absolutely harmless to humans and nature. They can be easily poured onto the ground.

Sludge can be pumped out not only with the help of special equipment, but also using household fecal or drainage pumps. The former are preferable for compacted sludge, since they have a knife in their design that grinds the solid sediment for its normal passage through the hose. In the process of work, it is better to release sludge into a compost heap and later use it for fertilizer purposes.

Pumping out a cesspool with a drainage pump

Ways to improve efficiency

There are several ways to improve sewerage performance. The work can take from several hours to several days, depending on the degree of complexity.

Improvement of the cesspool to a septic tank

An old cesspool can be modified to a simple septic tank

The silting of the bottom of the cesspool can be easily turned to your advantage by using the resulting sealed container as the primary chamber of a simple septic tank. In order to move a step forward in wastewater treatment, you just need to install a filtration well a few meters from the first structure and make an overflow and ventilation system. When doing this work, follow the recommendations of experts:

• You can dig a pit both with the help of earthmoving equipment and manually. The first option is preferable when arranging a septic tank away from buildings. In addition, the earth loosened by an excavator will absorb water much more efficiently. The second method is much cheaper and does not require access roads for construction vehicles. It should also be borne in mind that a manually dug pit will exactly repeat the outlines of the elements for strengthening the walls of the septic tank, so this method is much more effective in hard-to-reach places or near buildings.
• When choosing materials, if possible, preference should be given to prefabricated concrete rings with perforations. They are durable and very effective. Their only drawback is their heavy weight, requiring installation with a crane. The way out of this situation is the manual digging of the rings by the method of gradual selection of soil from under their walls and internal space. Also, to build a filtration well, you can use brickwork with a gap or car tires from trucks.
• The overflow pipe from the waste pit is installed half a meter below the level of the sewer sewer inlet. Usually use products with a diameter of 110 mm. The end of the pipe must be at least 20-25 cm from the inner wall of the filtration well. This requirement is especially important for red brick walls, since its surface will not be destroyed during the draining process. Note that it is better to use rejected burnt bricks. It perfectly copes with moisture and has a low cost.
• When arranging a filtration well, one should not forget about sanitary standards and SNiP, requiring that treatment facilities be located no closer than 30m to a well or well, 1m from the border of a neighboring site and 3-5m from the nearest structure, depending on its number of storeys.

In the process of using an improved cesspool, you should follow the same rules as when working with septic tanks - the regular use of biological products, the absence of sewage chemical components of household chemicals, periodic sludge removal.

Improvement of filtration parameters

Perforation of the walls of concrete rings greatly increases the performance of the seepage well

Of course, after completely pumping out the sludge from the bottom of the cesspool, you can use the method of cleaning the drainage with biological products, but nothing will give such an effect as a complete replacement of the drainage layer. Of course, this work cannot be called pleasant, but if you manage to complete it or find a volunteer, you will get an almost new sewer facility. To remove the old drainage, you can use a bucket with a rope and a regular shovel with a short handle. After the old filling is removed, the pit is deepened by 30-40 cm and covered with a 20-30 cm layer of fine gravel, and then a 30-40 cm layer of coarse gravel, fine rubble or broken brick.

If the walls of the cesspool are made of monolithic concrete rings, then perforations can be made in the two lower structural elements. To do this, it is better to use an electric hammer drill or impact drill and a diamond drill with a diameter of 50-80mm. The distance between adjacent holes, as well as between their rows, must be at least 25 cm. Otherwise, the strength of the structure may suffer.

Pit defrosting

In winter, a thick layer of snow will keep the cesspool from freezing.

In rare cases, the performance of the cesspool is reduced due to the freezing of waste. Often this is not at all due to poor thermal insulation or improper design. It happens that “General Frost” is to blame for all the troubles, and then you have to resort to drastic measures.

In order not to wait for the spring heat in order to defrost the pit, it is necessary to prepare an extension cord, copper wire, a steel rod 20-30 cm long and a grip.

