This is great! Thanks so much for the link
Unfortunately that doesnât allow for a design where the two vent pipes were put inside the house, a tank which is taking all our water (including from the dishwasher etc,) so the bacteria are forever being diluted, an installer who has no sense of smell (!!!) and a contribution from him to the discussion which is no more helpful than âempty your fosseâ when in fact a tranquil fosse is one that is not being emptied frequently.
Our old system only took black water, not grey as well, had no vent pipes and was as sweet as a hay meadow.
The original approved plans called for vent pipes inside the house but the installer suggested this was not a good idea. He negotiated with the SPANC inspector to position on the exterior and all is good.
Our tank takes all our water (but no dishwasher apart from OH by choice) and apart from the occasional whiff when the wind is in the wrong direction, we have no problems.
Personally, having seen the installation of 3 fosses by the same installer, I think the âno sense of smellâ is a distinct advantage 
There is a charcoal filter you can purchase which fits on top of the vent pipe which seems to be quite effective.
Can I ask a supplementary question related to fosse compliance?
When our fosse was inspected, and passed, it was with a ârecommendationâ that an additional vent pipe was installed, since it only had one. Has anyone tried to get an additional vent back-fitted?
Unfortunately just forced the smell back into the house!
There are some filters which are not specific about which way round they are fitted. On the other handâŠ
Has anyone mentioned the fine for a non compliant fosse. Is it still 40�
An additional vent pipe helps to speed p the fermentation!
Ah - so thatâs why they recommend them then. Thank you Annie.
Now whereabouts in the system do you fit one? Any idea?
Is this link to Fosse Septic still valid?? Dated 2018, thought new rules updated since then??
Thanks.
I had the good fortune to buy a property with everything in place. Ask a reasonable plumber where the best place is. Also I do not use bleach with the septic tank and add something like dry yeast once a week!
I fully agree with that approach, @Annie2 ! Care and feeding of oneâs septic tank is essential. I used Eparcyl regularly all the time the house was a maison secondaire and the fosse was found to be great when I had it emptied prior to inspection after 20 years 
Iâm now using a non-supermarket product which is supposed to be better but short of taking the lid off and looking, itâs hard to tellâŠ
Thanks Angela! In the States I used ridex once a month and I never had to pump the fosse septic. The nice side effect of the septic tank was the green pasture for the cows.
I can imagine! I have a garden on top of mine (probably shouldnât have but tough. THings do seem to grow resonably well
Surprised your surveyor didnât flag this up,
The rules on assainissement individual have become tougher over the past few years.
Installing one that matches the current building codes will cost several thousand pounds.
How much land do you have? That is always the crucial question for a traditional system as you need the space for the epandage.
It is possible to have a system that doesnât need an epandage, the âfosseâ costs a bit more but it can discharge directly into a water course or normal drains.
On another thread I said that my very old, concrete constructed, fosse septique, (a big concrete box in the ground with a simple manhole cover) in the front garden , hadnât been emptied in 36 years, which is true. Never smelled of hydrogen sulphide, nor overflowed, or had anything that would indicate an unhealthy tank.
When I llifted the manhole cover to look inside, about 20 years ago, I saw clear water with plant life, red wriggling worms and methane bubbles â all looked healthy to me then.
Because of the current drought I had another look. Thick wet glistening sludge up to 42 cms short of the roof of the tank. Pretty well full up. No surface water but no smell whatsoever.
Iâm satisfied that itâs healthy, but what worries me is if I get someone in to empty it, I may be faced with bureaucracy â â your fosse septique doesnât complyâ !
My inclination is to wait until it overflows, backs up â whatever â before emptying it, or bringing it UpToDate.
Is it likely that I would be reported if I get someone to empty it?
Perhaps would depend on who does itâŠ
No. Theyâll probably tell you but the man with a truck full of s**t really wonât care and will have seen a lot of old fosse before yours
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When I first had my fosse emptied many years ago I wasnât aware that they were controlled and the company that emptied it merrily did their job and handed me a receipt, and clearly didnât report it. Many years later I had to complete the form H1 where you declare various details of your property and on there you have to declare your fosse. After that declaration I received the letter from SPANC requesting an inspection, which fortunately went well.
So in summary, Iâd probably be more concerned about it overflowing rather than the emptying company reporting it, but I guess everyone has their own view. When the guys emptied mine they said they thought it would be fine for about 4 years, which seemed consistent with what Iâd heard from other folks in my area. To not have been emptied in 36 years, the tank must be a pretty significant size.
We had our non conforming fosse (since replaced) emptied a few months ago -probably for the first time in many years. The waste company folk just shrugged, and smiled when we discussed with them why it didnât comply. Interestingly none of them, nor any of our artisans who help out round the house, would themselves have bothered to get the fosse upgraded. They all thought we were slightly mad to incur the expense and trouble of so doing.