09-15-2021 Septic Design - Laserfiche WebLink

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Septic System Management Plan for Above Grade Systems - 5 - Water-Use Appliances and Equipment in the Home Appliance Impacts on System Management Tips Garbage disposal •Uses additional water. •Adds solids to the tank. •Finely-ground solids may not settle. Unsettled solids can exit the tank and enter the soil treatment area. •Use of a garbage disposal is not recommended. •Minimize garbage disposal use. Compost instead. •To prevent solids from exiting the tank, have your tank pumped more frequently. •Add an effluent screen to your tank. Washing machine •Washing several loads on one day uses a lot of water and may overload your system. •Overloading your system may prevent solids from settling out in the tank. Unsettled solids can exit the tank and enter the soil treatment area. •Choose a front-loader or water-saving top-loader, these units use less water than older models. •Limit the addition of extra solids to your tank by using liquid or easily biodegradable detergents. Limit use of bleach-based detergents and fabric softeners. •Install a lint filter after the washer and an effluent screen to your tank •Wash only full loads and think even – spread your laundry loads throughout the week. Dishwasher •Powdered and/or high-phosphorus detergents can negatively impact the performance of your tank and soil treatment area. •New models promote “no scraping”. They have a garbage disposal inside. •Use gel detergents. Powdered detergents may add solids to the tank. •Use detergents that are low or no-phosphorus. •Wash only full loads. •Scrape your dishes anyways to keep undigested solids out of your septic system. Grinder pump (in home) •Finely-ground solids may not settle. Unsettled solids can exit the tank and enter the soil treatment area. •Expand septic tank capacity by a factor of 1.5. •Include pump monitoring in your maintenance schedule to ensure that it is working properly. •Add an effluent screen. Large bathtub (whirlpool) •Large volume of water may overload your system. •Heavy use of bath oils and soaps can impact biological activity in your tank and soil treatment area. •Avoid using other water-use appliances at the same time. For example, don’t wash clothes and take a bath at the same time. •Use oils, soaps, and cleaners in the bath or shower sparingly. Clean Water Uses Impacts on System Management Tips High-efficiency furnace •Drip may result in frozen pipes during cold weather. •Re-route water directly out of the house. Do not route furnace discharge to your septic system. Water softener Iron filter Reverse osmosis •Salt in recharge water may affect system performance. •Recharge water may hydraulically overload the system. •These sources produce water that is not sewage and should not go into your septic system. •Reroute water from these sources to another outlet, such as a dry well, draintile or old drainfield. •When replacing, consider using a demand-based recharge vs. a time-based recharge. •Check valves to ensure proper operation; have unit serviced per manufacturer directions Surface drainage Footing drains •Water from these sources will overload the system and is prohibited from entering septic system.