When carrying out work related to electricity, be sure to follow the safety regulations. Wear electrician's gloves and shoes with thick rubber soles.

If the sewer pipe is frozen, then it is enough to wrap it with a copper conductor, the end of which is connected to the phase wire. After several hours, in the process of current flowing between copper and ground zero, the pipe will warm up and thaw. It is only important to prevent children and animals from entering the working area.

If the whole pit is frozen, then it is required to drive a steel rod into its center, attach a copper conductor to it and apply phase voltage. It is possible that it will take not several hours, but a whole day to thaw the pit, but this will happen in any case. After completing the work, it is necessary to turn off the voltage and only then remove the rod with wires.

The efficiency of its work in the future, as well as the frequency of cleaning the sewer system, will depend on the method of restoring the health of the cesspool. The use of biological preparations will help to postpone the call of a sewage truck for a long time, it is only important to adhere to the rules for using the sewerage system with bacterial method cleaning.

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When a cesspool silts up, this is always a problem for its owner. Of course, the process of silting is inevitable, and any pit becomes clogged sooner or later, but it is impossible to experience joy because of this. However, there are ways to solve this problem, and from this article it will be possible to learn how to get rid of silt in a cesspool.

If the cesspool silted up, what to do is a rather obvious question. There are several types of cesspools, and each of them requires special attention. In order to clean the pit from sludge and at the same time not harm the structure, the environment and your health, you need to know exactly what type of structure is being serviced.

There are such types of cesspools:

The most popular cleaning methods include:

• manual cleaning with a bucket tied to a rope;
• pumping out with a pump;
• pumping out the pit with a cesspool machine;
• biological treatment;
• chemical cleaning.

How to clean a cesspool without a bottom from silt

The cleaning process in such pits is carried out by microorganisms that are in the soil. The problem is that they are unable to digest the silt, so it gradually builds up, forming a blockage and blocking the work of the pit. To eliminate silt, you must first scoop out all the drains from the pit with a bucket and a rope, clear the silt, and then fill the bottom with a layer of gravel, thereby simplifying subsequent cleaning. It is advisable to use this method only when cleaning a small hole: it is difficult to scoop out too large volumes, so it is easier to fill up a large cesspool and dig a new one elsewhere.

What to do if a sealed pit with a bottom is silted up

To decide how to clean the cesspool from silt, you need to know exactly what type of pit is available on the site, and what opportunities can be used to clean it.

Cleaning the cesspool with a pump

To clear a silted pit, a fecal pump or a water pump connected to a pumped waste tank can be used. The pump can be automatic (such devices are installed in the pit and work independently, pumping out drains as they appear) or semi-automatic (the operation of these devices must be monitored).

Before starting pumping, the silt should be brought to a liquid state, and after pumping out the waste, they must be disposed of. When the pit is empty, it should be partially filled with water in order to carry out additional flushing of the structure. Pipelines also require cleaning, so they need to be given attention. Using a water pump, it is advisable to install a special filter that prevents clogging of the mechanisms. The fecal pump is devoid of such a disadvantage and is able to work with waste immediately after installation.

Pumping a hole with an silo

This method does not require any intervention on the part of the owner of the pit. It is enough to call professional vacuum cleaners and an silo pump, and the cesspool will be cleaned of sludge very quickly. In addition, ordering such a service also implies that the waste will not only be pumped out, but also disposed of, so you don’t have to worry about how to remove sludge from the cesspool and take it away from home. When calling for vacuum cleaners, it is worth paying some attention to permits confirming their authority. See also: "".

Cleaning the pit with biological products

To clean the pit yourself, without resorting to the services of sewers, you can use biological products. There is a fairly wide range of biological substances on the market, which can be produced in the form of powder, liquid or tablets. Biological products have a fairly large number of positive qualities: a high efficiency ratio (the amount of waste is reduced to 20-30%), elimination of a characteristic odor, cleaning of the sewer system and pipeline (more: ""). In addition, bioactivators are completely safe for humans, do not harm the environment and are environmentally friendly, and their use does not cause any difficulties.

