Sound advice and thank you. Hope my mutt or cat will catch a few to feed the tank
1 Like
Use SPANC to tell you what the best option is.
1 Like
Hi sorry this is not a holiday home I am looking to move and live in France so that wont be a problem but I will inquire if it can be connected to mains as that would be much better
1 Like
Yes everything I have read says keep them on side and work with them.
Thank you it is a mine field of technology I am not clear on so will need to look at the best option but as stated to another this is a home not a 2nd home so it will be occupied all the time unless we go on holiday.
I am still pushing towards the micro-station as my best option in the long run. I would rather pay a little more now and save over time than go cheaper but have regular costs
Is it good practice to have the micro-station serviced each year?
The problem (used to be anyway) with micro stations was the aeration pump which runs continuously and they were never very reliable and could be noisy. They have/had an indicator light that was supposed to flash if there was a pump problem, but they werenât that reliable either.
I had a friend who installed one of the first in france in about 2010. Long story short, he buggered off to England for 6 months, came back , pump had failed and the sludge had set hardâŠ
He sold up, new owners had 2 pump failures within 5 years.
1 Like
We had a brief link up with this company, based in the UK but they got their unit passed for complying in France. They have several distributors in France and other companies and systems are available.
As Mark said the air pump is key to it working.
1 Like
Thank you I think with most things we have to hope that 15 years later they have ironed out the bugs and have resolved all the issues they had. Still think lots to think about before I decide which to go with and I have only found a property that I like I still need to go see the house and area and then make my offer for it.
Just at the start of my journey
1 Like
That was the one, imported from UK
I seen the link earlier in the thread and have looked at them and watched a few of the installation videos
It looks good
Lots to think about now so thank you all
Good luck Robert, my tip, find one on mains drainage if you can. When I was digging the connection trench to the new main sewer I finally found the fosse pipe and it had crushed to 50% of its diameter so would have been a problem before long, we were renting in those days so it would have spoiled someones holiday. We never found an inspection hatch, we never located a filtre bed so its still a big mystery despite digging lots of holes and a metal detector. It was some kind of tank laying on its side like a can of food, the rest is unknown.
1 Like
We had a MicroStation installed (approx cost âŹ11,000) to replace a non conforming traditional fosse. We have a maintenance contract for servicing. So far it has been serviced once since the installation 2+ years ago, the timing/frequency determined by the maintenance company. We also had a similar system installed in our last house in the UK and are very happy with this type of system.
1 Like
following some of the advice given here I have managed to find and have an offer accepted on a property that is mains sewage connected so no Septic Tank worries for me
Thank you all for the advice given in this thread
4 Likes
I need some advice re septic tank nightmares. Non conforming but have had no problems in our26 years here. Nor did previous owner who ran a b&bfor 10 years. However it is now filling up every 3 or4 months Been checked for blockages from house to fosse and one found. It is a toutes eau system. So it maybe a problem in Ă©pandage system in our field. We have no idea when it was all laid down. Long time ago presumably. I am having it pumped outâŠ..again on Wed and a camera inspection done. I have been given a quote of 10900 euros for replacing Ă©pandage, but keeping fossefor now. To have everything replaced would be approx 20000 which I donât have at the moment. If I have Ă©pandage replaced will be adaptable to a new fosse should I be able to afford one in a year or two or will I need to have it done again. Can anyone give me any idea how long the whole procedure..etude, SPANC etc is likely to take should I have to go down that route? I canhave new Ă©pandage installed v quickly but I assume going the SPANC route could be lengthy and I will have to have a vidange done probably every month. Hope Iâve explained my predicament fairly clearly. Losing sleep over it all really. Canât even have a shower till after pump out next week!
If the system is that old, then itâs not surprising that something goes wrong. I assume you have a large holding tank that accepts all water. Does it have two inspection hatches ? If so, then have you checked the pre filter for blockage ? Also, the Ă©pandage itself wonât last forever, and you can get blockages caused by collapsed pipework but finding them is difficult and fixing them can be expensive. I thought that it wasnât legal now to install a new Ă©pandage and as your fosse is non conforming then you may be forced to go for a new system. âŹ20,000 seems a bit expensive but then I havenât dealy with a fosse for quite a few years now.
Thanks. No inspection hatches. Itâs a toutes eaux system. There are no blockages between house and tanks. Would be v wary of installing a new drainfield at 10000 if fosse still not conforming. Be better to do the whole lot really. So probably keep on pumping out and start the process. Hope it will not take forever as field is dry ish now. Wonât be in winter
If itâs a toutes eaux with Ă©pandage then on top of the drainage hatch, there should also be an inspection hatch for the pre filter. On the last house we bought with a fosse, this was separate from the main holding tank and had got buried under gravel and it took us some time to find it. You should have a pre filter somewhere in the system and they can get blocked, but if you donât have a pre filter then that increases your chances of blockages in the Ă©pandage.
Just before main tank there is a smaller cover which I assume is the pre filter. They checked that and no blockage there. So they seem to think itâs the drain field. Putting g camera down may show somethingâŠ..or not. As far as I gather I have to have an Ă©tude du sol done before anything else. Therefore canât really get estimates till I know what I need to do. I am not going to have new Ă©pandage put in as Iâm likely to have problems with the actual fosse which seems to be prehistoric. And then possibly change drain field position again,having paid 10000 to have it replaced So will get an Ă©tude organised asap Thanks for advice
,
That would not be the case; it is probably just an inspection/rodding point.
The prefilter is a filter before the Ă©pandage i.e. it is on the output side of the main fosse tank.
Usually itâs a basket of pouzzolane that is accessible from the second hatch on the top of the tank, hence why @hairbear has been suggesting that you locate it/them.
This permeable volcanic rock allows water to pass through but filters out the sludge that is invariably carried out of the fosse & thus avoids it gumming up the Ă©pandage. The basket can be lifted out & the rock washed clean, or replaced. Itâs bit like the bit marked 4 in the illustration below.
Clearly if the filter has not been cleaned then it will be passing water through slowly, or not at all. Your short term relief from blockage might just be that when a fosse is âemptiedâ it is just the solid matter that is removed, the water is returned to the tank, which clearly then wonât be full. Things will then flow freely until the tank reaches capacity again (i.e. itâs designed state, being full) at which point it should drain out via the filter & onwards to the Ă©pandage.
If the filter is blocked (much more likely than a faulty Ă©pandage) then eventually youâll become aware of that in the house.
