Any one with a Septic System...

[nanafish]

If I were to drain my waste water from the tanks down the drain, where it will enter into the septic system - Will this do anything to the bacteria living in the septic tank? I wanted to run a hose out the window where it will drain into the mulch. No tender plants, just shrubs. My hubby says it will kill the shrubs. (Its not like I am doing daily water changes) I currently have a 125 gal, 29 and 30 gal. tanks. I want to keep peace and ultimately save face on this topic. Any help would be apreciated!

 

[awilson500]

I been putting my waste water down the drain for 2 years. I just had my septic drained 3 months ago, and the #1 guy in the #2 business told me everything looked good in the septic tank....

I would not drain saltwater on a shrub, it would probably kill it.

 

[billsreef]

Shrubs don't like salt either. Just dump it down the septic system, it'll tolerate it just fine for hobby use

 

[sgolden]

no probs here with my septic either...

 

[snorvich]

No problems with mine going on 20 years.

 

[BigJay]

I use the water change waste water to clean my drive way, it heads off the pavement and into a city drainage ditch. Salt water will kill most plant life, and I'd rather not add it to my septic tank.

I use the RO/DI waste water to pre-soak the clothes in the washing machine.

 

[jhutton]

plumber was at my parents house last year because roots grew in the leach field pipes, he said putting salt water down will help to keep the roots from growing in. so it sounded like its good to me

 

[rexdenton]

Keep in mind that the epizootic outbreak of Caulerpa in the Mediterranean (and in other parts of the world) was unquestionably related to hobbyist activities (a German strain designed to withstand extreme conditions). It's costing billions to clean up... Before you dump your water into a storm draining system, ask yourself if there is any Caulerpa (or any other exotic) likely to find its way back into the ecosystem. Septic may be a better choice. The way I figure it, if you can dump bleach into the septic and it still works, a little sea-water from time to time is not likely to hurt it too much.

 

[billsreef]

While your quite right about ensuring no exotics get released via storm drains or other means, the troublesome f2 C. toxifoloia did not originate with hobbyists. It originated with the Monaco Aquarium from which it was released. Sad to think that professional aquarists where the source

 

[rexdenton]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14145330#post14145330 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by billsreef
... It originated with the Monaco Aquarium from which it was released. Sad to think that professional aquarists where the source

Thanks for the re-direct. (Even worse than a naiive hobbyist...)

 

[AZDesertRat]

Studies have shown saltwater in a septic system can actually be beneficial in breaking down hardpan soils. There are several studies on the internet conducted by septic system professionals mostly relating to the brine produced by water softener regeneration but would be very similar to our reef systems.

 

[izzypop]

Your septic system is rated at a certain amount of water volume it can handle a day depending on what kind of system you have. I was making RO/DI water and putting the waste down the drain.....If your making 50 gallons of RODI for water changes how much waste water are you making? Usually not good for the drain field. IME

 

[therealfatman]

If perculation tsets were run and the leaching field desiged based upon those perculation rates of the soils then problems would be very unlikely with a septic tanks leaching field nless you have a very arge family livinging a small house. The septic system is also designed based uo\pon the design capacity of a house and they sue a very large water use estimate for each persons water usage.

However running huge amounts of RO water at one time could conceivably flush solids into the leaching field, but that is still pretty doubtful. A typical RO system only operates at approximately 15% efficiency. Therefore for 15 gallons of RO water 85 gallons of water will be drained into your septic system. Few people run more than 15 gallons of RO water per day and 85 gallons of water is only equivalent to about the water used by a family of three every day for bathing. A toilet by itself in an average homes likely uses more than 100 gallons of water daily. Plus the flow from a RO filter is not rapid so would not be considered a massive sudden influx to a septic system and would not likely flush solids out of the septic tank.

As far as expert opinions on salt in a leaching field, some say that it kills the bacteria in the leach field and eliminates the accumalation of bacterial slimes, and that this allows the laeach field to opearte better. However, the leachette is more polluting as it contains sewage with dead bacteria in it. Although the leach field will not fail as quickly the system as a whole will be working poorly and the tank will have to be pumped more often. One also must consider that the two chief binding agents in most hard pans are iron and calcium carbonates and marine water contains calcium carbonates as does the water from a water softener. A rasing of the PH of the soils would be an advantage to breaking down hard pan or preventing its formation but the chance of that outweigh ]ing the disadavantages is unlikely.

 

[salty joe]

Well, I'm not putting any saltwater in my septic system. I was forced to install a system that is way too complicated, IMO. Anyway it has two waste pumps. The inspector told me that they won't last very long if exposed to saltwater. I wanted a regular old gravity fed. No longer an option where I built.

 

[jgln]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14152435#post14152435 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
Studies have shown saltwater in a septic system can actually be beneficial in breaking down hardpan soils. There are several studies on the internet conducted by septic system professionals mostly relating to the brine produced by water softener regeneration but would be very similar to our reef systems.

