[masraum]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

It is not a sealed system , you have roof vent pipes . He explained that a working system has bacteria that dissolves the solids . The bacteria eventually turn into larvae . The larvae hatch into the flies . They all live/thrive in the underground eco system . He said the flies that escaped when lifting the lid will be dead within 24 hours because they are away form their food source . Interesting and gross

Right, vent pipes. THat would do it. Bacteria do not turn into larva. Flies lay eggs, and the eggs turn into larva which eventually turn into flies.

Originally Posted by flatbutt

My town requires that tanks be pumped every three years unless you've got one of those fancy, always running systems that don't require a field but do require periodic maintenance. Ridiculous to force people to drop 20/30 large on those when the old ones function perfectly.

Wow! Must be pumped every 3 years, that's crazy. I have a buddy that's from NJ that says there's no way he would ever go back. They do have some crazy rules/laws up there. Some mobster must have owned a septic company when that law/rule got passed.

Originally Posted by stevej37

I've been told that's why it's not a good idea to divert gray water into the septic tank.
Too much water (washing machine, bath water) cause too much of an imbalance for the bacteria to work. The solids just remain as solids and fill your tank without exiting to the drain field.
It's a problem for people that don't have a separate drain for the gray water.

.

It's my understanding that the solids don't leave the first tank (I think there's a baffle that's supposed to stop that from happening), they just settle to the bottom of the tank (which is why they eventually have to be pumped). I think it's only supposed to be liquid that goes from the first tank to the second tank, and then the second tank drains that liquid into the field. But I'm far from an expert, so maybe I'm wrong.