House, design, renovation, decor.  Courtyard and garden.  With your own hands

House, design, renovation, decor. Courtyard and garden. With your own hands

» Do-it-yourself brick cesspool. Creating a cesspool for a private house with your own hands What are cesspools made of

Do-it-yourself brick cesspool. Creating a cesspool for a private house with your own hands What are cesspools made of

Today, a person lives in the era of the existence of all kinds of amenities and many residents, especially children and adolescents, it seems that these conveniences have always existed. These amenities include a sewerage system.

Being in the city, we cannot even imagine life without a central sewerage system, and in fact, in many localities of our country, such systems are absent. As a result, residents construct local sewer pits for one particular house or several residential buildings. In this article we will get acquainted with the process of independently setting up a sewer pit in a private house.

Types of pits

Sealed sewer pit

Our country is large and the soil is different, and the sewer pit is a depression in the ground for several meters. Therefore, there are many laws prohibiting or permitting the construction of certain types of sewer pits in various conditions.

Sewer pits differ in material of manufacture, cleaning methods and other parameters. Most experts subdivide sewer pits into two types:

  • Leaky sewer pit. For natural drainage, soil is used, or a cushion of rubble, which is not poured cement screed or other material that does not allow water to pass through.
  • Sealed sewer pit. This type of pits is used in places where groundwater flows at a shallow depth, and the creation of a pit without a bottom can lead to the fact that harmful substances from the sewage system will enter the groundwater. The latter will lead to danger for flora and fauna.

Due to the danger of soil contamination in some places, the law prohibits the construction of sewer pits without a bottom, permission is given only for sealed pits. A sealed pit is the same as a filling well that does not allow water to pass through, only instead of filling clean water, such a pit will be filled with impurities.

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Choosing the right place

After you have decided that it is necessary to make a sewer pit, go around your site and choose its location.

From the right choice the place depends, firstly, on the safety for a person and environment, secondly, ease of maintenance. Approach this issue responsibly and consider the following factors:

    • Remoteness. The sewer pit should be located at a certain distance from residential buildings, as well as from the place where clean water is taken. When making a pit without a bottom, it must be located at a distance of 20-30 meters from the well or well and the living quarters. If a sealed pit is used, it can be located 5 meters from the same structures. Compliance with these factors will allow you to avoid the ingress of harmful substances into the drinking water and unpleasant odors into the apartment.

An important condition: the remoteness of sewer pits from residential buildings and places of water intake should be 5-30 meters, depending on the type of pit.

  • Availability. No matter how voluminous the sewer pit, the moment will come when it will need to be cleaned. For this case, your pit should be located in a place accessible for the entrance of sewage equipment. And do not listen to conversations that some of your friends have been using a septic tank for 10 years and the pit has never been filled, you still have to clean the pit.

Construction stages

Before starting the construction of the pit, it is necessary to make calculations and determine the required volume of future sewerage. These calculations are simple, but depend on several factors:

  • Temporary home. If you are going to build a sewage system in places of temporary or seasonal residence, for example, in a country house, you can calculate the volume using the formula 0.5 cubic meters per tenant. That is, if 4 people live, this figure will be 2 cubes.
  • Permanent home. In the case of constant use of water, dishwasher and washing machine, other water-consuming elements, the formula will be different - from 1.5 to 2 cubic meters for each tenant. That is, with the same four tenants, the required volume will increase to 6-8 cubic meters.
  • Advice from experienced builders: when calculating the volume of the pit, it should be borne in mind that its depth should be no more than 3 meters. Otherwise, the sewage equipment will not reach the bottom, as a result of which a thick residue will accumulate in the pit.

On this preparatory work ends and you can proceed to the direct device of the sewer pit. The process itself consists of four stages:

How to make a porch in a private house with your own hands:

  • . After the calculations of the volume, you will already know what dimensions you need to prepare the pit. Please note that the container will overlap from above, so add about half a meter to the depth.
  • Sewer pit device. This is the most important and crucial moment. You need to choose which type of container you will use:
      • An ordinary leaky pit. This option is only suitable for non-permanent residential buildings.

    Diagram of a sewer pit made of tires

      • Device from car tires... It is common in rural areas, since the price of old tires is low, and in some cases it is possible to purchase them free of charge. When stacking tires one on top of the other, the joints must be coated with bitumen for tightness, and the bottom can be filled concrete screed, as a result - a finished container.
      • Brickwork. A more expensive and laborious type of container is brickwork. Round or rectangular walls are laid around the perimeter (as convenient), the bottom can be left out of the ground or filled with a concrete screed.