Hey, can I ask a question a bit off topic? We just brought a 20 year old house 2 years ago and the owner (original owner) told me to put corn starch down the toilet every so often and has done so since he had the house built. When we had the septic tank inspected it was in perfect shape. While the lid was off he sprinkled some in for me and the inspector and pump truck operator made faces at him and told me not to listen to him, it would do more harm than good. Who is correct?

 

[therealfatman]

Corn stach will not hurt but I fail to see how it would be of much help. It is just the starch from corn. There are a few widely accepted practices such as adding small amounts of sodium hydroxide (lye/draino)in order to breakdown fats and oils. However it is best not to pour grease or oil down your drains. Also to be avoided: garbage disposers, sanitary napkins, diapers, cigarette butts/filters, paints, solvents and large amounts of bleach or lyes. Most bacteria additives help little. Few people transfer beneficial bacteria from other healthy tanks to their own tanks. That would be helpful. But by far the most common problem is that many tanks are to small for the water volumes sent through them and therefore solids are sent to the drain fields. Many areas around the country are now encouraging seperate water drains to seperate grey water from sewage going to septic sytems.

 

[jgln]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14284838#post14284838 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by therealfatman
Corn stach will not hurt but I fail to see how it would be of much help. It is just the starch from corn. There are a few widely accepted practices such as adding small amounts of sodium hydroxide (lye/draino)in order to breakdown fats and oils. However it is best not to pour grease or oil down your drains. Also to be avoided: garbage disposers, sanitary napkins, diapers, cigarette butts/filters, paints, solvents and large amounts of bleach or lyes. Most bacteria additives help little. Few people transfer beneficial bacteria from other healthy tanks to their own tanks. That would be helpful. But by far the most common problem is that many tanks are to small for the water volumes sent through them and therefore solids are sent to the drain fields. Many areas around the country are now encouraging seperate water drains to seperate grey water from sewage going to septic sytems.

Funny you mention that. The guy we brought the house from built a seperate drainfield for his washing machine (we live on a small farm) and the inspector made him disconnet it and run it into the septic tank. The inspector said anything washed touching the body is considered septic. After he left the man put it back for us. But I was thinking how could running washing machine water through a tank of poop and pee result in a better liquid discharge into the ground?

Thanks!

 

[therealfatman]

The health official is a quack and is merely stringently interpreting some atiquated regulations to severely. Those regulations are quickly being changed through out the country and it will likely soon become mandated for new construction in many cases. Water demand/shortages is becoming extreme in many parts of the country and regulations must change.

Sending bath or laundry water into a septic sytem will not help the system unless you live in a cold part of the country where the heat of the water input is needed by the septic system that might otherwise freeze in the winter. In the opposite it is more likely to cause problems if to much detergent or bleach or other harsh chemicals are is being used or if the water volumes are large.

For an example draining a hot tub into a septic system all at once is not a safe practice. As well, doing 10 loads of laundry, washing dishes several times and having all family take a bath on that same day is not a safe practice. Especially if you hav teenagers who all take 30 - 45 minute showers. Most areas of the country are now starting to consider dish and toilet drainage as sewage [ie. Black Water]. The rest is seperately classified as grey water and does not require septic treatment but can be discharged into leaching fields, wet wells, and in some cases used for irrigation or merely discharged onto vegetated ground. A few places still call for such practices as a settling basin or a sand filter, however most have no such requirements.

The facts still remains that salt water bacteria and fresh water bacteria do not live in the same environments. Small amounts of salt water kill small amounts of bacteria and large amounts kill large amounts of bacteria. With large kills the decreaes in the effectiveness of the septic system can lead to large accumalations of sludge build up in the setic tanks. This can lead to their need to be pumped more often so as to prevent relatively small amounts of water from causing solids to be ejected into the leaching field which in turn clogs the field.

Greywater contains far less nitrogen than blackwater
Nine-tenths of the nitrogen contained in combined wastewater derives from toilet wastes (i.e., from the blackwater). Nitrogen is one of the most serious and difficult-to-remove pollutants affecting our potential drinking water supply.

Greywater contains far fewer pathogens than blackwater
Medical and public health professionals view feces as the most significant source of human pathogens. Keeping toilet wastes out of the wastewater stream dramatically reduces the danger of spreading such organisms via water.[/B]

Greywater decomposes much faster than blackwater
The implication of the more rapid decomposition of greywater pollutants is the quicker stabilization and therefore enhanced prevention of water pollution.

 

[jgln]

Thanks for all your help and information. As a matter of fact, we do have a large hot tub in one bathroom. From now on if we use it we will let it drain slowly.

 

[jgln]

Thanks for all your help and information. As a matter of fact, we do have a large hot tub in one bathroom. From now on if we use it we will let it drain slowly.