There are new products, and then there are new products. Some new offerings make incremental improvements in a classic design. Others throw the mold away and deliver something truly different. Such is the case with ML3 effluent filters from Bear Onsite (www.bearonsite.com).

These filter made their debut at the 2010 Pumper & Cleaner Expo in Louisville. Inventor and company owner Theo Terry, formerly manager of technology with Ring Industrial Group, says the new filters offer multiple levels of filtration, thus providing longer service life, lower maintenance, and better drainfield protection.

Instead of simply passing effluent though a screen to trap solids particles that otherwise would enter the drainfield, the ML3 units filter in stages. First, built-in baffles divert solids and gases before they enter the filter case. Solids that do get in are directed back into the septic tank by way of vents in the case's side.

Solids that make it past these defenses enter a quiet zone where the flow slows down, allowing the particles to settle. Reducing the amount of solids that actually reach the filter screen extends filter maintenance intervals. Finally, the filter itself includes three progressive stages of filtration. The first baffle blocks particles greater than 3/16 inch, the second blocks remaining particles greater than 1/8 inch, and the third blocks remaining particles greater than 1/16 inch. The filters include an alarm that uses a molded-in vertical reed switch, protected from unfiltered effluent that could trigger a false alarm.

As with any new product, the proof is in the performance. Visit the web site for more information. Theo Terry iincludes his personal e-mail address there. He is a long-time industry professional and can surely answer technical questions about this new approach to filtering,