    Sewer pit made of concrete rings

  • Reinforced concrete rings. The disadvantage of concrete rings is that it will be necessary to call a crane for installation, since they cannot be installed manually, but the process itself will be much faster than the previous type of device. With the bottom, you can do the same as with the above proposed option.
  • An important point: containers made of bricks and reinforced concrete rings outside and inside are treated with a moisture-resistant coating. Inside - with bitumen, outside - clay barrier walls are created.

    Plastic drive

  • Metal and plastic drives. The most convenient types of sewer pits will be ready-made metal or plastic containers. You will not have any difficulties in finding such containers - they can be purchased in shops for the garden and home. The volumes of such containers are different - from 1 to 10 cubic meters. Metal containers to increase the service life, it must be treated with anti-corrosion agents.
  • Plastic containers, protected around the perimeter concrete walls to eliminate the likelihood of deformation, and are also fixed with cables to the ground.
  • Installation and supply of pipes. At this stage, a sewer pipe is laid from the living quarters, the preferred option is plastic pipe with a diameter of 100 mm. In addition to this pipe, it is necessary to make a gas outlet so that gases do not accumulate in the sewer pit.
  • Installation of overlap. The final stage in the construction of a sewer pit is its overlap. Most often in the form of overlapping are used reinforced concrete slabs combining strength and durability. Some craftsmen cover with iron sheets, but their service life is noticeably shorter than that of the first option. The joints of the plate and the container must be sealed. As a sealant, you can use all the same bitumen or liquid clay.

Cleaning methods

Science does not stand still, and even in such a matter as cleaning the sewage system, progress is being noticed. Until recently, there was only one way to cleanse a septic tank - a mechanical one. Today, two more species have been added to them - chemical and biological.

Mechanical cleaning of a sewer pit

Mechanical method. It consists in pumping out sewage with sewers. It is carried out quickly and is not very expensive at cost. But there is a big drawback.

In the case of using the mechanical method, it is not cleaned drainage system the bottom of your sewer pit, as a result of which it will fill each subsequent time faster than the previous one.

Chemical and biological method. If you are interested in deep cleaning and decontamination, use a chemical or biological cleaning method. As a result of the use of chemicals and biological bacteria, the following occurs:

  • decomposition of large compounds;
  • disinfection of effluents;
  • cleaning the drainage system;
  • decrease in precipitation;
  • elimination of odors.

Of the chemicals used for sewage cleaning, four groups can be distinguished:

Chemical cleaning of the sewerage system

  • ammonium compounds;
  • nitrogen fertilizers;
  • formaldehyde;
  • bleaching powder.

Biological preparations are represented by a fairly wide selection, for example, "Vodogray", UNIBAC, others.

The difference between biological drugs and chemical drugs is in their harmlessness. They do not harm the animal, flora and the container itself, which is in the sewer pit.

The result of the work carried out will delight you for a long time. Agree - home comforts are much preferred yard comforts, especially in our harsh climate.

The presented types of sewer systems can be built on almost any site with minimal cost, and the alternation of cleaning methods will allow you to keep the sewer system in good condition for a fairly long period of time.

Residents of apartment buildings do not have to worry about the disposal and utilization of biowaste, for them everything is done by housing and communal services. Those who live in a private house need to solve such problems themselves. One of the solutions is the construction of a cesspool. It does not require large installation costs, it perfectly performs the function sanitary cleaning... You just need to know how to make a cesspool in a private house with your own hands.

Choosing the location of the cesspool

There is a system of rules and regulations that controls the construction of a cesspool for a private house. Sanitary standards determine the location of the cesspool on the site, the distance from it to various outbuildings. When planning biowaste pits, the following rules should be taken into account:

  • The cesspool should be located at a distance of at least a dozen meters from residential premises;
  • There must be more than a meter from the cesspool to the fence;
  • When installing a bottomless pit, the location of the wells must be taken into account. The nearest well must be at a distance of at least 30 meters.

The simplest cheap options

The predecessor of the cesspool was an ordinary pit dug in the soil, at which the walls were smeared with clay and reinforced with boards. Then they began to bury old barrels, cisterns, and other used containers in the ground. Today, such tanks for collecting and partial cleaning of waste are installed only when the daily volume is not more than one cubic meter.

