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You can’t do without an outdoor toilet at your summer cottage. Whatever the size of the cesspool, over time it fills up, and the time comes for an unpleasant procedure - removing sewage. It is easier to clean the toilet in the country when it is not yet overflowing. However, from practice we can conclude that almost all summer residents delay this issue to the critical limit. What to do with an incomplete and overflowing cesspool? There are several options for solving the problem, which we will now consider.
How to determine when it’s time to clean an outdoor toilet
An outdoor toilet in a summer cottage is usually installed far from a residential building, and people remember it only during use. The owner is rarely interested in the filling of the cesspool, and notices the problem only when the level of sewage has reached the upper limits. It is clear that cleaning the toilet often is an unpleasant task, but delaying the procedure only makes the problem worse.
If we take average indicators, then the cesspool of an outdoor toilet with a volume of 1.5–2 m3 can last up to 10 years without cleaning.But few people think that it is easier to remove a small amount of waste once a season than to clean large volumes after 7-10 years. The fact is that in winter, sewage hardens, and the liquid partially evaporates and is absorbed into the ground. If bacteria are introduced into such a pit in the spring to process sewage, they may simply not take root.
It’s another matter if the toilet at the dacha is cleaned only mechanically. The services of a sewer truck are expensive, and hiring one every year to pump out sewage is very unprofitable. In this case, they look at how full the pit is. Of course, it cannot be allowed to reach the upper limit, but when the level of waste exceeds more than half, it must be pumped out.
If you do not clean your country toilet in a timely manner, negative consequences may occur:
- In an overcrowded cesspool, many harmful bacteria multiply, creating a threat to human health. They pollute the soil in a summer cottage and negatively affect vegetable gardens.
- Stagnation of a large amount of sewage is accompanied by the formation of toxic gases. An unpleasant smell spreads throughout the territory of the dacha. Large accumulations of gas can cause poisoning to humans and domestic animals.
- Delaying the cleaning of an outdoor toilet leads to an increased concentration of harmful gases, and the likelihood of getting rid of them even with effective means is reduced to zero.
So, we have figured out the need to clean country toilets, now let’s find out in what ways this can be done.
Four Basic Cleaning Methods
There are many popular ways to clean an outdoor toilet, but we will not dwell on them, but will consider time-tested options:
- The most reliable way to clean an outdoor toilet is to call a sewer truck. The service is effective in case of cesspool overflow, when biological and chemical preparations are not able to cope with a large mass of waste. The machine uses a vacuum pump to pump out all the sewage into the tank. Units equipped with a cutting mechanism are even capable of grinding solid fractions and objects that accidentally fall into the cesspool. The process of pumping out waste is accompanied by an unpleasant odor, but the vacuum cleaner can quickly cope with large volumes.
- It is advisable to clean an outdoor toilet with chemicals only in extreme cases.. They are effective and work even in winter, when the bacteria of biological products do not work. But most chemicals pose a threat to the environment. In addition, after their use, solid waste liquefies and still needs to be disposed of somewhere. You cannot pour it into the garden; such waste is harmful for compost, so you will again have to resort to hiring a sewer truck. Of the chemicals, nitrate oxidizers are considered the safest.
- Biological products contain a complex of beneficial bacteria that help process waste in the outdoor toilet. After their use, sewage is broken down into safe sludge and liquid. Recycled waste can be used instead of fertilizer or simply dumped into a designated area at your dacha. The disadvantage of using bacteria is their fear of low temperatures and aggressive environments.If acids, alkali, chlorine get into the pit or the air temperature drops to negative levels, the bacteria die.
- The most common method is considered Do-it-yourself mechanical cleaning of the toilet. The procedure is very unpleasant, as it involves scooping waste from an outdoor toilet using buckets and other devices. It is better to carry out this work annually, since large volumes are difficult to handle manually. If the sewage is too liquid, it is mixed with sawdust or peat.
Each owner individually selects a way to clean an outdoor toilet on their property. Now we will try to briefly cover several methods of waste disposal.
How do biological products work?
Nowadays you can find many biological products for cleaning the toilet on the market. They come in granular, powder, tablet and liquid consistency. The composition of biological products includes aerobic or anaerobic bacteria and auxiliary substances. One type of bacteria is able to work only in liquid, the other - in a thick mass. In addition, there are microorganisms that are unable to live without oxygen. When purchasing a biological product, you should immediately pay attention to this nuance and read the instructions. Most often, one preparation contains a complex of different bacteria that allows you to effectively process waste.
The method of use of each biological product is described in the instructions. Usually the dry substances are diluted with warm water, and after infusing for half an hour, they are poured into the toilet. Liquids contain already awakened bacteria. They are poured from the bottle directly into the cesspool without prior dilution in water. Microorganisms can even recycle toilet paper. Subsequently, the waste is used instead of fertilizer.
Liquid for cleaning an overflowing pit
Biological products are unable to cope with an overfilled cesspool, especially if it is heavily silted. To clean the toilet in your country house, you can use a special reinforced liquid. The drug is several times stronger than ordinary bacteria, but the manufacturer assures that it is safe for the environment and humans.
The method of using the liquid is shown in the instructions. The procedure is usually performed late in the evening. The liquid is shaken, poured into the cesspool and closed. Please note that you cannot use the outdoor toilet during the day. When the sewage is processed, it will have to be removed from the pit.
Vacuum truck - a reliable method of cleaning
To use the services of a sewer truck, you need to find the appropriate company. This is usually done by utility services. If the outdoor toilet is to be cleaned only by pumping, a suitable location is determined before installing it in the summer cottage. There must be free vehicle access to the cesspool. It is important to take care of the availability of water. The vacuum pump will not handle very thick waste, so it will have to be liquefied.
When arranging a cesspool, you need to take care of a wide neck. It is through this hatch that the hose will be inserted and water will be poured in to liquefy the waste. The owner himself does not have to take part in this procedure.The workers will do everything themselves, all that remains is to pay for the service.
DIY mechanical cleaning
When none of the above methods is feasible, all that remains is to resort to extremely unpleasant measures - cleaning the outdoor toilet manually. To perform the work, it is advisable to purchase personal protective equipment: rubber gloves, a respirator or a gauze bandage. If you have to partially dive into a hole, it is good to have a rubber chemical protection suit or at least high rubber boots. The tools you will need are a couple of buckets, a rope or a pole to carry out the scooping.
Manual cleaning technology is simple. The bucket is tied to a rope or long pole, immersed in sewage, pulled to the surface and poured into a free bucket. Next, the waste is taken to a designated place, and the procedure continues. To dispose of sewage, you can dig a deep hole at the end of the garden. When it is full, the waste is covered with soil and left to rot. This place needs to be fenced off so that no one falls into the liquid masses.
The video shows an example of cleaning a cesspool:
Conclusion
Each of the above methods for cleaning a toilet has its own advantages and disadvantages. They can be used in combination or separately. It all depends on the individually assessed situation of the condition of the cesspool.
