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