If the owner of a private house is not too eager to spend money on the arrangement of a cesspool, he can use old car tires. You just need to put them in the dug hollow, connecting them with bolts. Then the hollow is sprinkled with earth, a concrete slab with a hole for the ventilation pipe is placed on top, as well as a hatch for pumping out.

Popular types of structures

According to the characteristic differences in the design, the pits for biowaste are divided into absorbing and sealed. Septic tanks are used to collect, store and purify waste. These are structures with a more complex structure.

Absorption tanks (bottomless)

A distinctive feature is that there is no bottom, in view of this, the liquids, after cleaning with a sandy, gravel and brick filter, are sent to the soil. The absorbing tank is the most inexpensive and easiest to equip. Due to the partial infiltration of treated wastewater into the soil, there is much less need to call a sewer service.

The absorption type is selected if there is no need to remove a lot of wastewater... Large volumes of soil will not be able to accept and process. Also, such a pit cannot be called an environmentally friendly option, because waste, falling into the soil, will pollute it.

Sealed containers

They are closed watertight concrete / brick / gas silicate tanks. They must be emptied regularly after filling. If you know how to properly make a sealed cesspool, you will be provided with the absolute absence of odors characteristic of the toilet, but sometimes you will have to call the sewer workers. Remember that the use of cinder blocks is unacceptable for the construction of a cesspool (they quickly collapse when in contact with water).

The simplest solution for arranging a cesspool is considered to be the installation of a plastic tank purchased in a store. It does not need to be sealed, but it will be necessary to fill the bottom of the basin with a special cement screed and reinforce the walls with reinforcement.

Simple homemade sewage treatment plants

These are structures that not only perform deep cleansing, but also turn drains into fertilizer useful for the garden and vegetable garden. They are often two- or three-chamber systems. In the 1st chamber, collection and partial cleaning is carried out, in the 2nd and 3rd chamber, complete processing of waste takes place.

Can use old car tires... To install such a cesspool, a solid concrete foundation is not required; a dense sandy cushion with rubble thirty-five centimeters thick, as well as a screed of one decimeter, is enough.

  • To increase the capacity of the reservoir, the sides of the tires must be cut off;
  • A vertical concrete pipe with a diameter of about a couple of times smaller than that of tires is placed in a well made of tires. The upper cut of the pipe is one decimeter lower than the well constructed from the covers;
  • The bottom of the pipe is poured with concrete to form a solid cylinder.

From above it will be necessary to make holes for infiltration and installation of pipes that will ensure transfusion. The sewer pipe must be inserted into a concrete tank. Sections of entry of sewer pipes into vertical concrete must be sealed.

How to Build a Absorption Pit from Concrete Rings

  • It is necessary to dig a mine-type hollow, its diameter should be approximately eighty centimeters larger than the diameter of the rings. It will take three rings;
  • A concrete screed is made around the perimeter. This is the future base for the rings;
  • In the lower ring, make holes through each decimeter so that the purified liquid can leave the cesspool. The diameter of the filtration holes is five centimeters;
  • The depth of the structure underground should not be more than three meters, otherwise it will become difficult to pull out the sediment from the cesspool;
  • About a meter, the finished pit is filled with sand, brick, gravel and gravel mixed with soil;
  • The outer basin is filled with the same mixture. Before backfilling, the cesspool is waterproofed, which will protect the structure from groundwater;
  • At the end, a plate with a couple of holes is placed. One is for the hatch, the other for ventilation;
  • To increase the quality of cleaning, the filter well is recommended to be located slightly higher than the cleaning tank.

Installation of a sealed structure

The construction method is similar, only you do not need to make infiltration holes, you need to completely concreted the bottom. Reinforcement of the lower platform of concrete is recommended. So that the reinforcement does not get stuck in the concrete, it must be slightly raised and fixed on pegs.

It is desirable to seal the walls. Bitumen is considered an inexpensive internal insulator, and clay is an external one. If the walls of the cesspool consist of brickwork, it is possible to cover them with plaster.

Laying bricks takes much longer than assembling concrete rings... At the bottom, a concrete screed is made, the bricks are placed in a circle / square. Before starting the laying, you need to wait a week after creating the concrete platform.

The sewage pipeline must be slightly tilted in order to ensure spontaneous drainage of the drains.

Toilet rake

Those who want to build a toilet should also know how to properly make a cesspool. Most often, a small hole is dug, to which you can freely drive up to emptying. The ridge is laid out with bricks or filled with concrete.

