Even far from the city it is difficult to imagine life without plumbing and sewage. In a small suburban village or village, where there is no central sewage system at all, you have to arrange amenities yourself. If financial opportunities are limited, you can make a cesspool with a do-it-yourself pit for the country toilet.
Cesspool requirements
The simplest biowaste storage can be built on the site of inexpensive materials. For a country toilet, it is enough to find 2-3 strong barrels of suitable volume and dig into the ground in a pre-prepared pit. A wooden or brick box is being built on top. The all-weather and all-weather street bathroom is ready. An experienced landlord can build it in two days.
In order not to violate the ecology of households, the construction must meet established sanitary standards. It is necessary to observe the distance to the objects:
- residential building - from 5 meters;
- fence - from 2 m;
- main road - 2-4 m;
- a well with drinking water - 50 m;
- natural reservoir - 30 m;
- fruit trees, garden plants - from 5 m.
The country toilet is installed at the lowest point of the site. At the same time, the distance from the bottom point of the pit to the groundwater level should be at least 1 meter. Be sure to take into account the location of the house of neighbors, so as not to inconvenience them.
Materials for the construction of cesspools and their characteristics
The most budgetary and easiest option is a cesspool of old car tires. However, all the advantages are crossed out by the small volume of the structure, low tightness, non-environmental design. A well of concrete rings requires the involvement of a crane, excavator and several workers. The construction of masonry should also be abandoned if there are no special skills and the ability to invite a specialist.
If, of all possible options, the choice is stopped on a barrel, first of all, you need to calculate the required capacity. This must be done in advance so that you do not have to order the services of trash cans too often.
Metal barrels are strong but heavy. They are not resistant to the aggressive environment of household waste, rust under the influence of soil moisture. The life of a cesspool from a metal barrel, even with bilateral waterproofing, does not exceed 4-5 years. At the cottage, 200-liter tanks or large automobile tanks that have served their time are used. The larger the volume of the tank, the less often it will be necessary to call the employees of the cesspool service. However, for the installation of a large tank, it will be necessary to attract special equipment.
Using a metal barrel without a bottom for a cesspool is the easiest way to install a toilet in the country, provided that the volume of waste generated does not exceed 1 m3 per day.
In the summer cottage with a high level of groundwater, as well as in the presence of ponds nearby, it is necessary to use sealed containers that do not allow drains to enter the soil. For such sumps, ready-made plastic barrels of various volumes are suitable.
Advantages of polymer barrels for sewage:
- strength;
- service life up to 50 years;
- resistance to chemically aggressive liquids, environmental influences;
- the presence of a ready-made vent, airtight hatch, mounting holes;
- low weight, allowing you to install yourself.
Dirty fluid must be pumped out as the reservoir fills. Frequency of service - 1-2 times per month.
A cesspool from a barrel without a bottom should be 30 cm deeper than the height of the tank. A filter layer consisting of 20 cm of crushed stone and 10 cm of sand is created under the barrel, allowing purified liquid to pass into the underlying soil. In areas with a high level of groundwater this option is unacceptable. Since microorganisms from sewage can get into drinking water.
Tool design and preparation
Plan the volume of the sump in accordance with sanitary standards. For a family of 5 people, the receiver volume will be 4000-5000 cubic meters. m. According to sanitary standards, the volume of a cesspool must exceed the amount of fluid consumed by all family members in 3 days. At the same time, water consumption per person is set at 200 liters per day, including cooking and hygiene procedures.
For the construction of a cesspool from a barrel, you will need:
- storage tank;
- pipes and connecting fittings, sealant;
- shovel, pickaxe, winch, bucket and wheelbarrow for moving soil;
- broken brick, gravel, crushed stone, sand for backfilling;
- cement and a container for mixing;
- Bulgarian;
- geotextiles for winding joints.
During installation, you can use ready-made drawings and projects, or prepare your own scheme taking into account individual parameters, dimensions of structures, section.
Installation Steps
The sequence of work when the device is a cesspool without a bottom from an unpressurized barrel:
- seat selection;
- capacity preparation;
- the construction of the pit, taking into account the additional diameter on the sides and the depth of 0.3 m, which are added to the dimensions of the tank;
- backfill 20 cm of fine gravel and 10 cm of sand for the construction of a filtration layer;
- installation of a barrel so that about 7 cm protrudes above the surface of the earth;
- filling successively with 2/3 gravel, 1/3 clay and sand of the upper part of the pit between the walls of the pit and the external walls of the tank;
- tamping soil;
- pouring the foundation and erecting a booth of a street toilet or installing a finished one.
When constructing a cesspool from an airtight barrel, there is no need to construct a filtration layer, therefore, the number of stages is reduced. Before ramming the earth, the sealed container must be filled with water, this will help to avoid damage to the tank.
Advantages and disadvantages of a cesspool from a barrel
When arranging the storage capacity, you need to consider the pros and cons of the design.
| Benefits | disadvantages |
| long service life | bad breath |
| ease of installation | need for regular maintenance |
| low cost of materials and tools | high requirements for the choice of installation location |
| the need for special bacterial formulations | |
| decrease in the absorbing capacity of the filter layer and the environmental friendliness of leaky containers |
The easiest way to purchase a ready-made plastic tank that meets all the requirements of sanitary standards in terms of material, strength and durability. Sewer polymer containers are easy to install and environmentally friendly. Do not save on your own health.
