Venting of septic tanks - How do i stop foul smells from my tank?

[csharrison]

Hi

I recently bought a house with my first ever septic tank. It was installed in the early 80s but I have no more info about it. There is an 18" circular fibreglass main opening and two 4" inspection pipes on opposite sides which are just open ended. The ends of these 3 pipes are at ground level (in the middle of the lawn). They are embedded in a rectangular concrete surround with a rectangular iron cover placed on top to conceal the pipes.

The problem is that it stinks. The concrete surround is badly cracked and the grate is nowhere near airtight. In fact all this covering needs totally replacing - but with what?

Priorities are a) remove smell from garden, b) have something that looks acceptable. There is a venting stack back at the house but I have read so many different things about whether you can cap off the 4" pipes or not, and if not which one (or both) has to vent.

I'd really like to hide all of this and make an airtight seal on the whole thing but all my internet searching gives inconsistent answers and I can't seem to find a local expert who really knows what they're talking about!

All advice gratefully received
Thanks
Charlie

[danensis]

Have you read:
http://www.klargester.com/pdf....nks.pdf

[flowjoe]

If you have a vent at the side of your property you may just need to ensure that the cover in the garden is air-tight.
If the cover and frame are sound then re-bed and seal using grease, this will ensure there is no further venting at ground level and also prevent corrosion