The depth can be arbitrary, it all depends on the soil of the litter. It is recommended to dig the rake to a layer of sand that will absorb the waste. The bottom of the pit is filled with sand and gravel mixture, gravel.

Other dimensions are to be installed on site. Ventilation is recommended. A pipe that rises about six decimeters above the toilet roof is suitable.

In most cases, there is no sewage system in the country. A cesspool is used instead. There are many options for its construction, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Next, we will consider in detail the typical designs of cesspools and analyze the methods of their installation.

What is a drain pit and what is it for

A drain pit, or as it is also called a cesspool, is necessary for private houses that do not have a direct sewer supply. A proper drain pit recycles waste, allowing certain substances after treatment to be absorbed into the ground without harm to it.

The popularity of this type treatment plant caused by the ease of installation and the speed of work. One person without helpers is able to complete all the work within 3-5 days, depending on the type of construction.

On the other hand, there are certain difficulties associated with the further operation of the cesspool. First of all, this concerns the issue of pumping out sewage. Correctly selected pit volume is of no less importance.

Drain pit device

The simplest designs that are most often found in rural houses and simple summer cottages is digging into the ground old barrel or a tank that has served its life. Such a design will allow for the collection and partial filtration of wastewater, provided that their daily amount does not exceed 1 m³. Such schemes have not received approval from the sanitary services, since they can harm the surrounding ecology.

The simplest drain pit in a private house is a simple structure. Through the sewer pipe, although there is often a direct flow, the sewage enters the container, the bottom of which is covered with silt. The drain pit should be equipped with a gas outlet pipe through which the methane generated during the waste processing process will begin to escape to the outside.

Such a system is completely unsuitable for those houses in which permanent residence is planned. Given that the average daily water consumption for a family of four is up to 1 cubic meter, this leads to the need for frequent cleaning of the cesspool, and, accordingly, to financial costs... Previously, a ubiquitous method of removing sewage into the soil with their subsequent natural filtration was widespread, but in current realities this method is understandably prohibited by the sanitary service.

Nevertheless, such a design is quite common, and will not have special alternatives for summer cottages with infrequent visits. It is not difficult to equip it on your own, but the following points must be taken into account:

  • The walls of the pit will require strengthening, as the water will gradually begin to collapse the structure. To prevent this, a tank is installed, or walls are built of brickwork or concrete rings.
  • The volume of the cesspool must be at least three cubic meters. The correct calculation is made taking into account the fact that each person will need at least one cubic meter of space.
  • The installed ventilation will increase the rate of waste processing.
  • If an overflow pit is equipped, then it practically does not need to be cleaned, since its design assumes the presence of several chambers for waste processing. In this case, the sewage enters the first chamber, in which it accumulates. After the level of sewage reaches the overflow partition, it will flow into the second pit and there it will be absorbed into the ground. Solid waste remains in the first pit and is recycled by bacteria.

Varieties of drain pits

By the type of execution, cesspools are divided into:

  • concrete storage,
  • brick,
  • with receiving capacity,
  • temporary,
  • with timber formwork,
  • without a bottom, with the output of waste moisture directly into the ground.

Making a drain pit out of concrete

It is a quick-assembly solution for receiving sewage and has the following advantages:

  • Construction speed. In fact, with a set of prefabricated concrete rings, such a structure is erected in one day. There is only one drawback - you need a crane or excavator to work.
  • Reliability and durability of concrete.
  • Minimal installation complexity.

Such a structure is being built quickly:

  • First, a hole is dug at the planned depth.
  • Further, the site is leveled.
  • The first ring is installed with a crane.
  • The soil from under the ring is evenly removed, while exposing signal supports that prevent the structure from skewing.
  • After the second was installed on the first ring, they are fastened together using metal staples.

The installation continues in a similar manner to the planned depth.

When all the rings have been placed, a concrete ceiling is installed with the help of a crane, with holes made in it for a hatch and a ventilation pipe. The finished structure must rise above the ground at a level of at least 30 cm.

To provide it with the best tightness, all seams and the junction with the sewer pipe are carefully sealed with bitumen mastic.

The problem of a sealed design will be its rapid filling, and the need for frequent call of sewage services, which will pump out sewage. In the same case, if the withdrawal of water into the ground is allowed, then rings with holes made are purchased. Installation technology is no different from the above.

In order to give the finished structure a more complete look from the point of view of aesthetics, it is necessary to sprinkle the part of the drainage system protruding above the ground with earth, while providing the casing with plantings that will perform a decorative function. For example, landing undemanding to conditions Mauritanian lawn will allow you to turn the treatment plant into a blooming flower bed.

