# septic tank flies



## rankt (Nov 9, 2011)

I have recently purchased a lake front house that has an onsite septic system. It seems the septic tank is full of gnat like flies. They come up through the drains into the house. How do I get rid of these pesty things???


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## Snav (Aug 20, 2009)

Maintain your septic system with biodegraders that prevent buildups and blockage routinely.

Moth flies (aka - drain flies) from septic systems breed in areas that have gunk buildup - not just *in* the septic tank - but anywhere along the sewer line that has pockets and catches of grime and gunk. The funkier the better.

So - they also breed in P/S traps, stagnate ares of pipe that sag and lead to poor waste-flow, and drains with hair and gunk clogging them (etc).


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## teststrips (Sep 21, 2011)

yuck - sounds pretty nasty. I looked up Moth Flies, and skimmed over two articles. http://pestid.msu.edu/InsectsArthropods/Mothfliesordrainflies/tabid/283/Default.aspx and http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/moth-flies-in-the-home

Sounds like you'll either need to manually clean the inside of your plumbing (which sounds like a yucky job) or use some sort of bacteria or chemical to clean the inside of the plumbing for you. It wasn't mentioned in either article, but I'd also suggest getting the septic system pumped out, which would likely help remove the next generation of flies (their larvae)... its also just good septic system management - should be done at the very least every 2 years.


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

??? How do they get past the water in the traps?


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## Snav (Aug 20, 2009)

md2lgyk said:


> ??? How do they get past the water in the traps?


Good point - perhaps they're more likely to nest on top of it drain-side?


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