House view with fosse septique

I haven’t seen it in a supermarket - I buy these things a kilo at a time on line! I think you can get acide citrique at LeClerc though at least. If it’s food grade you can use it in making fresh lemonade or in certain wines too. The best place to get it in “the old days” was home brew shops until people started using it to cut heroin so it went under the counter, I understand…

1 Like

You can get it in supermarkets, in the cleaning stuff aisle - Briochin do it, also bicarb, fullers’ earth etc. You can also get it in brico shops and bio shops.

You run a strict (rough) regime chez toi Graham :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Our fosse has functioned fine in the fifteen years since we bought the house but it has seen better days, and though SPANC seems to be dormant around here I’ve been planning to do something about it for a few years. I got an étude des sols done about a month ago (€500ish) and their view was that while the fosse itself was OK, and sized correctly the tranchees d’epandage had disappeared :scream:

I was keen on a micro station but they were a bit sceptical due the ongoing maintenance. Or the cynic in me wonders if they’ve a mate that renovates fosses but doesn’t do micro stations. Also I hadn’t realised that micro stations also need a filter bed, albeit a smaller one than a fosse.

It looks like a new bed and getting everything shipshape will cost around 10K. (though everything around here seems to cost €10k).

Anyway, I need to approve their report which they will forward to SPANC, so I’m pausing before pulling the trigger.

Thanks Veronique I recognise that mark. Though ordering it online is not a bad idea!!

2 Likes

Peter, I remember this from infant school, if I recall, each sheet had printed on it, ‘now wash your hands please’ the IZAL factory was in Chapeltown ( near Sheffield) I’m a South Yorkshire girl…

Yes Dawn, it was pretty useless stuff.

Great as tracing paper though…

4 Likes

Me too :smiley:

1 Like

Angela, I’m a Barnsley lass, what about you? :slightly_smiling_face:

Sheffield! Not that far really…

1 Like

Barnsley, the St Tropez of South Yorks.

1 Like

Indeed…

Neither abrasive nor absorbent, as us kids at school said when we complained about it.

Suprmarkets sell ‘Phenix’ washing soda. under €1 for a box, sprinkle a pinch in with washing-up liquid = bubbles galore.

1 Like

That’s the one I’ve been using @lebeuil1 !

Rockfish…what a brilliant name!
Be careful here because you are right about the change in french law regarding septic tanks and the like…it is up to the buyer to up grade the tank within a certain period in order to comply with environmental standards.
So…look for another house…or get an estimate for the upgrade and knock it off the price!

Best of luck.

Michael Rockfish Miller.

We called this Skid!

It has often been said that paying the non compliant fosse fine is considerably cheaper than having a new one - something to consider.

And may, indeed, mean that you have a better functioning fosse.

Our old, non-compliant, fosse never gave us any problems in terms of smell. Because we were completely revamping the house, including changing the bathrooms, we had pipework rerouted and a new (larger, toutes eaux) fosse put in the other side of the house. Even now, several years on, the “new” fosse is nothing like as well-behaved as the old one was.
If you don’t have to, don’t rush to change. It doesn’t necessarily improve things.

1 Like