Brick drain pit

According to experts, the best option will be the use of ceramic bricks, which will ensure the strength and durability of the structure. The very process of erecting a drain pit made of brick is conventionally divided into several stages:

  • dug on required depth the pit is placed with a drainage layer 20 cm thick, consisting of sand and crushed stone of different fractions,
  • after that, they begin to erect the walls, laying the bricks in a checkerboard pattern, taking into account a 5 cm gap between them for better filtration of waste materials,
  • on all sides, as the masonry grows, bricks are lined with crushed stone of large fractions,
  • make the necessary gap in the masonry for inserting the sewer pipe.

There are often conflicting recommendations about the final stage. For example, to reduce costs, it is proposed to carry out masonry half a brick thick, but it is important to remember that such a structure will hardly take on the weight of the concrete cover.

The design itself provides for two options for laying bricks:

  • to ground level
  • 80 cm below ground level.

In the case of laying bricks to ground level, space must be left taking into account the thickness of the concrete cover. The recommended construction with the completion of the masonry, before reaching the ground surface by 80 cm, raises some doubts about its advisability for a number of reasons:

  • since the design will require the installation of a closing cover, then in the end the drain will still be deepened into the ground by at least 50 cm - which is dangerous with a possible fall into the pit,
  • it is advised to cover the cover with earth to the level of the surface, but in this case, either access to the hatch will be blocked, or another pipe with a larger diameter than the size of the cover will have to be mounted on the installed cover - and in this case, the system will be subjected to additional stress.

Masonry is inferior to concrete in a number of factors:

  • a concrete structure is erected much faster and ultimately requires less funds for construction,
  • brick is more susceptible to moisture,
  • to evenly distribute the load on the walls, the cesspool should have a cylindrical shape.

The feasibility of erecting brickwork is manifested only when there is no way to call heavy cargo equipment.

Receiving containers made of plastic

If the question of how to make a drain pit without resorting to special costs is acute, then you need to pay attention to the option of installing a polymer tank of the required capacity. In this case, all work is reduced to the fact that the required amount of earth is dug under the tank, and then the collection is placed in the prepared hole. After that, the remaining space is filled with soil. It is important to remember that sealed structures without fail require the installation of a gas outlet.

The advantages are the following:

  • ease of construction,
  • minimum costs in terms of labor intensity,
  • protection of air from the release of an unpleasant odor,
  • durability of the polymer material, which is up to 50 years,
  • during use, no waste substances get into the ground.

Of the minuses, you need to pay attention to the need for periodic pumping of sewage and the small capacity of the tank, so this option is optimal for use under low load conditions. For example, if the dacha is visited once a week, and a small amount of waste goes into the drain pit.

Temporary drain pits

They are made from worn-out car tires. It is important to take into account that the inner diameter must be at least one meter, otherwise the pit will quickly become clogged with sewage. In fact, the structure is easily erected: a hole of the required depth and diameter is pulled out, after which it is filled with tires, laying them one by one to ground level.

Of the advantages of the design, the following are distinguished:

  • simplicity of work,
  • low price of used tires,
  • after installation, the empty space is filled with earth, and no additional finishing is required.

It is worth remembering that the design is suitable for a toilet that is taken out to the street and not connected to the house by the sewer system. Since it is assumed that the load on the pit will be negligible. Despite its name, with infrequent use, such a pit will last up to 25 years.

Drain pit with timber formwork

As with the previous design, the use of wood is suitable as a temporary solution. In fact, this option is still sometimes used in rural areas and in some summer cottages, but due to the fact that wood, even with high-quality processing, will not withstand more than ten years, using wooden formwork does not make much sense. Nevertheless, this is a drain pit, the price of which will be the most acceptable and will not exceed 3000-4000 rubles.

Of course, the speed of construction and isolation of the soil from sewage are the advantages of the design, but nevertheless, it is inferior to all types of cesspools and for the most part is a relic of the past.

Drain pit without a bottom

It is a cesspool made of bricks, with the difference that the bottom of the drain is not processed. In some cases, the bottom covers metal mesh, but in a chemically aggressive environment, it quickly rusts and loses its usefulness. Sewage evenly falls into the ground, but due to the strong silting of the bottom of the pit, additional cleaning is periodically required.

