Robin,

Here's what I've learned living on a septic system for 15+ years and just having gone through adding a second leach field and replacing the tank.

1. Whatever you do, do it according to code. If you ever go to sell your house you will have to get a septic inspection and even if all is well you may be forced to bring the system up to current requirements to execute a sale.

2. If an inspector EVER finds your septic tank covered by concrete he can, and most likely will, red tag you.

3. Rarely ever is there such a thing as a septic repair. If you have field problems then the answer is to correct the acute problem and let the field rest for 3 or more years so it can recover. That presupposes you have the real estate to add a second field to live on while the original field recovers.

4. Septic repair in a can does not exist regardless of what it says on the can.

5. An abandoned septic tank has to either be collapsed and buried or filled and buried.

Considering your options as you stated them, the most cost effective and a legal solution is to join the municipal sewer system and abandon the septic system.

My very limited experience has been that when a municipal sewerage system is built, homeowners are required to hook up to it. That is not the case where you live?

Generally when a city extends their municipal sewer lines into an area that is currently served by septic tanks they DO NOT force anyone to connect to the sewer at that time.

If your septic system is functioning correctly you may continue to use it, but you may not make any repairs to a septic system once the municipal sewer becomes available.

If you were building a new house where they have a municipal sewer you have to pay upwards of $2k for the final connection from your house sewer line to the municipal line however, here is a part that most homeowners are not aware of. Generally when they install a municipal sewer system each homeowner is levied a tax for the municipal sewer. In most areas that tax assessment also includes the "hookup fee" so when it becomes necessary to make the connection to the municipal sewer the final connection fee is already paid. You only have the expense of installing the "house sewer line" from the structure to the point of final connection on the municipal sewer and the cost of properly abandoning the existing septic tank.

In most jurisdictions to properly abandone an existing septic tank you have to have the tank pumped, and in some jurisdictions it must be pressure washed, rinsed and pumped again. Then you have to punch a large hole (generally 1ft in dia.) through the bottom of the septic tank and fill the tank with sand, then backfill over the tank.

Changing from a septic tank to a municipal sewer may also require changing the "Main drain" in your house because septic tanks are generally installed behind the house and the main drain is pitched toward the rear of the structure, but generally the municipal sewer is in front of the house and they have to reverse the pitch of the main drain.

Your system is toast. No hope. No prayer. Do NOT pass Go. Go directly to Jail. You face some pretty hefty fines if you don't hook up to the sewer ASAP, and even then, you may be fined. You're violating code regulations and endangering the health of the community. Your plumbers are required to report you. It would look much better on your part if you attempted to be proactive about the issue rather than trying to skirt around the right and legal thing to do.

Robin:

All of the rules, tap fees, decommissioning requirements, etc. are local. You can have an anxiety attack listening to the different versions of what people think... Find out for sure so that you know what is involved in your locality.

Good advice from Lurker: Whatever you do, do it to code. You don't want this biting you when you go to sell the house. Also good advise, there's no "Fix in a Can".

There are sewer companies who know the rules in your locality and can deal with the entire job of connecting you to the city sewer and decommissioning your septic. Find a good one by asking around - including your neighbors.

Brief summary of the facts:

1. The Septic system is broken. The effluent sewage is just pumping out like a geyser.

2. Your compost pile is near the geyser of raw sewage.

3. You have to compost because you can not use the disposal.

4. Your husband hates authority and won't be told how to use the bathroom.

5. You live in North Carolina.

My recommendation:

Have you considered using an outhouse? Last time I visited NC I noticed many. That was back in 1998. Maybe these are grandfathered or something.

Seriously, who would pass on a city sewer hook-up? This is a no-brainer.

Probably time to hook up.

Many places will not even allow a new drain field (let alone new septic systems) if municipal sewage is available.

Roots at a d-box in a pump to serial distribution can usually be saved quite easily, the roots are usually in the first 10 to 20 feet of line. It will depend on your health department and the sewer district (which by general statute in NC) has the authority to make you connect. The root killer won't work, at this stage the roots have to physicaly removed, trust me, I see dozens of these a year.

The d-box with one inlet and outlet is quite common for NC systems with pumps. The whole idea was to reduce flow velocity going into the trench.