For people who are “off mains”, a sewage installation is something that you know is there, but do not want to be constantly reminded about. If it is playing up, it can become a true nightmare, leaving people afraid to use showers or use the W.C for fear of making matters worse.
The difference between a septic tank and a cesspool lies in the fact that a cesspool is an enclosed tank with no outlet, and must be emptied every time it fills up. The liquid levels need to be constantly monitored, and the expense of emptying it every month by vacuum tanker can be daunting.
Septic tanks on the other hand have two chambers which allows for the solids and liquids to be separated. The liquid then passes through an outlet into a drainage field and the solids are contained until emptied by vacuum tanker which in a domestic setting is usually annually in most but not all cases.
Fortunately, in most cases septic tanks and cesspools can be replaced with a modern packaged sewage treatment plant. The result is similar to being connected to mains drainage. The end product of a properly installed and serviced unit is peace of mind. Each unit is sized according to the dwelling it serves, and does not have any limit on the wastewater it will treat. Again annual vacuum tanker emptying is required for domestic plants, more often for commercial depending on usage.
