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The level of familiar comfort is constantly growing. Today, few people are satisfied with the “conveniences in the yard”, but even if a wooden booth is enough, it is no longer possible to simply dig a hole for drains. The container must be sealed by law. Moreover, the location of the cesspool on the site is not easy to choose. There must be a certain distance to the well or well, to open water and residential buildings.
The location of the cesspool on the site: what SanPiN and local councils say
Let’s say right away that the toilets familiar to many summer residents with a hole simply dug in the ground have been banned for more than 10 years. If there is no centralized sewerage, it is necessary to collect waste in sealed cesspools or dispose of with compost. By the way, you can’t just pour soapy water either. It also needs to be cleaned. Therefore, even in the country, it is necessary to do a cesspool.
To determine the location of the cesspool on a private plot, we still use the provisions of the old regulatory act: SanPiN 42 128 4690 88. There are not many points in it regarding the placement of this structure. Here is what is said:
- The location of the cesspool in a private household is determined by the owner.
- Distance from residential buildings, playgrounds – 8-10 meters.
- To wells, wells and other sources of drinking water should be at least 50 m.
- In the event of conflicts, the position of the drain pit is determined by the commission of local councils or the public (quarterly).
These are the provisions that are in the old SanPiN. It follows from the last phrase that almost every region has its own regulations that clarify the provisions of state regulations. It is understandable – conditions, soils, groundwater levels differ in the regions. So if you want to know the exact recommendations, look for information in local councils. In the same place, in theory, you will have to register a cesspool. So it is better to familiarize yourself with local requirements first.
New regulations and protected zones
As is often the case, several regulations are in effect at the same time. And regarding the collection of sewage and waste, there is a new SanPiN 2.1.4.1110-02. In it, the protected area around the water source has three zones. The first zone is 30 meters with a protected source and 50 meters with an insufficiently protected one. This is a protected area. In theory, a cesspool cannot be located here.
A protected water source is defined as interstratal, having a roof that excludes replenishment from “local” water resources. Simply put, these are deep aquifers. The rest are underprotected. These are shallow wells and perched water. In general, they are characterized by the fact that they are replenished by groundwater.
The second and third zones are preventive. They are needed to prevent pollution of aboveground and underground water sources. Here the distances are more impressive – up to 200 meters and even up to 400. For private property, they are irrelevant. We must at least find a place for a cesspool, which will be outside the first protective zone.
There is another current standard, which also spells out the requirements for installing toilets that are not connected to the sewer. According to the document SP 42.13330.2016, which prescribes the general principles of urban planning and landscaping, the distance from the house to the yard toilet without sewerage should be at least 12 meters. To the source of water supply (well or well) to the cesspool cannot be less than 25 meters.
The location of the cesspool: what to do, what not to do
So, there are at least three standards with different requirements for the location of cesspools. In principle, you can choose the location of the cesspool on the site for any of them. In practice, this would not be a violation. Moreover, it is far from easy to find a place that meets even the most “mild” requirements: 25 meters from a well / well and 12 meters from a house. More stringent, in general, may not be implemented in all areas.
What to do if there is no place at all that would meet the requirements? Option two:
- Make a caisson with 100% waterproofing, concrete / asphalt the entrance for the sewers.
- Install a septic tank. There are many options here, as there are options with varying degrees of purification and a lot of ways to divert treated wastewater.
In any case, care should be taken to ensure that the contents of the cesspool do not fall into the ground. Some are cunning, making a cesspool without a bottom or from concrete rings, which are almost impossible to seal normally. Sometimes they seem to put a sealed container / caisson, but they make holes in the bottom or sides. This is argued by the fact that the soil filters and disinfects even better than modern systems. This is true. It only filters clean soil normally. And it will cease to be such after several months of active filtration. And more and more dirty sewage will fall into the aquifers.
Another argument is that our ancestors generally poured everything into a hole in the ground and lived. Yes. It was. But, firstly, the population density was different. Secondly, there were many diseases with unidentified sources (you can guess where they come from). Thirdly, life expectancy was far from the same as it is now. There are probably other points, but this is what lies on the surface and cannot be argued with.
If there is no place that meets the requirements
But, nevertheless, what to do if there is no place on the site that meets even the mildest requirements? The new SanPiN 2.1.4.1110-02 says that if it is impossible to install a cesspool in accordance with the requirements, it is possible to install a waterproof liquid waste receiver. Under this definition, metal or plastic sealed caissons, septic tanks are suitable. But septic tanks must either be pumped out, or have treated wastewater outlet outside the protected area. It is impossible to drain cleaned nearby.
If a caisson is used, the access to it must be of solid material. In this case, the main requirement is to exclude contamination of the first zone during the removal of sewage. So either place it on the border, or arrange it so that there is no possibility of waste getting into the soil.
How to do it right, but inexpensively
It’s not that hard to make a hole in the ground. But its sealing is much more difficult to achieve. How to minimize the cost of arranging and cleaning cesspools? At first it will seem illogical to you, but the way out is to make two cesspools. One – for conditionally “clean” drains, the second – for the toilet. Clean drains are from the kitchen and from the shower/bath. They do not fit under the concept of “impurities”. Of course, there are remnants of household chemicals, but the soil will cope with these contaminants.
The second cesspool – under the toilet – should be done with maximum tightness. It will not be such a large volume, so you can spend money on sealing even with a limited budget. Since there will be no chemistry in the contents (or there will be a small amount of it), preparations with bacteria can be added to the pit, which will reduce the volume and at the same time destroy the smell. Some even use the solid residue after the work of bacteria for fertilizer. The advantage of adding bacteria is that this cesspool will not need to be pumped out so often.
