Well Ahoy there again landlubbers here is the latest installment and is the septic tank going in.
Fosse Septic (as they say in belle France) with a Biorock filter.
Why not a sand filter because they are cheaper? I hear you ask.
Good question and the answer is:- When we bought the place (2006) we had the soil test and all that malarkey done and were told we couldn't have a septic tank out the back as there were two wells (not ours) closer than 25 meters so it would have to be out the front and the sand filter would be in our patch of land (10 meters by about 35 meters).
When we saw the drawings there was some sort of holding tank at the front of the house, then a pump through a pipe under the lane to some other tank thing and then to the sand filter.
The filter appeared to take up a third of the land and stood a meter proud of it plus we were told we couldn't plant anything on it.
As we were not in rush and knew the septic tank would be a few years into the future we just sidelined it (dug our dunny out the back) and started the project "HOWEVER" (nb) we did the design process with all the waste coming out the front of the house ie with toilets, baths sinks etc situated at the front of the house for ease of pipework. (something any new renovator should take note of as it will save you lots of compromise or angst and cutting up of floors at a later date.
The rule of thumb seems to be shorter the run of pipe the better at about 1.5 inches a meter drop) when it comes to shifting sh!te)
We did have to re-situate the main bathroom as my wife pointed out it might be a tad tricky getting out of the bath or shower with dignity intact (and in my case without scaring the neighbours) when stood naked in front of a two meter high window.
Here you can see the lane when looking out of the study (original site of proposed bathroom) and the land opposite (now with shed three on it) and the effect (loss of use) a 7.5 meter square 1 meter high sand trap would have had, as well as the expense of putting a pipeline under the lane.
A couple of years ago (5 years after the start of project) I was asked by my building guru when I was going to put in the Fosse and I said I was dragging my heels as we didn't want to lose a big chunk of the land and I have been researching other options.
He steered us into a meeting with a man who soon had us thinking differently about what was possible with the siting of a filter and the size.
After spending 300 euros (bargain as it turns out) on a new soil test and with me explaining to the man who did that test that we wanted to use a micro filter (not to be confused with a micro treatment plant) at the front of the property without having to cross the road, we waited a week for the new plans to turn up which gave us just that.
The tank, filter and pump housing all on our side of the lane.
Happy days.
At first we had opted for a Zeolite filter, but we had to change our minds when we found out their new ones come with about 5 mushroom vents sticking up so we opted for the biorock system instead, that has received many good reviews not only from the man we were using but also from some members on this forum.
So the money was gathered, the forms and plans sent off with a nod of approval form the mayor and when they returned with a green light the fosse was and accompanying pipework pumps vents etc was ordered and a date set.
Here is the fosse tank, the filter tank and the pump housing, man hole covers and associated bits (we were setting up the storm water run offs as well while we had the digger in)
So here we go in pictures and words
"How to install a fosse with biorock micro filter"
Level the land off near enough where the site is.
Before you start digging the holes make sure you have somewhere to dump the spoil (and something to dump it with) as there will be lots and lots of it
Dig the holes approx 2.5 meters deep and a bit bigger than the tanks themselves.
Get the bottom as level as you can then use gravel to level it up completely
Place in Fosse tank then filter making sure they are level
Now put some gravel and spoil around the tanks and filter and pump housing and connect the pipes up as you go.
In this photo you can see the red gain which is the mains feed to the pump motor,
the pipe coming in from the right is the bathroom and utility room water,
the pipe coming in from the left is the kitchen sink water,
the lowest pipe from the center is the two toilets combined (the open bit is the rodding point)
the two highest pipes from the center are the vent stink pipes going up through the house and through the roof to ridge height. (we have (since approval has been granted) combined both those pipes into one as all they do is vent air in and ouit of the fosse and the filter)
With the stink pipes we combined them underground and now have only one roof vent (pic to follow).
Bit of a saga as the chap who came to fit the roof vents had a bout of the sweats and shakes after a heavy weekend and although they looked alright from the front, when you looked from the side it looked like a deformed giraffes ears.
