how can i find out where my cesspool is?

i dont know if we need to get ours pumped or not.. How would we know before it actually starts backing up?

Re: how can i find out where my cesspool is?

I'm wondering about this too...how often do you need to pump?

Re: how can i find out where my cesspool is?

Your property survery should detail where your cesspool is. Most are in the back yard, if you can find where the pipe leaves your house, you should have a general idea. Because we are backed up on a hill in a wooded area, our cesspools our in our front lawn!

As far as pumping, a properly designed and working cesspool should never need to be pumped. However, as they get older, and the older deisgns (cinder block consruction) get weaker, the function may show down and you may need to pump. We pumped 2 years ago because we were getting water backing up in our lowest drain, the shower on the lower level.

Pumping will undermine the integrity of the structure, so it shouldn't be done unless necessary. Our cinder block cesspools are at the end of their usefull life (40+ years), so if we have backups again, instead of pumping and having a collapse, we will replace with the newer precast rings.

Re: how can i find out where my cesspool is?

Wow thank you for all of that information - we just bought a house with a cesspool and i wondered how you would know it was getting bad!

Re: how can i find out where my cesspool is?

we didnt know where ours was and its wasnt on our survey. We had a cesspool company come in and the guy was pocking around witha stick looking for it. After an hour of this... I went to my next door neighboor...who has lived there for years...and asked him if he knew where our cesspol was! Luckily for us...he did.
We were told by the cesspool company that if couldnt find it, they would flush a sensor dont the toilet then use a metal detector ot search the ground for it!! A lot of work and $$$ but if you dont know where the cesspool is....you might have to do this!

Re: how can i find out where my cesspool is?

Re: how can i find out where my cesspool is?

We didn't know where the cesspool was in our last house and we didn't have a survey so we went to Riverhead and I cannot remember which office it was (the same one you go to for C.Os) and we were able to get a copy of the cesspool locations from them.

Re: how can i find out where my cesspool is?

My parents is in their front yard.

Re: how can i find out where my cesspool is?

I found this.....

the metal hanger thing works - I have tried before



The easiest dowsing tool can be made from common metal coat hangers. Cut the hangers at the neck, then straighten and bend them at right angles so that the shorter pieces form handles. Some like to cut the handles to a length of about four inches, so they don't extend below the hand.

When my spouse dowses, she holds the rods in both hands, and walks around until something happens. Proper dowsers are said to hold the rods forward, with elbows at the waist and forearms parallel to the ground. Grip the rods enough to keep them parallel to each other, and horizontal to the ground.

When a target is underfoot, the rods will swing wildly. For some they criss-cross.