Hi All, we bought our little piece of paradise about 5 years ago. It's in the Dordogne, near Perigueux and is a complete restoration project. We have all the permissions etc and started by getting a local artisan to install a rainwater recovery tank and Fosse Septique. We have now just about completed stage one and are living in France permanently. My question, does anyone here know where I can get extension pieces for the access panels for the Fosse, Regards, Grease trap chamber and the rainwater recovery tank. When the builder installed these, he left them quite low in the ground and covered them over with soil. We now want to start some landscaping, but don't want to have to lift areas of grass, should we ever have to gain access. I would ask the builder, but as far as I can tell, he has either gone out of business or moved away. I have tried the local Point P, BricoDepot and Leroy Merlin, but without success. Many thanks, Bob
Many thanks to you all for your help and suggestions. We tried the various places and could get some of the extension pieces required, but not all because the fosse was by a different manufacturer than the rest of the stuff used. Anyway long story short, while driving through Perigueux we came across Prolian Plastiques who had, or could get, all the bits we needed. So once they are in, we can get on with the landscaping.
Are they concrete or plastic tanks? If they are concrete & you don't have to raise them much I simply lifted the covers off, shuttered up with hardboard & poured concrete around it to raise the level. Put some newspaper on top of the concrete to stop it sticking & gently replace & tap down the lid to level it up. If you need to purchase extentions try Big Matt who actually make the things. For plastic you may have to go to the manufacturer to find out the info but the concrete ones might well do it.
Edit. Sorry , I've just seen the above replies. I'll leave my post in case it helps!
Thanks for that David. This company and the one Keith mentioned above, are within a couple of km of each other and not to far from me. So I'll get some photos and info together and try my luck with them.
fransbonhomme is one of the largest distributors for this sort of thing. You could also ask a local assainissement /travaux public guy to come along and give you advice and a devis. Trouble is that these rehaussements are usually designed to fit a particular product.
Thanks for the replies: Peter I wondered if I could make something, in fact it would be the way to go if I can't find something 'authentic' to fit. I like those slabs and will certainly be giving them a visit as pathways etc are on the to do list and the quality of choice at the usual places is not fantastic.
Keith, thanks for the web address, I've had a quick look and they may be able to help. I'll do a bit more research later today.
Melissa, they are both plastic tanks. Unfortunately I have tried to track down the manufacturers, but without success (not a great deal of info visible on the tanks) I did think about some sort of structure to extend, but was worried about the weight on the plastic. I didn't see the tanks before they went in, so don't know if there are any strong points etc. I guess I'm going to have to do some careful digging around the top of the tanks and see what's what.
You do not say whether they are concrete or plastic. If plastic you should be able to get extensions from the manufacturer, if concrete just use shuttering and concrete or blocks to extend the access upwards then put the lid on top.
If you can't find purpose-made extensions, you could perhaps make some up yourself from the metallic sheets sold in most Brico places, suitably cut to size, with some supports to get the depth and mechanical strength you need. I'd suggest galvanized or aluminium to avoid rusting! Alternatively, if the depth is reasonable, some paving slabs, or pas japonais, let in to the new grass below the top level, to avoid grass-cutting problems. See some here.