There only needed to be two for the chap who approves these things to give the nod and that's what happened. No sooner had he driven off than we were up there changing it. Unfortunately the roof still leaks where he bodged the fit and I am having to cough up for someone else to come and seal us up properly again.
Here are (right to left) the Fosse, the filter, the pump housing.
The concrete manhole is above the drain pipeline where the clean water is pumped after the fosse and filter and also where storm water is run to
I should say at this stage that once they were were in and the main bits connected we filled them with water as we were expecting rain and the installer said they would float up if we didn't ballast them down.
And so there it was done, fosse septic, biorock filter, pump housing, spoil removed, 3 storm drains run to underground ditch, all the pipework, roof vents manhole covers etc for a grand total of 9,000 euros and letter of artisan guarantee insurance.
The zeolite would have been closer to 11K and the sand 7.5K+ due to the under the road malarkey so the extra couple of grand was small price to pay to keep our land intact.
I now realise that what I don't have is a picture of the completed items now we have cut the lids down to size.
The whole front now is ready for landscaping in order to hide all trace of the tanks and their vents.
We have put in the zinc down pipes for the gutters and trimmed down the tank lids and will soon be leveling the land and creating paths, breakfast area, etc and only the very keenest of eyes will know the tank is there.
I will post photo of front in its changing stages as we go along this year.
I have jury rigged a temporary flushing bog which works a treat and has rendered the old faithful, self composting, super reliable, long drop dunny to a very distant second choice, especially this time of year.
Some may read about the fosse installation and wonder why a pump has been mentioned,and then get the "biorock filter system" confused with a micro station that needs an aeration pump (which this does not)
This is to do with the the topography of the land and I have to pump the clean water up a slope to the drain after the filtration has taken place.
The micro treatment systems need a pump running 24/7 to aerate the mixture to help the digestion process, and I would then have still needed another pump to take the clean water away.
Our pump only runs when there is clean water ready for the drain. I hope that clarifies the need for my pump.
Chin Chin
Bentley
Fosse Septic (as they say in belle France) with a Biorock filter.
Why not a sand filter because they are cheaper? I hear you ask.
Good question and the answer is:- When we bought the place (2006) we had the soil test and all that malarkey done and were told we couldn't have a septic tank out the back as there were two wells (not ours) closer than 25 meters so it would have to be out the front and the sand filter would be in our patch of land (10 meters by about 35 meters).
When we saw the drawings there was some sort of holding tank at the front of the house, then a pump through a pipe under the lane to some other tank thing and then to the sand filter.
The filter appeared to take up a third of the land and stood a meter proud of it plus we were told we couldn't plant anything on it.
As we were not in rush and knew the septic tank would be a few years into the future we just sidelined it (dug our dunny out the back) and started the project "HOWEVER" (nb) we did the design process with all the waste coming out the front of the house ie with toilets, baths sinks etc situated at the front of the house for ease of pipework. (something any new renovator should take note of as it will save you lots of compromise or angst and cutting up of floors at a later date.
The rule of thumb seems to be shorter the run of pipe the better at about 1.5 inches a meter drop) when it comes to shifting sh!te)
We did have to re-situate the main bathroom as my wife pointed out it might be a tad tricky getting out of the bath or shower with dignity intact (and in my case without scaring the neighbours) when stood naked in front of a two meter high window.
Here you can see the lane when looking out of the study (original site of proposed bathroom) and the land opposite (now with shed three on it) and the effect (loss of use) a 7.5 meter square 1 meter high sand trap would have had, as well as the expense of putting a pipeline under the lane.
A couple of years ago (5 years after the start of project) I was asked by my building guru when I was going to put in the Fosse and I said I was dragging my heels as we didn't want to lose a big chunk of the land and I have been researching other options.
He steered us into a meeting with a man who soon had us thinking differently about what was possible with the siting of a filter and the size.
