{"id":39622,"date":"2026-09-17T20:16:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T17:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reoveemahutid.ee\/?p=39622"},"modified":"2026-09-17T20:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T17:21:09","slug":"holding-tank-year-round-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reoveemahutid.ee\/en\/holding-tank-year-round-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Sewage holding tanks for year-round homes: planning your system"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sewage holding tank for a house you live in all year is a different proposition from one at a summer cottage: a family fills it every week or two, in every season, and every litre has to be driven away. A holding tank (Estonian reoveemahuti<\/em>; in legal texts reovee kogumismahuti<\/em>; a cesspool or cesspit to UK readers) only stores wastewater until a tanker pumps it out (purgimine<\/em>) \u2014 no treatment, no outlet. It suits a permanent home if you plan it as a routine: the right volume, a level alarm, an emptying arrangement and careful water use. This article covers all four, and when the law leaves no other option.<\/p>\n

What the official benchmark means week by week<\/h2>\n

Estonia’s official guide to on-site wastewater systems (Ministry of the Environment, 2015 \u2014 dated, but still on the ministry’s website) uses a planning figure of 100\u2013150 L of wastewater per resident per day. For a four-person family living permanently it gives an optimal tank size of at least 5 m\u00b3, emptied once a week.<\/p>\n

The arithmetic, with every assumption visible:<\/p>\n

days between emptyings = usable volume (L) \u00f7 (persons \u00d7 litres per person per day)<\/code> emptyings per year = 365 \u00d7 occupancy share \u00f7 days<\/code><\/p>\n

Four people produce 400\u2013600 L a day. Taking usable volume as nominal volume for simplicity (in practice the alarm level leaves a reserve, see below), 5 m\u00b3 lasts 5,000 \u00f7 600 to 5,000 \u00f7 400 = 8\u201312.5 days; the tanker must be ordered before the tank is full, hence “weekly”. Over a year (occupancy share 1) that is 146\u2013219 m\u00b3 driven away in 29\u201344 visits. Your own water-meter data beats the planning range: monthly m\u00b3 \u00d7 1,000 \u00f7 days = litres per day.<\/p>\n

That is the drawback, stated plainly: nothing is treated on site, so emptying is the running cost, and in a permanent home it never pauses. The routine that keeps it manageable: when the alarm sounds, order the tanker; keep the access route clear; file every emptying receipt; read the water meter once a month.<\/p>\n

Pick the tanker rhythm first, then the volume<\/h2>\n

A bigger tank does not remove a litre less per year; it spreads the same volume over fewer visits. So choose a tanker rhythm you can live with, then read off the volume. Same assumptions as above; cells show days between emptyings \u00b7 visits per year.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Household<\/th>\n5 m\u00b3<\/th>\n8 m\u00b3<\/th>\n10 m\u00b3<\/th>\nDriven away per year<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
2 people<\/td>\n17\u201325 days \u00b7 15\u201322<\/td>\n27\u201340 days \u00b7 9\u201314<\/td>\n33\u201350 days \u00b7 7\u201311<\/td>\n73\u2013110 m\u00b3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4 people<\/td>\n8\u201312.5 days \u00b7 29\u201344<\/td>\n13\u201320 days \u00b7 18\u201327<\/td>\n17\u201325 days \u00b7 15\u201322<\/td>\n146\u2013219 m\u00b3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6 people<\/td>\n5.5\u20138 days \u00b7 44\u201366<\/td>\n9\u201313 days \u00b7 27\u201341<\/td>\n11\u201317 days \u00b7 22\u201333<\/td>\n219\u2013329 m\u00b3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

Tanker capacity caps the choice: the guide says small tankers (paakauto<\/em>) hold 4\u20135 m\u00b3 and the largest about 10 m\u00b3, and a tank bigger than the largest local tanker cannot be emptied in one visit \u2014 ask local operators what they use today. In one situation the law also sets a minimum volume (see the emptying section).<\/p>\n

Then round up: Vesmaco lists every volume from 5 to 10 m\u00b3 in two diameters (larger diameter: shorter tank, deeper excavation), plus 12 and 15 m\u00b3 \u2014 see the model table<\/a>. The full sizing method is in What size sewage holding tank do you need?<\/a><\/p>\n

These figures assume somebody is home every day. For part-year use see holding tanks for summer houses<\/a>; if you take paying guests, size for the peak \u2014 see holiday rentals and campsites<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A permanent home also runs through the winter: the ministry guide advises insulating with moisture-resistant, load-bearing polystyrene board where the cover over the pipe or tank is less than about 1.3 m. If your tank, riser or inlet pipe will lie that shallow, ask the supplier and your designer or installer how to insulate them on your site.<\/p>\n

A level alarm set to your tanker’s notice time<\/h2>\n

The ministry guide calls a level sensor advisable; at intervals of one to three weeks it is what makes emptying a routine.<\/p>\n

Vesmaco’s order drawing lists an overfill alarm as an option; the site carries sheets for two wireless alarms, the Smartel Tank-Check RF-431 and the Vesmaco Cesspool Alarm. Compare the datasheets or ask the supplier which one comes with your tank. Per the RF-431 sheet, an indoor receiver gives a red light and buzzer 2 minutes after liquid reaches the sensor in the tank, and a separate “no connection” alarm after about 30 minutes without radio updates \u2014 which also catches a flat transmitter battery.<\/p>\n

The setting that matters is the alarm height, fixed by the sensor cable length: leave room above the sensor for notice days \u00d7 daily wastewater<\/code>. If your emptying company needs three days’ notice (an assumption \u2014 ask them), four people need 1,200\u20131,800 L \u2014 roughly a quarter to a third of a 5 m\u00b3 tank, so the alarm sounds after about 5\u20139.5 days; in a 10 m\u00b3 tank, after about 14\u201322 days. That is why 5 m\u00b3 is a minimum for four, not a comfortable size. The volume usable up to the alarm is somewhat below the nominal volume, so check the drawing and the alarm height for your model.<\/p>\n

Without an alarm, the guide’s method is a dipstick: order the tanker when the level passes about half the diameter. Either way, the tank must never overflow. More in Sewage holding tank level alarms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Arrange the emptying service before the first flush<\/h2>\n

Who organises emptying depends on the address.<\/p>\n

In a sewage collection area (reoveekogumisala<\/em>) of 2000 population equivalents or more where public sewerage has not been built<\/strong>, the Public Water Supply and Sewerage Act (\u00dcVVKS<\/em>) \u00a7 47 obliges the water company to organise the emptying service (purgimisteenus<\/em>) at your request. Your tank must be leak-tight, accessible to the emptying vehicle and able to hold at least two weeks’ wastewater \u2014 on planning figures 5.6\u20138.4 m\u00b3 for four people. The service is yours twice per calendar month at the same per-m\u00b3 charge as for customers connected to public sewerage in the area, plus any monthly subscription fee (\u00a7 48(2)\u2013(3)). Ask the water company how it assesses the two-week volume and how any additional visits are handled.<\/p>\n

In other cases<\/strong> you normally choose an emptying company yourself; Water Act \u00a7 124(2) makes the producer of wastewater responsible for arranging transport to the reception point (purgimiss\u00f5lm<\/em>) named in the municipality’s public water supply and sewerage development plan. Check your municipality’s rules for any local arrangements.<\/p>\n

Settle before you move in:<\/p>\n