Cesspool VS Septic Tank

[MiraelCorazon]

Hello everyone!

My wife and I looking to buy an inland property around Malaga and we just came across a very good option. However, unlike any other properties we have viewed so far, this one, according to the agent's words, doesn't have a septic tank but a cesspool.

After Googling and watching some brief explanations on Youtube, from what I understand cesspool is just a "pit" which regularly has to be cleaned by calling a special car (I see many people recommend here Pepe Nunez company).

So, is a cesspool the same to what they call in Spain "Pozo Negros'?

How often does it need to emptied (I guess it depends on the capacity but anyway more or less) and how much does it usually cost?

How much does it approximately cost nowadays to install a proper 3-chamber septic tank instead of this cesspool?

Thank you!

[casita-bonita]

We've been in our campo house for 15 years and not had to have our pozo negros emptied yet...

[Wicksey]

It tends to be the plastic septic tanks that need emptying in our friends' experience, plus they smell (our neigbours' ones both smell awful). I've never known of a pozo negro needing emptying or any attention. We've always had pozo negros and they are sealed over with no access. They naturally drain away and the one at this house was built 23 years ago and has never been touched. Personally I'm keeping this and we don't ever want to install plastic tank (not that there's anywhere much to put one now) so we hope to sell without the need to change.

If it is a pozo negro I would just see how it goes before contemplating installing anything different. Septic tanks and pozo negros still need to be treated kindly, ie not putting things down the loo that shouldn't be. Our biggest problem is the drains within our house as they have very little drop on them. We are extremely careful with what goes down the kitchen sink for example. We've had various different types of septic tanks in the UK and France, so are very used to living with them, but never had the plastic ones with chambers. Not been on mains drainage since the 1980s!

[El Cid]

Our plastic 2 chamber tank has never smelled and not been emptied in 23 years.

Sid

[MiraelCorazon]

Thank you, everyone! So cesspool is exactly what they call in Spain "Pozo Negro"? I remember some months ago I was talking to the lawyer and he said that pozo negros are absolutely not permittable any longer..
Just wonder if now we buy the property the local town hall will not ask us as the new owner to install a proper 3-chamber septic....

[casita-bonita]

Thank you, everyone! So cesspool is exactly what they call in Spain "Pozo Negro"? I remember some months ago I was talking to the lawyer and he said that pozo negros are absolutely not permittable any longer..
Just wonder if now we buy the property the local town hall will not ask us as the new owner to install a proper 3-chamber septic....

As I understand it they are not illegal to have in place. But you cannot sell a house with one as it now has to be a multichamber plastic affair. Friend who sold and bought a couple of years ago had to have on installed in the house he was selling, as did the vendor of the house he bought.. Had a problem with odour since it was installed.

As Wicksey noted you have to take care of you pozos. No bleach or harsh chemicals down the toilet as it kills the bugs. After winter I flush a couple of bacteria bags down the toilet to get the bugs going. You can buy these in Mercadonna. Also sugary deserts like trifle can go down the pan.

As I said 15+ years never needed attention and never smells..

[Wicksey]

If a buyer doesn't want the DAFO then I guess a house will be sold as it is even if it has a pozo negro. Friends that had a septic tank installed purely to get the DAFO had it installed after the existing pozo negro. She said that she knows of people having bought houses with a septic tank, then disconnecting it and reverting to the old pozo negro as they had so many problems with the new plastic tank.

I think you had it installed properly, Sid. The problem ones I know of were just put into the ground without proper weeper pipes to remove the liquid, so they tend to fill up and not drain naturally away. I'm not sure a lot of the installers know what they are doing!

In France a Government inspector came round and carried out surveys of all 'septic tanks' (and we had to pay for it). We were told ours needed replacing but luckily, having just found a buyer for the house, we came to an agreement that the new owner would do the work if we dropped the price.