The principle of operation of biological products is that all these substances contain a certain amount of bacteria that use human waste for nutrition. As a result, the unpleasant odor is eliminated, drains decompose much faster and decrease in volume.

When choosing bioactivators, you need to pay attention to the instructions, which always say how this substance works. The only disadvantage of biological products is the impossibility of working in the winter, so it will not work to eliminate the silting of the cesspool in frost.

Cleaning the cesspool with chemicals

As a rule, chemicals for a septic tank are used in winter, since biological products cannot work in such conditions. However, chemicals are also not powerless: if the silty part of the waste is frozen, then there will be no result from their use.

Previously, formaldehyde and ammonium salts were used to clean pits, which are extremely dangerous for environment and humans due to their toxicity. Today it is best to clean pits with nitrate oxidizers, negative impact which on the soil is at a fairly low level. The principle of operation of nitrate oxidizers is in many ways similar to the work of nitrate fertilizers, therefore, after their use, waste can be used for fertilizer.

The nitrate oxidizer works to thin the sludge, remove sewer odor and reduce solid waste. In addition, latrine and latrine chemicals work well in harsh environments. The disadvantage of chemical cleaners is the high price.

Cleaning a silted septic tank

Cleaning a septic tank from silt is not always required: many manufacturers supply their products with silt pipes that prevent the system from silting (read: ""). In the absence of such pipes, the likelihood of a blockage is quite high, and a drainage pump or a sewer machine may be required to fix the problem.

The best remedy for cleaning the septic tank are the biological products described above, which break down almost all substances that enter the tanks for the storage and processing of sewage. The only thing that bacteria contained in bioactivators do not tolerate at all is aggressive environments. A toxic substance that has entered the septic tank will stop the life of all microorganisms inside.

Conclusion

In this article, methods for cleaning various cesspools from silt were considered. Now that the answer to the question of how to clear a cesspool of silt is known, you can safely use the sewer without fear of silting or overflow.

Even the simplest type of sewerage with cesspool able to significantly increase the level of comfort in the suburban area. However, this solution has a significant disadvantage - the capacity for the accumulation and primary processing of wastewater requires periodic removal of the contents. Agree, the cleaning of cesspools should be carried out according to the rules so that the environment is not damaged.

For owners of private houses and cottages that are not connected to centralized sewer networks, we offer scrupulously verified, systematized information about the methods and specifics of cleaning. With our help, you can choose the best option for getting rid of waste accumulations and learn how to implement it.

A detailed description of the methods used in practice is based on personal experience household owners. The requirements of the standards of public utilities are taken into account. The information is confirmed by photo and video applications.

There are three main ways for modern summer residents and homeowners to do this:

• removal of sewage by pumping;
• the use of preparations for the biological decomposition of waste;
• chemical cleaning.

When figuring out how to effectively clean a cesspool, you should consider the specifics of using each of these methods. Depending on the situation, only one of them may be needed, but it is often necessary to carry out cleaning activities in the complex. For example, after the use of biological preparations, additional pumping of sewage may be necessary.

When should you start cleaning up? The work strategy should be considered at the stage of creating a sewer, for example, by providing access roads for a sewage truck.

No need to wait until the drains fill the last cubic centimeter of the tank. Excessive filling of the cesspool several times increases the likelihood of contamination of the site. If two-thirds of the capacity is occupied by runoff, it's time to reduce their level using available funds.

Method # 1 - emptying and pumping out the cesspool

If desired, the cesspool can even be cleaned manually, using an ordinary bucket on a rope. The owners of small summer cottages do just that. The work is extremely unpleasant, it requires preparation. First you need to put on a protective suit or other clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty. This is necessary in order to protect the skin, drains can be quite aggressive.

For mechanical cleaning of cesspools, special machines are used - sludge pumps, which pump out the contents of the tank and take it out for disposal.