In addition to the above, when arranging a cesspool, you need to pay attention to some tips to improve the efficiency of processing and ensure greater durability of the structure:

  • It is better to drain the bottom of the pit with the help of coarse gravel to prevent premature siltation. The layer thickness must be at least 10 cm.
  • To improve drainage, asbestos pipes are inserted at the bottom, which are installed with a ledge at a level of 50 cm from the bottom.
  • It is better to finish the walls with clay to reduce the concentration of harmful substances entering the soil.
  • In the event that there is one cesspool on the site, but its volume is not enough, it is more advisable to arrange another one nearby and connect PVC pipe from the first. In this case, the structure will become overflow and will need to be cleaned much less frequently.
  • From the first moment of use, it is necessary to use special preparations containing bacteria. They speed up the natural recycling process and reduce unpleasant odors.
  • The overlap should go above the ground level so that in the event of heavy rain, the drainage pit does not overflow with water, and its contents do not fall on the site.
  • In any version, the structure must have a chimney to remove accumulations of methane and other hazardous substances.
  • Inorganic substances, including low-quality toilet paper, can significantly reduce the life of the structure and contribute to strong silting of the surface.

Owners country houses often you have to master the wisdom of how to make a cesspool. This design allows you to solve the problem of wastewater disposal in places where there is no common sewage system.

Sanitary regulations require that the wastewater facility is located:

  • 1 meter or more from the fence separating adjacent land plots;
  • 12 meters (no closer) from a residential building;
  • 30 meters from the source of water intake (if you plan to build a pit without a bottom with your own hands).

Wastewater facility

A competent calculation of the geometric parameters of the structure for collecting waste is carried out taking into account the following characteristics:

  • The number of people who use water in the house all year round. One person consumes up to 180 liters of liquid per day. If 3 people live in the house, it is recommended to build a drain pit for 18 or more cubic meters.
  • Distance between the top of the sewer and the surface of the ground. This value should be at least 1 m.If you equip a pit without taking into account this requirement, the likelihood of sewage flowing out of the cesspool structure increases, which will lead to soil poisoning and the appearance of an unpleasant odor on your site.
  • Soil type. When rocks occur in the ground that do not allow water to pass through well, the volume of the sewer pit is taken so that it is higher than the monthly rate of wastewater. If the soil allows water to pass through without problems, the volume is taken approximately 40% of the amount of wastewater. This is important for those who want to know how to make a cesspool.

Important advice from the pros! Do not make a cesspool pit more than 3 m deep. As it fills, you will have to call a sewer to pump out the waste. Effective removal waste products are provided at a depth of up to 3 m.

If about 1 cubic meter of waste flows into the pit per day, it is quite possible to equip it in the simplest way - to dig a small pit in the ground, coat its walls with clay and additionally strengthen wooden planks... Such designs were widespread in the past. They are built with their own hands in our days.

It is clear that these types of holes do not meet the requirements of sanitary services. It is quite possible that you will even be given an administrative levy if you decide to build such an elementary structure. This, of course, is not needed by anyone. It is better to equip a normal cesspool that will effectively cope with the tasks assigned to it. These include structures of two types:

  1. Sealed tanks (pits with a bottom).
  2. Absorbent structures without a bottom.

Wastewater facility

It is easiest to make the second pits with your own hands. In them, drains (their liquid part) are filtered when passing through pieces of brick, gravel, which are poured at the bottom of the pit. Then wastewater go into the ground. This system is easy to install. In addition, bottomless pits are rarely cleaned due to (partial) infiltration of water into the soil.

Absorption structures are usually installed when the volume of effluent is relatively small. Such cesspools are good for homes where there are no washing and dishwashers, baths, and so on.

In other cases, it is recommended to install sealed tanks. They are containers of a closed type, from which drains do not fall into the ground. Such tanks are erected from gas silicate and concrete products, plastic, brick. The disadvantage of these pits is the need for frequent call of sewers to pump waste from a closed container, their advantage is the complete absence of unpleasant "odors".

We build a drainage structure with our own hands - step by step instructions

We figure out how to make a cesspool correctly. All work is best done according to the following scheme:

  1. Dig a pit with the required dimensions. This operation will be quick if you hire an excavator. But the cost of renting special equipment is high. Therefore, you can dig the hole by hand using a shovel.
  2. You leave about one and a half cubic meters of soil (we will use it to backfill the cesspool after all the work is completed), and take out the rest of the land. The fertile topsoil can be poured into the garden.
  3. Concreting the bottom of the pit, wait 10-12 days until the mixture is as strong as possible. Concrete may not be used. But experts advise to spend their time and energy on arranging such a bottom.
  4. Lay out the walls with bricks. The masonry is allowed to be made of not very high quality - it will be hidden from prying eyes, the main thing is that it reliably restrains the soil from shedding. The corners of the masonry must be tied up, and the bricks should be mounted in a checkerboard pattern. So the liquid part of the effluent will be more efficiently sucked into the ground.

