Hello,
We are considering installing a micro station in a holiday home. Currently have old and leaky concrete fosse septique.
I have found only this thread about them, which is a little old.
Has anyone undertaken a recent investigation about these who could share outcomes? Anyone installed one recently?
(I have read somewhere that SPANC wont approve anything that requires electricity in a holiday home)
Thank you for any data or tips or guidance.
Graeme
We have been through the whole process in the last yearâŠhere are three links to various posts that will hopefully help, including photos fyi.
Cost about 11500⏠+ 550⏠for the Etude. The latter is given huge deference by SPANC and their technical partners, if our experience is anything to go byâŠie if the Etude or itâs author says X, then SPANC will accept it as gospelâŠ
Hope this might helpâŠ
Yes, I investigated it for several years and decided against it. It all seemed too complicated and after a career in IT I avoid unnecessary complexity. I really didnât want some other bloody thing to go wrong and have to be sorted out.
Last year we went for a replacement of our old large concrete fosse with a new even larger plastic one and new Ă©pandage etc. All now certified by SPANC. Total cost +/- 7k (and we live in an expensive neck of the woods) plus etude de sol and SPANC fees.
Thatâs us done for ten years at least. No electricity, no mechanical gubbins, no worries 
Iâm completely with you on avoiding complexity (in my case after a career in an area noted for its love of complexityâŠtax). However weâve never found MicroStations particularly demanding or complicated. I speak as someone who generally regards technology and all things mechanical as guilty till proved innocent. Beyond all reasonable doubt.
We installed a MicroStation in Essex back in 2008 and one here in Seine Maritime in 2022. Famous last words but (touching wood) weâve very rarely had a problem with them.The Essex one was serviced and emptied once or twice a year (about ÂŁ200pa) and on the rare occasions when there was a minor issue, the service team were there within an hour or twoâŠ
Our geology (too much clay) and size of garden (1500m2) here meant we couldnât have the sort of fosse I believe youâve installed, as per our Ătude, so we went for the MicroStation option that we were very familiar with, and so far so good. Lawn has completely recovered from the earthworks, bar being partly dug up (again) to enable our neighbouring farmer to find a water pipe for his calves (as discussed ad nauseam in a recent separate thread).
Thats terrific information @George1 . I am very grateful for the time and attention you have given to reply. Thank you.
This the unit we were going to be supplying, made in the UK but full French accreditation.
Electricity was just for a small air pump John, its just helps the anaerobic bacteria. Its because of the air pump that 2nd homes cant/shouldnt have them due to long periods of inactivity.
Well worth highlighting that point⊠
Yes, we were lucky and or plot (old restanques) was perfect for the Ă©pandage. otherwise we would have gone down the micro station route too.
I am ignorant about this - who provides the Ătude?
Thanks
SPANC will, if prodded, supply you with a list of accredited local specialists who will visit to carry out the Etude (in essence a soil survey). Thin holes are manually drilled in your garden,using an augur, to determine the type of fosse that can be accommodated, plus the size and dimensions required for drainage etcâŠ
As stated elsewhere, once the details are in the Etude, itâs set in stone as far as SPANC are concerned, so if you have specific questions, make sure your specialist incorporates answers to them in the Etude. SPANC will simply refer to your own etude for answers to detailed technical questions you may ask them. Ensure also that the specialist listens to what you are really saying - ours was fairly determined to give us what he wanted to report on, and not deviate by including client specific issues!. In our case the Nou (the posh soakaway) was very close to an outbuilding and SPANC wanted to know whether there were foundations or not, to determine how close to it we could site the Nou. The specialist eventually agreed to state the answer in writing for the benefit of SPANC.
Cost @550âŹâŠ
Thanks again @George1 .
The inference is that a home permanently inhabited by a resident that is fitted with a micro station cannot subsequently be knowingly sold as a holiday home? Have I interpreted that correctly?
Ours is a holiday home so it sounds like we cannt have a micro station.
One of several reasons for considering renewing our old fosse is to create space in our garden. It appears that an original outlet pipe from the fosse became blocked so the house owners didnt unblock it but instead installed additional pipes which cover the garden so thoroughly there is no space for an in-ground pool.
Are there new types of fosse whose outlet pipework is âsmallâ?
Thank you
To tidy this thread up. I have found great information here .
To summarise, SPANC will not approve of micro stations in vacation homes because they say they are not appropriate for intermittent operations, âunless otherwise stated on the approval noticeâ.
Hi sorry going to relight this post.
I am currently looking at a property in France I would potentially like to buy and move over too live in.
Can I ask about this Tank as the property has a septic tank that does not conform to the regulations and from what I have read it will need to be replaced.
this will only be for my son and I with occasional visitors but its a 4 bedroom house so I want to make sure I know what the potential costs will be for me if I was to buy this property and then make the septic tank my first job.
I understand I will need SPANC to approve the installation and plans but I think this will be a formality as I will be removing a current septic tank and replacing it with one that meets the current regulations.
Again my only experience was as a child my parents had a few houses with Septic Tanks and we had to have it emptied every year. Do you still need to do this with the Micro Station septic tank or does it do the water treatment and remove the need for the slurry to be removed?
I have looked at it and the work seems like something I could do but I think for ease I would get a contractor to install it for me.
Yes, you will need SPANC approval, but your specialist contractor should sort out all the paperwork and arrange the stage inspections. Emptying shouldnât be needed every year, maybe every 4 - 6 years depending on use and if you add biological activators to help digest the solids. A 4 bedroom house will need quite a large tank, probably 4m3.
We have the same scenario - large tank suitable for 4 bed house and only the two of us. We have not had our tank emptied for YEARS. The challenge is to keep the tank active enough. I use costly 6-month digestor putting in 2-3 boxes at a time whenever I think the tank is getting smelly. The occasional dead rat (killed by our mutt) goes straight in the tank as well to help keep the bacteria happy. (Apologies if that offends anyone)
You cannot nor should not fit a micro station to a property that is only occupied part time as the system will die off and not function, only a conventional fosse can be fitted. That said a huge amount of even rural france is now on mains drainage so you should enquire if this is available as a few did not connect to the sewer system despite it being available
Our local SPANC manager was excellent. He advised we get a Compact Filtre and then subsequently approved our installation of an Ecoflo from Premier Tech Aqua.
The terminology is a bit confusing. Micro stations are aerated all the time and are unsuitable/not allowed for 2nd homes. Compact stations contain a filter medium (coconut fibres or similar) in a separate module within the tank and the waste (clean ish water) is pumped into an existing drainage system. They are useful where space is limited or the land is unsuitable for a traditional Ă©pandage.
Thank you I will keep looking but i think the microstation is the best option for us but will I think as you say look to use a contractor to deal with all the regulations