Then you need to take care of the protection of the respiratory tract, and it's not just the characteristic stench. Vapors coming from the sewer contain methane, the inhalation of which is extremely dangerous for humans. For the same reason, it is not recommended to carry out cleaning work alone, especially if work is planned inside the cesspool.

If the one below should pass out from the poisonous fumes, a partner can help him. In addition to a protective suit and a respirator, you need to wear high rubber boots or shoe covers, as well as gloves.

You will also need an airtight container in which the contents of the cesspool will be disposed of. Later, these sewage must be taken to a place intended for their discharge.

The distance between the vacuum truck and the cesspool should be no more than four meters. This point should be considered when choosing a place for sewerage, as well as with further redevelopment of the site.

Manual cleaning is a long, dangerous and unpleasant business. If the budget allows, it is better to use not a bucket, but a special one for pumping sewage into a container.

Things will go much faster, there will be much less dangerous contacts with a mass of effluents. But in this case, we must not forget about security measures.

To clean the cesspool with your own hands, you can use a fecal pump. Periodically, such a pump must be flushed, as it is clogged with solid waste.

It is much more convenient to clean the cesspool with the help of specialized equipment, for example, a sludge pump. This is a machine that drives up to the site and pumps out waste through a special wide hose.

The distance between the sludge pump and the object to be cleaned should be no more than four meters. Pits more than three meters deep are not served by such equipment, but such deep structures are usually not found.

For the sake of safety, when manually cleaning the cesspool, it is better to perform all procedures together: one works at the bottom, and the second insures it from above

Even during the construction of the pit, one should take into account such a nuance: the sewers charge not for the volume of pumped out effluents, but for each exit. In order to reduce costs, it is necessary to calculate the volume of the cesspool in such a way that the amount of wastewater that is a multiple of the capacity of the sludge pump is intended for pumping. At the same time, it must be remembered that pumping starts if the pit is two-thirds full, and not “to the eyeballs”.

Method #2 - Biological Decomposition of Effluent

The microorganism-assisted effluent treatment process is widely used in various industrial septic tanks and VOCs. But even for cesspools, today a line of biological products has been developed that can do what is not possible when emptying cesspools - to reduce or completely eliminate the unpleasant smell characteristic of sewage.

Depending on the form of release of preparations for biological treatment, their preliminary preparation may be necessary. Usually the granules or powder just needs to be dissolved in a small amount of water.

The sewage truck leaves, and a suffocating sewer spirit hovers over the site for several more hours, or even days. The use of biological preparations significantly improves the situation.

To do this, you need to choose the appropriate tool and use it in accordance with the instructions. They are produced in the form of gels, liquids, powders, granules, etc.

Microorganisms decompose the contents of the sewage system into water and environmentally neutral sludge. From the permeable pit, water escapes into the surrounding soil, and silt gradually accumulates. Naturally, the degree of such purification is lower than that of high-tech VOCs, water cannot be used for irrigation, and sediment can not be used as fertilizer. But the filling rate of the cesspool is reduced significantly.

Of course, the sediment from the sewer facility itself will not go anywhere, it also needs to be removed or pumped out using the method described above with the involvement of sewers. There is another important nuance - not all wastewater can be processed with the help of bacteria.

Special preparations are intended for biological cleaning of cesspools. Some of them are designed to recycle toilet paper dissolved in drains.

Inorganic waste that enters the sewer accumulates at the bottom and reduces the amount of free space in the storage tank. Harsh household chemicals, such as those containing chlorine, can create an environment that is harmful to microorganisms. Owners of washing machines and dishwashers should be careful in this regard.

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Method # 3 - the use of chemicals

If biological cleanup is a holiday for the environment, then the use of chemicals can be a threat.

To remove waste from cesspools, the most commonly used:

• formaldehyde preparations;
• nitrate oxidizing agents;
• ammonium salts.