A reliable overlap must be installed on the laid masonry. Do it yourself like this:

  1. Dig in the soil on all sides of the brickwork (by about 0.2 m).
  2. Do either from professional sheets.
  3. Mount the reinforcement cage. Tie the rods with wire, the optimal distance between the structural elements is 10-15 cm.
  4. Fill the floor with concrete. It is advisable to bayonet the supplied mixture with a shovel, then the reinforcing cage will be well filled with mortar.
  5. Wait about a month for the overlap to harden.
  6. Remove the formwork supports, lay out its walls with ordinary bricks, plaster them outside. Additionally, you can treat the walls with bitumen so that moisture from the atmosphere does not get into the pit.
  7. Fill up with earth a do-it-yourself structure above the hatch, tamp the soil, level it.

So we figured out how to make a cesspool correctly. Note that you do not need to own any special skills to perform such an operation with your own hands. The whole procedure is carried out quite simply, and its high labor input is fully compensated by the low cost of the structure.

A cesspool in a private house, the scheme of which has been selected in accordance with existing requirements and regulations, is capable of collecting domestic wastewater without the risk of soil contamination. Despite the fact that the construction of a pit is simpler than, for example, construction, there are certain nuances that directly affect the effectiveness of such sewer system and, accordingly, the comfort of living.

The advantages of cesspools are determined simplicity of their design... You can build such a structure quite quickly. In addition, its cost will be low - the most affordable materials are often used, including used ones.

The disadvantage of the cesspool is, first of all, the need to pump out wastewater... Depending on the circumstances (the volume of the pit, the number of people, the presence of a water-consuming household appliances) the frequency may vary, but the services of a sewer truck will constantly be one of your expenses.

Important: The maximum depth of the cesspool should not be more than 3 meters, otherwise there may be problems with pumping it out.

Another significant drawback that you need to know about before making a cesspool in a private house with your own hands is sanitary "unreliability" when it comes to a leaky version. It is necessary to very carefully consider the location of the cesspool and its structure, calculate the required volume so that the structure does not poison the existence of the inhabitants of the house unpleasant odors and, even worse, it did not cause harmful substances to enter the soil of the vegetable garden or the occurrence of infectious diseases.

Types of cesspools

The device of cesspools in a private house largely depends on how the suburban structure is used. For a small amount of drains and periodic residence, you can choose a pit without a bottom, but if a family of several people constantly lives in the house, it is better to prefer a sealed drive. Each of the options deserves more detailed consideration.

Cesspool without a bottom

A cesspool without a bottom is a kind of "well", the walls of which prevent drains from entering the upper layers of the soil, and instead of the bottom, a kind of filter of crushed stone or gravel is arranged... Passing through it, the drains are partially filtered, after which they enter the soil and, passing through it, are cleared more efficiently. The advantage of this option is that there is no need to constantly call the flushers. You cannot do without cleaning at all, but its frequency can be significantly reduced.


Expedient separation of effluents and the installation of separate cesspools for the toilet. In this case, the toilet pit will fill up more slowly (and, accordingly, it will be less likely to require a call for special equipment), and the drains from the shower, bathroom, kitchen sink with a minimum amount of insoluble impurities will almost completely go through the filter into the soil.


It is important to know that such a cesspool with your own hands for a private house has "contraindications".

  • Close location groundwater excludes the possibility of installing the model without a bottom, since when their level rises in a flood or during heavy rain, the pit can spontaneously fill. In addition, under such conditions, the quality of filtration is noticeably reduced - the wastewater does not pass through the soil, being purified, but immediately falls into the groundwater.
  • Clay soil has too low permeability to water in order to ensure timely disposal of the contents of the cesspool.
  • The volume of such a cesspool should not exceed 1 cubic meter.

Sealed cesspool

Sealed structures with a bottom are only accumulators. The drains must be pumped out using a sewage machine. Despite the need to pay for the services of special equipment, this option also has its advantages:

  • sanitary safety and exclusion of the likelihood of soil contamination and the spread of pathogenic bacteria,
  • the ability to use with any type of soil.

