Cesspit Emptying in Smarden on the Weald Clay

At KP Cesspool Services, we provide regular cesspit emptying in Smarden for homes and farms that are not connected to the mains sewer. Cesspits are still common here, and on the low Weald clay around the village there is a good reason for it. A cesspit needs emptying every four to eight weeks, depending on the size of the tank and the household, and on this ground a tank in poor condition can fill a great deal faster than that in a wet winter. This guide explains why the clay matters, what to watch for, and what the river running past the village means if you ever replace the system.

Why the clay makes cesspits common

Smarden sits in the low Weald, on heavy clay. Clay holds water and lets it through very slowly, which is exactly what a septic tank's drainage field cannot work with. The liquid leaving a septic tank has to soak away into the soil, and where the soil will not take it, the field waterlogs, the effluent surfaces and the system fails.

That is why so many properties around Smarden were built with a sealed cesspit instead. It discharges nothing, so the ground does not need to drain at all. The trade is that everything the house uses has to be tankered away, so the tank's condition and the emptying schedule matter more here than almost anywhere.

Wet winters and a tank that fills too fast

The clay that rules out a drainage field causes a second problem. In a wet winter the ground around a tank becomes saturated, and an old brick or concrete cesspit with a cracked wall or a failed joint lets that water in. The tank then fills with clean groundwater on top of the household's waste, and you find yourself paying for far more empties than the size of the household would suggest.

If your cesspit suddenly needs emptying much more often between November and March than it does in summer, that is the usual cause. We look for it while the tank is empty, because seeing water running in through a joint is far more conclusive than guessing from the bills. Our guide to how weather affects cesspools and septic tanks covers what wet ground does to older tanks.

Getting the tanker to the tank

Smarden's centre is a conservation area of timber framed houses and narrow lanes, and the farms around it are reached along tracks that turn soft after rain. A loaded tanker is heavy, so we stop on firm ground and run a long hose to the tank rather than risk a verge or a lawn. If your tank is behind the house, down a track or under a cover that has not been lifted in years, tell us when you book and we will come prepared.

Signs your cesspit is close to full

Slow sinks and toilets, gurgling from the pipes, a smell around the covers and damp ground near the tank all point the same way. On clay, damp ground can be the clay itself, so do not wait for the garden to tell you. Signs your cesspool is full goes through each one, and a high level alarm on the tank removes the guesswork.

The River Beult and replacing a system

The River Beult flows past Smarden on its way to the Medway, and it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, one of the few clay rivers in England that still keeps much of its natural plant life. That designation matters if you are ever replacing your cesspit with something that discharges.

Under the General Binding Rules, a new discharge to a stream or ditch cannot rely on the rules within 500 metres of a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and a ditch that dries up in summer does not count as a watercourse at all. A treatment plant discharging towards the Beult may therefore need an environmental permit, and plenty of plots will not qualify. Combined with the clay that rules out a drainage field, that is why a well built cesspit often remains the right answer here, and why we look at the whole site before recommending anything. Can a septic tank discharge to a ditch explains the rules for the ditches that drain this landscape.

What we do on each visit

We empty the tank completely with a vacuum tanker, check the cover, the seals and the inlet, and look for the groundwater ingress described above. If a drain between the house and the tank is sluggish, we can clear it with high pressure jetting while we are there. Everything goes to a licensed treatment facility, and you get a waste transfer note for your records. Our cesspit emptying across Kent and East Sussex runs as a one off visit or a regular slot in the diary, whichever suits the tank.

Booking a regular empty in Smarden

A schedule set around how quickly your tank really fills, summer and winter, takes the worry out of it. Our cesspit and cesspool services in Smarden cover the village and the farms around it, from the routine empty to a replacement tank when an old one has had its day.

KP Cesspool Services has over twenty years' experience emptying cesspits on the Weald clay around Smarden, and our customers' reviews are on Checkatrade. Call 01233 720725, email kpcesspoolservices@hotmail.com, or contact us to set up a regular slot.