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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.