Cess Pit

[Barmaid]

This is a particularly stupid question, I appreciate that.

But how do I know when my cesspit (or septic tank whatever you call it) is full?

The loo has had "trouble" emptying after a flush for the last week. But there appears to be nowhere I can look to see if the pit is full or whether I have a blockage.

Any ideas please?

[Old_Geezer]

How'd you get a deer down a sink wastepipe ?
That's some disposal unit !

[Hopkirk]

You have to debone it first, OG.

[Cloverjo]

Our cess pit has been emptied only once, and we don't do much to it. Never heard of putting a dead animal in there.

The previous owner said she'd never emptied it and she'd been there since the 70s. When we moved in about 18 years ago we had it done, but nothing since then.

[Islay]

Clover the dead animal help gets the bacteria going especially if you empty frequently, as you have only had emptied once in so many years your bacteria will be grand - and I bet if you have a look you will see a lovely crust on top.
We had a small tank with a 9 person household so as you can imagine it was emptied a lot till my father dug a decent soak away and got the bacteria growing.

[4candles]

Once we had our system working properly after moving in, it was many years before it needed emptying.
Hyzyme was very effective in getting it going properly.
http://www.hydrachem.co.uk/brand/hyzyme/
It pays to be careful what you flush away or pour down the sink - things you might think nothing of if you're on a mains system.
https://www.wte-ltd.co.uk/care.html

[The Builder]

A cess pit has no bacterial action going on Barmaid. Usually only found on very old installations. It simply has to be completely emptied, then you can start again.

It's more likely you have a septic tank. These need only de-sludging every year or so, depending on use. Bear in mind that, in normal operation, these are always full of water. The de-sludging simply clears the solids to let the normal bacterial process take place.

Clearing this is a good place to start.
But... your problem may still be a simple blockage.