Even those who are far from chemistry know that formaldehyde is a dangerous substance. Its only advantage is its relatively low price. This drug is toxic and can cause cancer. For these reasons, formaldehyde is practically not used to clean cesspools.

Cleaners based on nitrate oxidants in terms of safety have much better characteristics. Their composition is close to the components of fertilizers of this type, i.e. at correct dosage and following the instructions, such a cleaner is quite safe. These drugs are characterized by a high price, which is fully justified by high efficiency.

Ammonium salts are an effective chemical for cleaning pit pits, but such chemicals must be used with caution in accordance with the instructions.

When added to the sewer, the drug effectively dilutes the waste, while neutralizing unpleasant odors. After the effect of the drug is over, the recycled contents of the cesspool can be quickly pumped out and disposed of.

Another useful property nitrate cleaners is that their effectiveness is not reduced by contact with even the most aggressive household chemicals. Means of this type are suitable for cleaning not only the pit, but the entire sewer system.

About how safe preparations based on ammonium salts, accurate data is currently not available. Therefore, when using this tool, like any aggressive chemistry, you need to carefully study the instructions and follow them exactly.

The presence of chlorine-containing products in wastewater can weaken the effect of the use of this drug, but according to reviews, it copes with unpleasant odors perfectly.

Waiting until the cesspool is filled to the top is a bad strategy. Cleaning should begin when the amount of sewage is 60-70% of the capacity

When choosing a sewer cleaning method, the specific situation should be taken into account. For example, if you need to clean a cesspool under a separate toilet, you should pay attention to products that can dissolve not only drains, but also toilet paper.

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Solving the problem with silting

Silting - serious problem for both permeable and sealed cesspools. In the first case, the liquid part of the sediment will not be able to enter the soil due to the dense silty layer that covers the inner walls of the structure. In the second case, sewage will have to be pumped out more often, since deposits will reduce the volume of the tank.

One of the signs that silt is forming inside the cesspool is the appearance of a characteristic unpleasant odor - hydrogen sulfide vapor. When figuring out how to clean a silted cesspool, you need to remember that in this case you need not just neutralize the waste or pump out the contents.

If the cesspool fills up too quickly or silts up frequently, you may want to consider upgrading it with an additional container and an overflow.

All plaque should be removed from the walls and bottom of the container. To do this, chemical agents or chemical cleaning methods are used, but a combination of these methods is often the most effective. During mechanical cleaning, the bulk of the sewage is first pumped out. After that, using a hose, water must be supplied to the container under strong pressure.

The inner surface of the cesspool is treated with a jet in such a way as to break up the silt sediment and dismember it into separate small particles. Processing is carried out until the container is filled by about 25%. After that, the contents or silososom, and then disposed of.

For chemical cleaning of a silted structure, chemical cleaners are used to dissolve solid inclusions - the nitrate oxidizers already described above. They usually cope with silty deposits as well. After some time, all or almost all of the contents will become liquid, it can be pumped out without problems.

It is worth noting that the use of chemicals will cost significantly more than emptying by pumping, but this operation is easier to perform and takes less time. In the process of physical removal of sludge, you will have to put up with a lot of dirt, which usually accompanies this procedure.

In cesspools without a bottom, you will also have to clean or renew the sand and gravel filter, which is located below. The safest bet is to remove the entire contents of the filter and re-lay the clean components: a layer of sand, crushed stone and / or gravel about 40 centimeters thick.

To prevent silting of the cesspool, it is recommended to divert water from it to the filtration field. It is best to do it at the stage of creating a structure, but if you wish, you can perform this operation later. To do this, you need to install a horizontal one at about half the height of the cesspool to drain liquid waste.

If the cesspool is silted up, it should be immediately pumped out and the walls cleaned using a scraper or chemicals, such as nitrate oxidizers.

For the device of the filtration field, it is necessary to excavate the soil to the level of laying the outlet pipe. A layer of agrofibre is laid down, and crushed stone is poured on top. A pipe coming out of the cesspool is laid on this “pillow”. The pipe must be perforated, you just need to make holes in it at an equal distance.