For sealed structures of a small volume, ready-made waterproof containers are often used. A large cesspool in a private house, the scheme of which involves the collection of wastewater from a large number of points, is most often built from one or another material suitable for its characteristics.

Materials for cesspools

Having considered the features of the materials often used for the construction of such structures and comparing them with the conditions of a particular object, it is possible to decide which cesspool in a private house will be the most effective and economical.

Finished goods

The use of finished products can significantly reduce the lead time construction works, and in some cases - and their labor intensity.

  • Tires cars are used as blocks - they are installed one on top of the other, fixing with clamps, waterproof glue and sealing joints. In most cases, tire cesspools do not have a bottom. The advantages of this option are low cost, easy and quick installation.
    A cesspool made of tires is one of the cheapest options for organizing sewage.
  • Concrete rings - another option for block construction of cesspools. They weigh a lot, so lifting equipment will be required to install them in the pit. At the same time, construction will not take much time, and the resulting structure will be strong and durable. Concrete rings can be used for the construction of both sealed storage tanks and filter structures without a bottom. In the first case, the rings are installed on concrete foundation... Seal joints and treat the inner and outer surfaces of concrete products with waterproofing compounds (one of the most available options- ordinary bitumen, although special mastics can be purchased if desired) is recommended regardless of the type of product.
  • Iron or plastic require a minimum of effort during installation, but their significant drawback is their small volume. As a storage device, they are suitable only for summer cottages, and for arranging a cesspool with a filter, the bottom will need to be removed. Iron products require a waterproofing coating on the outside and inside to protect against corrosion.
  • Plastic storage models anchoring to the foundation is required to prevent them from floating up during a flood. In addition, at the stage of backfilling the mounted structure, it is recommended to fill the container with water in order to prevent its deformation due to crushing by the soil.

Construction Materials

Usage building materials slightly increases the time to create a structure. At the same time, a significant advantage is that a do-it-yourself cesspool in a private house in this case can be arranged in any configuration, taking into account sanitary requirements and site planning. It can be round or rectangular, including narrow and long, if it is more convenient to place such an option on the territory.

  • Concrete cast structures are made using formwork by gradually increasing the height of the wall.
  • Brickwork can be performed in a circle, but more often, for reasons of convenience, brick pits are made rectangular.

Both options can be used for the construction of storage or filtering structures and in most cases require the application of a double-sided waterproofing layer.


Rules for choosing a place and volume

The volume of the cesspool should, according to sanitary standards, be at least a three-day rate of water consumption. The estimated number is considered to be the value of 200 liters per day per person, however, it is important to know that this figure is relevant for permanent residence. With a periodic visit to the cottage, it is less, and water is not consumed daily.

In a house with permanent residence for a family of 3 people, a pit of at least 1 cubic meter is needed. Sometimes it is more convenient to use two small ones than one spacious pit. The scheme of a cesspool in a private house should take into account the necessary distances from significant objects - at least 30 m from the place of the fence drinking water, at least 3 m from garden and garden plants and 5 m from the road. In this case, accumulative models should be located so that the sewer truck can easily drive up to it.

If your site has a low level of groundwater and you decide what suits you, then we will help in its construction with our advice.

For self-pumping a cesspool will be needed. You will learn about their choice from another article.

And the nuances of choosing well pumps are described in this material.

Sump cleaning

You should be aware that the work of the sewer does not guarantee a complete cleaning of the tank. Only liquid can be pumped out, while sediment will remain and accumulate at the bottom. Speaking about in a private house, it should be noted that cleaning can be optimized by using special preparations.

  • Bioactive complexes, which are bacteria colonies, work effectively, eliminate odor and are environmentally friendly. However, at temperatures below + 4 ° C, microorganisms die, so it is impossible to use such products in winter.
  • Among chemical preparations, nitrate oxidants are preferred, which are not toxic and do not pose a danger to humans, domestic animals and plants. They are usually used during the cold season.

Important: To eliminate odors from the pit, which will be in the event that special preparations are not used, ventilation of the cesspool in a private house is required. Plastic are suitable for her device sewer pipes, with a diameter of 10 cm and a height of 60 cm, which are installed in the upper part of the pit.

Proper arrangement of a cesspool in a private house will allow you to safely dispose of wastewater with minimal effort and without significant costs. In this case, the container will not be a source of unpleasant odor.

Video

In this subsection, you can watch a video on the topic of our article, which shows the subtleties of installing a cesspool in a private house with your own hands.