Friday came, and eventually (only two hours late) so did Monsieur Gaume. ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder We had the usual mobile phone call to enquire how exactly to find our isolated house, and then his huge red lorry squeezed down the lane.Turning round seemed likely to prove a major problem, solved by removing a section of fencing so that he could tentatively reverse into the cow field opposite. He then backed the truck down the lane to get as near as possible to the septic tank.<\/p>\n
M Gaume was a man of few words, but undoubted skill and experience. In a few minutes, he had a large hose assembled and stretched out from the lorry to the hole. Without hesitation, he chipped through the cement and levered up the top off the tank.<\/p>\n
His only comment on what was revealed was “Ah, c’est bien pleine” (“It’s very full”). I didn’t respond, being rather speechless at the sight of a thick crust of decades-old digested shit. My jaw dropped further as he stabbed into it with the large hose, and pressed a button on a remote control unit. What sounded like a jet engine roared in the depths of the truck, and massive suction instantly started to pull the brown mass up the hose.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_1_placeholder\n
I reckon that 1000 litres of semi-solid sewage must weigh well over a ton. It seemed to me that this all disappeared into the lorry in a matter of seconds. ngg_shortcode_2_placeholderPerhaps not surprisingly, the material under the solidified crust was less attractive and more odorous – and I suggest you consider carefully whether you want to click on the picture on the left for an enlarged version!<\/p>\n
ngg_shortcode_3_placeholder It turned out that the tank had the two chambers found on a modern tank, and so a second suction session was needed.<\/p>\n
Each session concluded with extremely powerful flushing and rinsing with fresh water (initiated by another button on the remote control). An almost spotless tank was revealed in a few minutes, and its functioning was verified by some celebratory flushes of the toilet.<\/p>\n
Within a few more minutes, M Gaume had taken my cheque, completed the numerous bits of paperwork always required by French bureaucracy, and given me the necessary certificate so I can prove to an inspector that the required maintenance has been completed. Before he departed, he told me that we should not need to repeat the operation for three or four years.<\/p>\n
Brilliant! I’ve just had a long shower, rejoicing in the gurgling that accompanies the rapid disappearance of the water. Val has run the washing machine, and we have both marvelled at the near-silent smooth flushing of the toilet. The small pleasures are the best ones . . . . . <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Friday came, and eventually (only two hours late) so did Monsieur Gaume. We had the usual mobile phone call to enquire how exactly to find our isolated house, and then his huge red lorry squeezed down the lane.Turning round seemed … Continue reading