Individual houses in summer cottages and cottage villages are rarely connected to a centralized sewage system, and therefore owners have to decide this issue on their own. To create household amenities, septic tanks or traditional cesspools can be used.
Pros and cons
To make a decision and choose the type of wastewater receiver, you need to figure out what is the difference between a septic tank and a cesspool. To do this, we study the advantages and disadvantages of each type of sewage system.
Septic tank
The main feature of the septic tank and its difference from the standard cesspool is the presence of biological sewage treatment. Tanks intended for reception and filtration are populated with special microorganisms that feed on waste, performing the task of water purification.
The liquid passed through the station can be used for domestic needs: watering the garden, washing the car, etc. In some systems, the purified liquid spreads on its own inside the soil.
Septic tanks are divided by the number of cameras:
- Single chamber. They remind a cesspool, but due to active microorganisms, the waste in the sump is recycled faster and better. Such a septic tank is capable of processing up to 1 cubic meter. sewage per day, therefore, for a large house, with a number of residents more than 2, it will not work.
- Multi-chamber If the family has more than 2 people, it is advisable to install two-chamber septic tanks that can cope with the amount of sewage up to ten cubic meters. Such devices are divided into two cameras. The first drains from the house fall. Large and solid particles settle, and the clarified liquid treated with bacteria flows into the second section, from where it seeps into the soil through the filtration bottom. Excess purified water can be used for irrigation.
For large dachas, with a number of people living more than 5 people, it is recommended to install septic tanks with a number of chambers from 3 or more, which can handle more than ten sewage cubes per day.
It is not possible to make such a septic tank on its own. It is more profitable and easier to order the finished product and its installation on site. It is especially important to choose a reliable design with additional stiffening ribs and an anchor fastening system for terrain with heaving soils. Such a septic tank will not squeeze out from the fixation point with temperature changes.
The advantages of septic tanks include:
- high level of sewage treatment;
- lack of pungent odors on the site;
- durability;
- high strength in factory products.
As in the case of cesspools, accumulated solid waste is periodically removed from the septic tanks, but such a procedure is necessary no more than once every 2 years.
The disadvantages of septic tanks include:
- the high cost of finished products;
- installation complexity;
- the need to constantly spend money on the purchase of microorganisms for waste processing;
- the need to allocate a large area for the construction of multi-chamber septic tanks.
Cesspool
The difference between a cesspool and a septic tank is the lack of the first possibility of waste treatment. Usually it is a concrete or brick drain well, to which a pipe is laid for sewage. Some craftsmen use old car tires as a drain fence. The bottom of such a device is covered with rubble and sand, so that liquid residues can go into the soil, after preliminary rough filtration.
Waste falling into the drain tank requires periodic pumping. The owners of the house, as the cesspool is filled, have to order a cesspool machine. In addition to this inconvenience, the owners will have to arrange a convenient access for the car, since the maximum length of the hoses is 15-20 meters.
Cesspools can only be used for buildings in which no more than 2 people live, since they cannot process more than 1 cubic meter of sewage per day.
When arranging a cesspool, the groundwater level in a given area must be taken into account. A high level, crossing the depth of the cesspool, leads to the spread of fecal water in aquifers and soil contamination in its and neighboring areas. The minimum distance from the bottom of the pit to the nearest aquifer of groundwater is 1000 mm.
The advantages of installing a cesspool on the site include:
- low cost of materials;
- ease of installation. The usual cesspool can be done by any owner independently.
The disadvantages of cesspools include:
- the smell of feces at the site of the equipment pit;
- the cesspools have to be periodically repaired;
- the need for frequent cleaning of the walls and bottom of the cesspool of silt deposits;
- the need for frequent calls to the sewer machine for pumping sewage;
- the possibility of soil contamination when the level of groundwater changes.
When using cesspools on the site, to reduce the severity of the smell, you can add ready-made active microorganisms. In this case, the bacteria will prevent the formation of hydrogen sulfide, but it should be remembered that in the confined space of the cesspool the bacteria do not live for a long time, they will have to be purchased quite often to ensure uninterrupted cleaning.
To reduce the risk of soil contamination, pressurized containers made of plastic or metal are installed, but in this case it will be necessary to order a sewage machine more often, since excess water, which in a traditional cesspool goes through the bottom into the ground, will remain inside the container.
Performance Comparison
So that the owner of the house can decide which is better - a cesspool or septic tank for a private house, you need to conduct a comparative analysis of both options according to the main characteristics.
The main task of sewerage in a suburban area is to maximize the treatment of effluents and the possibility of their discharge without harming the environment, while minimizing the need for the disposal of unused waste. For these parameters, the septic tank clearly wins:
- sewage treatment in these devices is 95%;
- treated water can be used for irrigation;
- the frequency of removal of unused waste is 3-4 times less than that of cesspools.
The only, but significant drawback of the septic tank, in comparison with the cesspool, can be considered its price and installation cost.
What and in which case to choose
When choosing an option for waste disposal, you need to consider several parameters:
- Land area. In a small area, it is impossible to find a convenient place for installing a multi-chamber septic tank. In this case, you need to look for a compact septic tank or prepare a cesspool.
- The number of people who are constantly in the house and the frequency of use of sewers. If 1-2 people live in the house, it makes no sense to install an expensive septic tank, it is quite possible to do with a cesspool. But if they live in the house all year round, and the family consists of 3-5 people, then without a multi-chamber septic tank it will be uncomfortable.
- If there is a garden or a garden on the site, it is better to install a septic tank. Purified water from wastewater is perfect for irrigation.
- Labor costs. In terms of scope of work, both options are approximately the same, but you can build a cesspool with your own hands at minimal cost, and it is advisable to invite specialists for a quality installation of a septic tank.
If the facilities and the area allow, it is better to install septic tanks, which can be selected in terms of volume and number of cameras based on living conditions.
Higher investments will pay off by saving on waste collection and creating a favorable environmental situation on their territory.