Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Use the "Search" box on the "House" page-
The subject matter has be hashed and rehashed several times!
But, to add to the previous posts- Sorry to disagree but normal bleaching for laundry and cleaning will not damage the anaerobic bacteria balance in your septic tank. It gets a huge dose of replenishment every time your flush human solids down the toilet. I would not go around and pour gallons into the toilet but normal cleaning and washing is fine. Lint from washing machines kill more drain fields than anything.
KB is right. The two main issues with septic are keeping the leach field pores open and keeping up with the sediment in the tank and having the tank pumped out based on usage. The tank must have enough open capacity to hold the fresh waste, work on it, and allow sediments to fall out. A tank that is more than about 1/2 full of solids can allow more damaging stuff into the leach field. A tank that is 90% full is almost guaranteed to damage the leach field.
The bacteria will take care of themselves unless you do something REALLY stupid. Bleach decomposes into cloramines and eventually back into common salt. If you have concerns about that, take a nice epsom salt soak once in a while. That is the remediation (along with crushed drywall) used for salt buildup in fields.
The rule of thumb is to never install a garbage disposal if you have a septic system. Throw the veggies on a compost pile, use waste bottles for the fats and oils and put it out with the garbage.
Excess fats and oils are more of an issue. Those can be very slow to break down. If you want to give you bacteria a treat, give them your sour milk.
I think that we can both agree that a septic system that is installed and never used will last a long long time.
We can also agree that a system that only received feces, urine, and water (without toilet paper) would last a long time. The "load" (so to speak) has minimal sediment, and oils are only added in minute amounts.
Once toilet paper is added, we start adding more sedimentary stuff. Sure toilet paper breaks apart in water, but paper can form mats both on the surface of the water and at the bottom of the tank. This type of material is one of the reasons why tanks need to be pumped. If human poo contained significant amounts of cullulase, then perhaps some of that (but not all) could be avoided.
Garbage disposals encourage the adding of additional wastes like chicken bones, oily foods, and scrap vegetable matter with high cellulose content. The idea of adding a dose of enzymes in with the material is interesting, but as soon as it hits the tank natural diffusion will dilute it, and the bottom line is that you have STILL added a greater load to the system.
Once a septic system is properly installed, there are only two possible expenses. The first is the cost of pumping it out. That is minor and a slight increase in frequency is a non-issue. The second issue is the loading and contamination of the leach field. That is a MAJOR expense and not one covered by insurance. The cost/benefit ratio is wildly skewed when you start adding food wastes and kitchen wastes to a system.
In short, the minor inconvenience of using a compost pile and tossing animal waste and oils into the garbage stream yields a substantial financial reward in greatly extending the useful life of the septic system.
If you really want to test this Rube Goldberg spritzer, grind a measured amount of food in a regular disposal and have the pipe redirected to a closable five gallon bucket. Then do the same with the fancy disposal. Seal both buckets, with a tiny pinhole to prevent pressure buildup, add a measured amount of feces and urine to simulate the conditions in a septic tank, and store them in a dark place for a month. I've got a dollar that says you won't notice any significant difference in the contents at the end of the month.
If the system is designed for it, it isn't a standard septic system. A system can be oversized to compensate, but it only delays the inevitable. I'll keep it at a friendly "agree to disagree."
We just rented a house that has a septic system. This is new to me, in Omaha, Nebraska its rare to see a house with septic, we all use sewer lines.
So, what do I need to do special for this? We are not responsible for any upkeep with it, but the realtor did tell us we will need to use septic safe toilet paper and not to use bleach products. How do you bleach your towels or items if you cannot wash with bleach?
Anything else I need to know? Do you have to use certain dishwashing soap or certain laundry soap? Anything like that?
Since you are renting I would contact the landlord as to how/if they wish you to do ANY septic system maint. including the monthly additives of bacteria.
Toilet paper and laundry detergents are labeled to indicate if they are septic system safe. Keep bleach use to a minimum. You could "pre-bleach" laundry in a tub or bucket prior to placing in the wash. I use bleach products with a septic system but keep it to a bare minimum.
I am on septic and have a garbage disposal and use it. My septic guy said its not a problem as long as you don't go crazy. I know some people use their disposals like a trash can
I use bleach and was told it was okay. I don't go crazy with it though. I am also on a well so once a year we have to bleach our well and of course that goes into the septic eventually.
I think the biggest rule of thumb is not to go crazy with laundry. My friend is on septic and refused to listen to the septic guy. She whined about how she has 4 kids and will do all her laundry on saturday. His response, "that is okay, cuz I do repairs too." Sure enough she over loaded her system and she had a backyard full of poo. I have front loaders now and our reason for upgrading is because of the septic. So do a load in the morning and then again at night. Let your septic have some time to catch up and disperse the water. Charmin toilet paper is not a good idea. When we moved into our house we had the septic pumped. The previous owners used charmin and lots of it. None of it broke down. I use Angel Soft cuz I cant take Scotts.
I dont use RidX. My septic guy said flush a packet of yeast or let some milk go bad where its really chunky and then flush it. Living on septic isnt too bad, it has taken some getting used to but so far after a year and half we are doing okay.
I use bleach, lots of bleach. It does not seem to hurt anything.
That being said, the OP should do as the property owner as requested.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.