Cesspools and Pits

Cess Pools

A cess pool is essentially a leak-proof holding tank for the waste; in terms of volume they are usually much larger than septic tanks.  A cess pool needs to be emptied once it is full; this will usually be more frequently than for a septic tank because the liquid needs to be removed as well as sludge because there is no percolation into the soil.

Cess Pits

A cess pit is simply a sealed storage tank into which sewage is drained until it can be taken away by a tanker. The sewage is not treated in the tank. Older cess pits are usually cylindrical pits lined with either brick or concrete. Modern cess pits are made from fibre glass, steel or polyethylene. Current building regulations require cess pits to be able to hold at least 18,000 litres of sewage. It is estimated that each person produces 115 litres of sewage a day. For a family of four this means that the tank will need emptying about once a month.