First soak pit of pour flush latrine (8152037611).jpg

What is a Cesspit?[edit | edit source]

A cesspit is a sealed holding tank that does not have an outlet pipe.

It is most often used for storing sewage and wastewater where the ground is not suitable for soaking away the effluent from a septic tank.

Cesspit Construction[edit | edit source]

Older cesspits are generally constructed out of block, bricks, or concrete, whilst modern ones are constructed using fibreglass or plastic. They usually have only a single access lid for emptying and a vent to allow foul gases, including Methane and Hydrogen Sulphide, to exit the tank.

Cesspit Sizing[edit | edit source]

Cesspits are sized according to the number of people who use them. The smallest cesspit allowed for a house with one bedroom is around 18,000 litres. This size increases by 6,800 litres for every additional person.

Function of Cesspits[edit | edit source]

A cesspit does not treat sewage and wastewater. There is no reduction of pollutants as it is only a storge tank. Cesspits are also used for the storage of waste liquids, silage effluent, caravan cassette toilets, etc. which cannot be discharged to either a septic tank or sewage treatment plant due to the toxicity of the effluents concerned.

External Resources[edit | edit source]

FA info icon.svg Angle down icon.svg Page data
Authors Maureen Webb
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 0 pages link here
Impact 286 page views
Created February 22, 2012 by Maureen Webb
Modified June 14, 2023 by StandardWikitext bot
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.