Another layer of rubble is poured on top of the pipe, and then again covered with agrofiber. It turns out that the pipe is surrounded on all sides by filter materials. This will ensure the rapid removal of liquid contents from the cesspool and its safe disposal in the ground.

If problems with the cesspool began to occur more often, it makes sense to improve the operation of the structure in accessible ways. Some suit, which functions like a septic tank. To do this, next to the existing capacity, they arrange another one, approximately the same.

The first container must be airtight, and the second must be permeable or without a bottom. It is possible to make the second container airtight, but then it is necessary to provide for the output of juices to the filtration field or to drainage well. The overflow between these two departments is installed with a slight slope in the upper third of the containers.

First, the effluents will flow into the first compartment, where they will settle, solid waste will sink to the bottom, and the liquid component of the sewage content will overflow when it reaches the desired level.

The second compartment will receive mainly liquid effluents, which will move faster to the filtration field for further disposal. As a result, the pit will have to be cleaned much less frequently, and the likelihood of silting the structure will noticeably decrease.

Freezing of sewer pipes occurs most often due to flaws during installation. If this happens, the pipe needs to be warmed up in order to restore the sewerage.

In winter, drains in the cesspool can freeze, which will lead to problems in the sewerage system. To correct the situation, the frozen mass must be thawed. Traditionally, or is used for this. In the absence of power supply, fires are made near the frozen pit, a blowtorch is used, etc.

For craftsmen who have at least a little experience with electrics, another way to defrost a cesspool is available - heating directly with an electric current. In the middle of a frozen cesspool, a metal pin is driven in approximately to the freezing depth.

Then you need to take an electrical cable of a suitable length. Its end is cleaned and attached to the pin, and 220V power is supplied to the opposite end.

It may take quite a long time to completely defrost the structure, sometimes you need to wait about a day, it all depends on the size of the pit. When performing this kind of work, it is mandatory to comply with the requirements of electrical safety, for example, use protective rubber gloves, shoes, etc.

If it is not the pit that freezes, but the sewer pipe leading to it, this indicates flaws in the laying of communications, for example, the trench was not deep enough or there was no insulation. You can fix these problems in the summer, and during cold weather, you should take care of defrosting the pipes.

For this you can also use electricity. At the end of the cable, you need to strip the segment, equal to the length pipe circumference. To calculate this value, you just need to multiply the pipe diameter by 3.14, i.e. to the number "pi".

Then the protected wire is wound around the frozen pipe. Power is supplied to the cable, after a couple of hours of such heating, the contents of the pipe will melt, and the operation of the sewer system will resume.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

A practical option for cleaning a silted cesspool is presented in this video:

This demonstrates the procedure for pumping waste from a pit latrine using a fecal pump, which should be flushed periodically:

The process and result of using a bioactivator for cleaning a cesspool can be viewed in this video:

Although a cesspool is a very simple version of an autonomous sewage system, it requires proper maintenance and timely cleaning. Modern means allow to get rid of the accumulated waste in the construction quickly and efficiently.

Still have questions about cleaning cesspools? Or maybe you know others effective ways And have you already tried them out? Ask your questions, share your experience in the block located at the bottom of the article.

The moment when the cesspool has completely silted up, you will feel in the literal sense of the word. After all, the deposition of silt on the bottom and walls sewer well make it difficult for liquid waste to drain, the pit will fill with drains and the water in the sink or toilet will not drain as quickly as before. In addition, a rather specific smell will be felt in the adjacent territory.

In a word, a silted cesspool promises only trouble. And in this article, we will introduce our readers to effective ways to deal with deposits at the bottom of a cesspool of any type.

