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