Who is affected by the requirements for the location of the cesspool
Each of the regulations is valid throughout the country and is mandatory for all forms of ownership. In addition, the requirements for minimum distances must be observed not only with respect to wells / buildings on your site. In relation to the neighbors, all that has been said is also true. Therein lies the difficulty. It is not easy to find a place for a cesspool that meets all the requirements. Yes, and so that the sewer could drive up.
All these difficulties are the reason to legalize the existing buildings on the site as soon as possible. If a neighbor puts his toilet close to your well and gets it done early, he wins, not you. You will carry your well. Even if you have had it in this place for more than a year, and the toilet has just been built. If the well is not documented, you have lost.
Cesspool in a private house: requirements, dimensions, volume, sanitary standards
The main parameters of the cesspool are described in the old SanPin. It says:
- The waste collection pit must be waterproof.
- The volume is calculated depending on the number of residents.
- Depth – arbitrary, but not more than 3 meters.
- The maximum filling is lower than 35 cm to ground level.
- Export – as it is filled, but at least once every 6 months.
As you can see, there are few restrictions.
As for pumping out sewage – with permanent residence, the cesspool fills up quickly. To take out less than once a month, not everyone succeeds. Only if a large pit is made or it is leaky and most of the drains simply go into the ground. By the way, it is precisely by the frequency of the appearance of a sewage truck that one can determine whether the neighbors have a hermetic cesspool or not.
How to determine the volume of the cesspool
Now about the calculation of the volume and dimensions of the cesspool. It will be necessary to multiply the daily volume of discharge per person by the number of residents. Find out how much stock you will receive per day.
How to find out how many stocks are accounted for by one person? You can take “average”. This is 150-200 liters for permanent residence. You can measure yourself for at least a couple of days. For example, three people live. Approximately 500-600 liters of wastewater is obtained per day.
Next, you will need to decide how often you will pump out the pit. Usually it is 15 days. The next step is to multiply the daily stock volume by the number of days. So you get how many liters you need to make a cesspool. To make it clearer, we will convert liters to cubic meters. One cubic meter of liquid is 1000 liters.
Example: when pumping out every two weeks and a daily consumption of 600 liters, you will need a container for 9000 liters or 9 cubic meters. Since it is impossible to fill it completely (and it will not work), you need to buy 20-25% more volume. This means that a cesspool with a volume of 11-12 cubic meters is actually needed.
Deciding on sizes
We know the volume of the cesspool, now we will determine the dimensions. There are only restrictions on depth – in SanPiN it is written that the cesspool cannot be deeper than 3 meters. In principle, when determining the depth of the cesspool, be guided by the level of groundwater. It is highly desirable that there be at least 0,5 meters from the bottom of the pit to the groundwater level. It is clear that it is better to have a meter or more. But even 50 cm is already something. It will be easier with sealing.
And do not forget that the actual depth of the cesspool will be less – the tank must be closed. Depending on the material, this is at least 10 cm. And you hardly want the roof of the cesspool to be visible. You can fill it with earth and plant plants / grass. This is at least 10 cm more. In total, we subtract 20 cm from the groundwater level – for organizing the overlap and 50 cm (minimum) – for indenting from the groundwater level.
Determine the width and length
When you decide on the depth, you can choose the width and length. Here it will be necessary to act by the method of selection. You know the volume and depth (height). And just choose the width and length based on which shape fits best into the available space. Most often it is a rectangle or square. In this case, we use the formula for determining the volume of a parallelepiped – to determine the volume, we must multiply all the sides. V = a*b*c. Volume V and depth (c) we know, the rest is calculated by the formula.
For our example, the following is obtained: the volume is 11 cubes, let the depth be 2,2 meters. One of the sides will take 2,5 meters. Then we get: 2,2 * 2,5 = 5,5. In this case, to get 11 meters, the second side must be 2 meters (11 / 5,5 = 2). We check: 2,2 * 2,5 * 2 u11d 11 cubes. So, we get a cesspool for 2,5 cubes if we dig a hole 2,5 meters deep, 2 * XNUMX m in size. These are “clean” dimensions.
Features of work on the construction of the cesspool
Above, we decided on the “clean” dimensions of the cesspool. That is, these are its dimensions along the inner walls. When digging a pit, add centimeters to the wall thickness. If you do external waterproofing, you will have to make a much larger pit – so that you can work.
After the construction of the tank and the waterproofing, the gap between the wall of the cesspool and the foundation pit will need to be filled. You can fill it with previously excavated soil. Fall asleep in layers, 10-20 cm at a time. Each layer is rammed until there is no footprint left.
On well-draining soils, instead of the “native” soil, the backfill can be made with clay. The principle is the same: layer-by-layer ramming. It will turn out a clay castle, which will prevent the penetration of moisture to the walls of the septic tank, which will improve the situation with waterproofing.
On clay soils, backfilling with “native” soil is mandatory. When using a “lighter” soil, a pocket is formed around the tank, into which water will drain. As you understand, this will be an additional load on the waterproofing. On clay soils, you can use “clean” clay, which will “hold” water better. The lock will work in this case.
What you should not do at all is to fill up sand or gravel around. With this you will make the very “pocket” for groundwater or rainwater. And water, which constantly tests your waterproofing, will sooner or later find a loophole. In this case, your cesspool will fill many times faster. And it will be not so much runoff as groundwater. The reverse process – the migration of contaminants into the soil – will also occur. But you will have to pump out the cesspool almost every day.