Articles   We're in this Together - Lessons Learned Long Ago are the Foundation of the Business Principles of Bear Onsite's Owner Theo B. Terry III, R.S.   Several folks, especially installers, have asked me why Bear Onsite does not have a contractor price and why, as the owner, I’m not willing to sell filters to them directly. I’m expecting to hear this question quite often at the upcoming Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo in a few weeks, be-cause Bear’s ML3 series of filters have gained a broader following over the past couple of years. read the article     The Bear Essentials - Are Some Effluent Screens/Filters Keeping More in the Tank than Solids? Theo B. Terry III, R.S.   Over the last several months, I’ve had numerous conversations with Precasters, Regulators and a few manufacturers of Advanced Treatment Systems about a topic that seems to be cropping up more and more frequently: how gases flow within the septic tank. Some of these conversations were off-shoots of discussions about another issue: concrete tank corrosion that seems to be occurring in all parts of the country. read the article     The Choices You Make Have Lasting Impact Theo B. Terry III, R.S.   The passage of new onsite regulations in Indiana means that products are now required that, before, had limited use in your state. One example is effluent screens and filters. These products may be unfamiliar to many of you here in Indiana, but it’s important for you to realize that they have over a fifty-year history in our industry, and Indiana actually played a leading role in the early history of filter usage. read the article     It's Only Natural Theo B. Terry III, R.S.   Products must be developed and improved, too, to adapt to market conditions. read the article     Better Soil Treatment By Scottie Dayton   Effective and long-lasting soil absorption systems depend not just on drainfield material but on effluent quality. Every installer knows that a well designed soil treatment system is critical to onsite system life and performance. Today, onsite professionals  have a wide range of drainfield design options. read the article     Don't Blame the Pizza Guy By Theo B. Terry III, R.S.   Just as fast food doesn’t make a person fat, a variety of factors contribute to the onsite system problem, many of which can be laid at the feet of the people who make the real decisions —designers, installers, homeowners.  read the article     SIM Drainfield By Theo B. Terry III, R.S.   Onsite system designers can take a lesson from a popular video game series in learning how to ‘think outside the box’.  For many reasons, I predict it will be a while before SIM Drainfield hits the shelves of your nearest video store. But I still think the onsite industry could take some lessons from my SIM adventure. read the article     Speed of Light? By Theo B. Terry III, R.S.   The world of onsite treatment can learn lessons from Star Trek about the power of advances in technology. I believe onsite rules are written with both prescriptive and performance-based standards, according to accepted, current technology. In other words, we write onsite regulations to fit what we know the technology can do, rather than what we can and should be doing, according to science. We lack vision. read the article     You Get a Line, I'll Get a Pole By Theo B. Terry III, R.S.   The humble crawdad can teach valuable lessons to designers about surge volume in onsite system drainfield trenches. Even the crawdad knows that if he digs a tunnel to an underground chamber, it will eventually fill up with water and make him a nice home. So, too, any void we create within a drainfield trench will fill with water during periods of high saturation, and thus negate any storage volume that existed under dry conditions. read the article