In modern sewage disposal systems, three types of cesspool designs are used, namely:

• An open pit, which is equipped in the form of a well without a bottom. Usually such a pit is mounted at a country house. Moreover, such a “drive” is equipped with both domestic sewage and “conveniences in the yard”. The advantage of this solution is the simplicity of arrangement. The downside is the environmental threat posed by such waste and effluent accumulators.
• Sealed reservoir, which is supplied with temporary dwellings ( country houses, trailers, snack bars, small cafes and so on). Such a "pit" is a concrete or polymer cylinder where waste flows. The advantage of this design is environmental safety (drainage does not come into contact with the ground). In addition, silt in this type of cesspool accumulates only at the bottom. Minus - the need for constant pumping of wastewater.
• A septic tank is a complex structure consisting of a solid waste storage tank and a filter system that cleans the drains before being discharged into the ground. This design is relatively safe for the ecology of the site and does not require frequent pumping of silty or solid waste. And this is a definite plus of such a decision. But the arrangement of a septic tank, and even with a high degree of purification, will be expensive. And this is a clear disadvantage.

Of course, each of them is cleaned of sludge in different ways. Therefore, further in the text we will go over the most effective options for cleaning open, sealed and filter pits.

Open Pit Cleaning

Cleaning the cesspool from sludge

Cleaning the cesspool from silt, in this case, is carried out mechanically or by chemical means. The first option involves the dissolution of the silt sediment in water after shaking the contents of the pit. To do this, you need to pump out ¾ of the volume of liquid waste and introduce, under pressure, a stream of water into the pit (about ¼ of the volume of the pit). The silt will be washed away from the bottom, after which the viscous suspension can be pumped out with a fecal pump or a sewage machine.

The chemical method involves the introduction into the pit freed from most of the liquid of special preparations that destroy solid waste. Such substances are created on the basis of nitrate oxidizers - non-toxic drugs, which are analogous to conventional fertilizers. Such a preparation liquefies silt deposits, removes the problem of the formation of hydrogen sulfide - a source of unpleasant odor, and even reduces the mass of solid waste.

Thus, to clean a pit without a bottom, you can choose two technologies - cheap, but "dirty" mechanical cleaning or expensive chemical cleaning.

However, at the end of the mechanical or chemical process you will have to renew the gravel bed at the bottom of the pit. Otherwise, such purges will continue with ever-decreasing frequency. Water will not “leave” through a clogged or bottom.

Cesspool silted up - what to do? In this case, there can be only one solution to the problem - to pump out and take out the waste. However, this service does not come cheap. Therefore, biopreparations or chemicals that reduce solid waste are introduced into sealed containers. As a result, the period of operation (the time from one pumping to another) increases significantly.

Biological products, as well as chemicals (the same nitrate oxidizers) decompose solid waste into water and gas. Moreover, bacteria do this all the time, only increasing their presence in the "nutrient" medium. And chemistry decomposes even silty deposits literally before our eyes. Moreover, chemicals act even in drains contaminated with washing powders, soapy drains and other residues of household chemicals.

But pumping out an overfilled tank is an inevitable operation that can only be delayed, not cancelled. And if you have installed a sealed well on your site, look for a company that provides sewage services.

Septic tank cleaning

The septic tank does not imply waste pumping - the drains must “leave” into the ground with almost no residue. And if this does not happen, then something in the septic tank (or rather someone) is not working properly. We are talking about bacteria responsible for the breakdown of solid waste to a semi-liquid state.

Therefore, septic tanks are “cleaned” by the usual “injection” with preparations based on bacterial colonies. Such "cleaners" are introduced into the septic tank through an inspection hatch or directly through the sewer outlet - drop the gel or tablet into the toilet, flush it and wait for the result.

And the result is sure! After all, colonies of bacteria destroy up to 80 percent of solid waste, liquefy sludge and suppress unpleasant odors.

It is on these qualities of bacteria that the functionality of the septic tank is based. After all, the soil itself will cope with water purified by biological products. Therefore, septic tanks do not need to be pumped out and cleaned by traditional methods. Update the colonies of beneficial microorganisms in a timely manner (because they die from household chemicals), and you will never know about problems with cesspools.