If it is impossible to connect to a centralized sewage system, private houses are equipped with autonomous treatment facilities: a cesspool or a septic tank. It is possible to install a deep cleaning station, but this is expensive and requires energy consumption. The first two options are relatively inexpensive and non-volatile. If you figure out what is the difference between a purchased or home-made septic tank and a cesspool, it is easier to make a choice.
Advantages and disadvantages of a cesspool
This type of local sewage system is a pit with equipped walls. They are equipped with brickwork, poured with concrete or reinforced concrete rings are installed. Sometimes, to reduce the cost of construction, materials at hand are used, for example, old car tires. The bottom is covered with a mixture of sand and gravel for better filtration of sewage.
All waste water is collected in the cesspool - it requires regular pumping out with sewage equipment. It is necessary to equip the entrance to the structure so that the car can easily get to the pit. This is difficult, since the treatment plant needs to be installed away from residential buildings, wells and highways.
The rake is suitable only for summer cottages or small houses where no more than two people live permanently.
The average daily volume of sewage cannot exceed a cubic meter. If it is exceeded, there is a risk of soil and groundwater contamination, which leads to the penetration of infection into wells and other catchment points. It is impossible to equip a cesspool in areas where subsurface sources are located high. The distance between the bottom of the pit and the groundwater is at least one meter.
The only advantages of the cleaning device are its low cost and ease of installation. You can build a cesspool in the country with your own hands.
The design has many disadvantages:
- persistent "aroma" of the sewerage;
- the need for regular repairs;
- silting of internal surfaces;
- systematic pumping of wastewater, which is not cheap;
- risk of contamination of soil and drinking water sources.
The addition of preparations with bioactive microorganisms to the cesspool helps to reduce the sewage stench. They help to reduce the formation of methane and hydrogen sulfide. But this must be done regularly, which also requires financial costs and constant visits to the summer cottage.
A compromise between a cesspool and a septic device is the installation of a sealed container - a plastic or metal tank, where the sewage will drain. This will reduce the risk of soil and drinking water contamination, save from miasms, but will not save you from regular pumping costs. But the sealed tank is well suited for areas with clay soil and with a high level of soil water.
Pros and cons of a septic tank
Single-chamber septic tanks are essentially similar to cesspools. They are also able to process up to a cubic meter of sewage per day. If the house is large, it is wise to install a device with more cameras.
The two-chamber overflow design is capable of absorbing from 2 to 10 cubic meters of waste liquid.It consists of two wells and operates according to the following principle:
- In the first, sealed, solid waste settles to the bottom and is processed by microorganisms.
- The clarified liquid flows through a special pipe into the second well with a filtration bottom.
- There it is clarified even more thanks to the filter and goes into the soil or is taken for technical needs.
For a large cottage, where the volume of daily wastewater is over 10 cubic meters, it is better to prefer a septic tank with three or more chambers. It is impractical to create it with your own hands. It will be cheaper to buy a finished product with protection from cold and overload, as well as order its installation. Modern structures are characterized by increased strength due to built-in stiffeners. They save from destruction and loss of tightness during soil vibrations.
The advantages of septic devices include:
- increased wastewater treatment;
- lack of sewer stench;
- strength and durability.
The remains of sewage must also be pumped out here, but this will have to be done once every two or three years, and not monthly.
The disadvantages of septic tanks are the complexity of the construction and the high cost of finished structures, as well as regular spending on biological products. To install a dimensional device in several chambers, you need to find a place on the site.
The main differences between a septic tank and a cesspool
Village cesspools are a thing of the past. Septic tanks are a much more civilized way to deal with domestic wastewater. They are distinguished by:
- Biological treatment and the possibility of settling waste liquids.
- Environmental safety and hygiene.
- Clarification of outlet water up to 95 percent.
If the septic device is of good quality, the outlet liquid can be used not only for watering green spaces, but even for wet cleaning or a summer shower.
Another distinctive point is the price of the treatment plant arrangement. In the case of a septic tank, it is much higher. But during maintenance, the additional costs will be repulsed: the pumping of septic devices is carried out much less frequently than cesspools.
Comparative analysis
When choosing which is better: a septic tank or a cesspool, first of all evaluate your site. If it's tiny, there simply isn't room for multi-chamber designs. Also, there is no point in a functional cleaning device in the country, where the family comes on weekends and holidays. But with permanent residence and a large number of guests, preference is given to septic tanks.
In the presence of a garden and a vegetable garden, the advantages of a septic tank over a cesspool are obvious. You don't have to spend money on water for irrigation. A high-quality septic device at the outlet produces a liquid that is clear enough to nourish the plants.
In terms of labor costs for self-installation, both structures are approximately the same: you will have to dig a pit, equip the walls or immerse a plastic container. But building materials for creating a cesspool are usually cheaper.
If the owner of a residential building where his family constantly lives, values the environment and the health of loved ones, he will make a choice in favor of a septic tank. The money spent will not go into the void. The design will save on regular pumping. The sewerage system will operate smoothly for at least 20 years. In the case of the cesspool, it will have to be reanimated in ten years and measures to bioremediate the soil and water sources. Given this, the cost of installing a septic tank is quite justified.