After spending 300 euros (bargain as it turns out) on a new soil test and with me explaining to the man who did that test that we wanted to use a micro filter (not to be confused with a micro treatment plant) at the front of the property without having to cross the road, we waited a week for the new plans to turn up which gave us just that.
The tank, filter and pump housing all on our side of the lane.
Happy days.
At first we had opted for a Zeolite filter, but we had to change our minds when we found out their new ones come with about 5 mushroom vents sticking up so we opted for the biorock system instead, that has received many good reviews not only from the man we were using but also from some members on this forum.
So the money was gathered, the forms and plans sent off with a nod of approval form the mayor and when they returned with a green light the fosse was and accompanying pipework pumps vents etc was ordered and a date set.
Here is the fosse tank, the filter tank and the pump housing, man hole covers and associated bits (we were setting up the storm water run offs as well while we had the digger in)
So here we go in pictures and words
"How to install a fosse with biorock micro filter"
Level the land off near enough where the site is.
Before you start digging the holes make sure you have somewhere to dump the spoil (and something to dump it with) as there will be lots and lots of it
Dig the holes approx 2.5 meters deep and a bit bigger than the tanks themselves.
Get the bottom as level as you can then use gravel to level it up completely
Place in Fosse tank then filter making sure they are level
Now put some gravel and spoil around the tanks and filter and pump housing and connect the pipes up as you go.
In this photo you can see the red gain which is the mains feed to the pump motor,
the pipe coming in from the right is the bathroom and utility room water,
the pipe coming in from the left is the kitchen sink water,
the lowest pipe from the center is the two toilets combined (the open bit is the rodding point)
the two highest pipes from the center are the vent stink pipes going up through the house and through the roof to ridge height. (we have (since approval has been granted) combined both those pipes into one as all they do is vent air in and ouit of the fosse and the filter)
With the stink pipes we combined them underground and now have only one roof vent (pic to follow).
Bit of a saga as the chap who came to fit the roof vents had a bout of the sweats and shakes after a heavy weekend and although they looked alright from the front, when you looked from the side it looked like a deformed giraffes ears.
There only needed to be two for the chap who approves these things to give the nod and that's what happened. No sooner had he driven off than we were up there changing it. Unfortunately the roof still leaks where he bodged the fit and I am having to cough up for someone else to come and seal us up properly again.
Here are (right to left) the Fosse, the filter, the pump housing.
The concrete manhole is above the drain pipeline where the clean water is pumped after the fosse and filter and also where storm water is run to
I should say at this stage that once they were were in and the main bits connected we filled them with water as we were expecting rain and the installer said they would float up if we didn't ballast them down.
And so there it was done, fosse septic, biorock filter, pump housing, spoil removed, 3 storm drains run to underground ditch, all the pipework, roof vents manhole covers etc for a grand total of 9,000 euros and letter of artisan guarantee insurance.
The zeolite would have been closer to 11K and the sand 7.5K+ due to the under the road malarkey so the extra couple of grand was small price to pay to keep our land intact.
I now realise that what I don't have is a picture of the completed items now we have cut the lids down to size.
The whole front now is ready for landscaping in order to hide all trace of the tanks and their vents.
We have put in the zinc down pipes for the gutters and trimmed down the tank lids and will soon be leveling the land and creating paths, breakfast area, etc and only the very keenest of eyes will know the tank is there.
I will post photo of front in its changing stages as we go along this year.
I have jury rigged a temporary flushing bog which works a treat and has rendered the old faithful, self composting, super reliable, long drop dunny to a very distant second choice, especially this time of year.
Some may read about the fosse installation and wonder why a pump has been mentioned,and then get the "biorock filter system" confused with a micro station that needs an aeration pump (which this does not)
This is to do with the the topography of the land and I have to pump the clean water up a slope to the drain after the filtration has taken place.
The micro treatment systems need a pump running 24/7 to aerate the mixture to help the digestion process, and I would then have still needed another pump to take the clean water away.
Our pump only runs when there is clean water ready for the drain. I hope that clarifies the need for my pump.
Chin Chin
Bentley
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