Period Poo

[MdB]

I hope you have all finished having you tea?

Our extension requires us to move the poo pipe (sorry - foul water pipe) which will cause it to be extended by about a metre. This will reduce its fall which is currently 200:1 (it should be 60:1 ish) so we won't be able to get this past building control. Modification of the current system won't work so we are looking at a new system. Unfortunately our ground is too wet for a septic tank + soak away (although that is what we currently have) so we are now looking at a bubbler (sorry - sewage treatment plant).

Does anybody have any recommendations on which type to buy?

Does anybody happen to know what the rules are in Cornwall regarding planning? It seems like some councils require planning for a new bubblers whilst others don't. Trying to find out if planning is needed should be an easy thing but our council like to charge £30 and take 2 weeks...

 

[Flyfisher]

Some new houses near us have these 'bubblers' and they have a run-off into the river, so I'd guess that they would need some form of planning/building control and would be a bit surprised if it wasn't nationally applicable They also need a mains power supply, but I guess you already know that.

Seems a bit much to have to pay to ask a question of your local council.

 

[vicky whitworth]

Quite a few properties near us (East Devon) have what I think you call bubblers including two of my close neighbours. I don't know if they had planning permission but someone came out to inspect the installation (building control?) and they had to have a licence from the Environment Agency to discharge into the River Kit.

Personally I'd think twice about having one (unless you really have no other option which neither of them did because of where their land is in relation to their properties). They make a lot of noise - you can hear the motor going - and so would affect the peace of a tranquil garden, and the siting is difficult and I don't think they can be covered up so in both these cases they are exposed - one sits in their driveway taking up parking space and the other is in a huge pit (to sort out the levels for discharge into the stream) - large, plastic and the size of a big surf board.

One of them had another problem because the installation failed. When we had a flash flood the river water was forced back up the discharge pipe pushing the contents back out of the loo and flooding the cottage with sewage. At least it was her own sewage was the only comfort I could offer to an old lady flooding the week before Christmas.

 

[wobs]

Quite a few properties near us (East Devon) have what I think you call bubblers including two of my close neighbours. I don't know if they had planning permission but someone came out to inspect the installation (building control?) and they had to have a licence from the Environment Agency to discharge into the River Kit.

Personally I'd think twice about having one (unless you really have no other option which neither of them did because of where their land is in relation to their properties). They make a lot of noise - you can hear the motor going - and so would affect the peace of a tranquil garden, and the siting is difficult and I don't think they can be covered up so in both these cases they are exposed - one sits in their driveway taking up parking space and the other is in a huge pit (to sort out the levels for discharge into the stream) - large, plastic and the size of a big surf board.

One of them had another problem because the installation failed. When we had a flash flood the river water was forced back up the discharge pipe pushing the contents back out of the loo and flooding the cottage with sewage. At least it was her own sewage was the only comfort I could offer to an old lady flooding the week before Christmas.

If you're discharging less than 5m3 per day.....

The requirement to register small domestic sewage discharges from septic tanks and small sewage treatment plants, has changed in England.

The requirement to register was a result of regulations made in 2010 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Welsh Government, as part of the implementation of the European Union Water Framework Directive. Registration was considered to provide the lightest touch approach to meet legal obligations.

However, we are now undertaking a joint review with Government on the requirement to register small domestic sewage discharges in England, details of which will be announced in the next few weeks.

While the review is underway, we will not require the registration of small domestic sewage discharges, including septic tanks, in England - although householders can still register if they wish. If you would still like to register a small domestic sewage discharge please visit this page:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/118753.aspx

I also see such devices as a last resort.

 

[JohnB]

Could you install a compost loo instead? I'm inclined towards the low tech bucket and chuck it type, but you can get some pretty sophisticated systems that handle everything in a very pleasant way. They're not cheap, but may compare well with the cost of the conventional alternative.

 

[MdB]

Thanks all for your thoughts.

We are pretty much stuck with a bubbler due to the high water table. One neighbour get around it by pumping the septic tank output to the top of the garden and then using a raised bed soakaway. This has the odd downside when the pump fails and we don't really have a suitable place for a raised bed soakaway anyway. It also has been nothing but trouble for our neighbour. Our other neighbours have different types of package sewage treatment systems which seem to work ok.

Fortunately the heights are ok so there will be just a relatively small cover exposed at the surface. Our neighbours units do make noise but not too much and we can put ours in the corner of the garden where we won't be going too often so hopefully it will be fine.

I've had a quick look at compost loos but I can't see how we could fit one of those into our current arrangements.

Building control is now happy with the details of the build so that side is sorted. I has also spotted the wording on the Environment Agency website so that too is ok. Planning I'm thinking of tacking onto the extension planning permission. Might be the easiest way out of sorting it if it is actually required and I believe you can make one amendment for free.