I have a functioning fosse septique, but have to keep adding a product that apparently maintains the bacteria to break ‘everything’ down. I’ve tried two products, both Eparcyl, with one that you have to add weekly and the other that is a six month addition. I haven’t really noticed any difference between the two, but just wondered what others with a fosse use??? And even if there is a way to avoid having to add anything at all???
In our micro station we use a naturally produced material that we add to the fosse every day. It’s just had its 10 yearly inspection and SPANC observed that the output water was above the required standard for drinking water…
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Wow, above drinking water standard is incredible😳
Mine’s a traditional fosse with a tank that then leads to a drainage bed, so think different to yours…………unfortunately.
Stopped using it 15 or more years ago, never had any problem with the fosse, been emptied 3 times in 30 years. 
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Same here, used it once over 20 years ago and the fosse has been emptied once…
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same here
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And me! I used to religiously use the additives, then laziness took over ten years ago! Haven’t looked at it in all this time!
Must do so…
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Very interesting to hear about stopping adding the additives. I also assumed that once the bacteria gets to work tje fosse must be self maintaining, but just didn’t want to risk creating any problems, so continued to religiously go through the process of adding.
I think I may give it a go, leaving it, see what happens, and if I start to smell the fosse, I saw you could buy a ‘fosse choc’ product which I assume gives it a boost to re-establish bacteria.
When not adding the additives, I assume you’re also having to religiously make sure you’re very careful about what goes into the fosse e.g no bleach or ‘regular’ anti bacterial cleaning products???
I just carried on as normal, your own waste is full of bacteria (unless yours is cleaner 
)bleach from time to time isn’t going to hurt anything.I 'm not saying dump (pun intended)litres of bleach into the system.
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We used to use Eparcyl products @letsmile - either the powder or the 6 monthly one and didn’t have to get the fosse emptied. Then we moved to a different sort of product, which was supposedly better but not in my view so stopped that.
The person doing the SPANC inspection last year suggested adding yogurt to it periodically, which I imagine would do the same thing.
We are VERY careful about not using bleach etc etc and, in fact, have found that bicarb and citric acid work just as well as the standard cleaning products, even down the loo.
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That sounds encouraging:+1: and hopefully my waste is sufficiently bacterial, with a ‘no meat’ diet
If you do have problems use fish innerds to restart the system, usually free from the fishmongers.An elderly neighbour taught me that one.
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Good ideas with the yoghurt and fish innerds, and probably far more natural solutions. And good idea about making alternative cleaning products - I have thought about it before but never managed to actually get to doing it - maybe this will give me the push to ditch the chemicals!
Years ago folks used to used to throw their dead animals in to keep the system going naturally, think that was mainly cesspits though the same with FS, too many unatural chemicals do more harm than good.
That made me smile alot 
I can think of a couple of folks I’d willing toss in there, but not animals
Back in UK… we bought a property with no mains drainage or drinking water supply… just an old fosse and a very deep well… very basic…
the place had been empty and ignored for nearly 20 years… so both were pretty awful.
We were told to toss a sheep into the fosse and a bale of straw into the well… 
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Always used the Eparcyl 6-month treatment, never had any problesm in 25 years.
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I try to ensure we buy fosse friendly cleaners, but again, laziness abounds. But no smells. Not sure if it assists the fosse or not, but most of my grey water goes into the woods.
They say that one of the killers for a fosse and mostly forgotten is mouthwash and pee when one is on penicillin type drugs…
twhat they say and what is true are two different things
When we lived on the Fen, neighbours advised us to throw a dead rat down the cesspit to keep it working properly. Seemed to work!