Garbage Disposal with a Septic Tank

[Reicherb]

Is it ok to use a garbage disposal with a septic tank? We recently moved from a house with a disposal and city sewer to a house with a 2 year old septic tank and leak field without a disposal. The previous home owner tells me that they sized the system to be able to accommodate an additional bathroom should one be added. I can't verify that is true though. I've read numerous websites that contradict each other. These forums have a lot of smart people and hopefully you can answer the question once and for all for me!

Thanks,

Brad

 

[Smooky]

A septic system is limited as to how much you can put into it. A garbage disposal will fill it up quicker. You would need to pump it out more often. I do not recommend having a disposal if you are on a septic system. Also you should avoid dumping grease into the sink. I have a little paint bucket that sits on the counter and put food scraps and grease into it. When it fills up I dump it in the woods…. Most septic systems are sized according to bed rooms not bathrooms. Bed rooms are figured to have a maximum of two people so a three bedroom house is designed to have 6 people or 360 gallons of flow per day. More bed rooms could mean more people could live in the house. If you have more bathrooms you are not going to run more water, you just do not have to wait if you need to use it. It doesn’t matter if you all line up to use the bathroom or you all go at the same time.


See Apendix C (page 21) and also Table 1 (page 24)
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-wb-dwehs-osw-mcssd_241120_7.pdf

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

It really depends on what and how much crud you run through the disposal unit. I grew up in a house with a disposal and a septic tank, and as long as you clean the tank on a reasonable schedule, you should not have any issues (it's nearly 60-years old now, and still going strong). It's still better to compost things rather than dumping them into the system, but it still is handy for some things. Grinding up things like bones will fill it up since they won't really break down, but other organic matter that will break down is much less of an issue - just don't overdo it.

 

[Reicherb]

Snooky, you say not to but don't explain why.

Brad

 

[Smooky]

The more you use the disposal the sooner it fills up your septic tank. I would rather take the food scraps out and dump them into the woods than to pay someone to come out and pump out the septic tank every year. Also if your tank does not have a baffle and a tee or filter on the outlet the extra solids could cause a premature failure of the drain-field.
I like the paint bucket method.


http://www.sherwin-williams.com/pai...alog/sherwinwilliams-plastic-bucket-1-gallon/

http://www.kalcounty.com/eh/onsite-sewage.htm

 

[hj]

In this area there are thousands of septic tanks and MOST of them have disposers in the sink, just as I do. My previous house NEVER "filled up" because of the disposer in 15 years, and this one has not in 14 years. Paranoia is one reason for not using a disposer with a septic tank, but most men would have to sleep on the couch if they tried to remove the disposer from their sink.

 

[Jadnashua]

Most of the stuff you grind up gets digested, just like everything else. It's things like bone and eggshells that tend to sit there. The tank is always full after the first month or so, and the solids fall to the bottom. If it's sized and installed properly, the only things that make it into the leach field are liquids. Inevitably, there are some fine solids, and those, eventually, can clog up the leach field(s), but that's just a fact of life - try not to overload it, and get it checked and cleaned out of solids once in awhile.

FWIW, some of those heavy, cotton based toilet tissues are FAR worse for the septic system than anything you put down the disposer.

 

[DonL]

Normally the Grease trap will hold what comes out of the Disposal.

It is a smaller tank and may need the top removed and shoveled out on occasion.

If you do not have a Grease trap and a clean out on it then I would not use a Disposal.

A Grease trap is the norm where I live. But I do not use a Disposal to waste food that wildlife will eat.


Good Luck.

 

[hj]

quote; Normally the Grease trap will hold what comes out of the Disposal.

MOST residences do not have grease interceptors, but when they do EVERYTHING stays in it until they are cleaned out. Actually, the opposite is true, namely, if you have a grease interceptor, do NOT use a disposer, because you just have to throw the stuff away anyways, just all at once instead of as it is used.

 

[DonL]

quote; Normally the Grease trap will hold what comes out of the Disposal.

MOST residences do not have grease interceptors, but when they do EVERYTHING stays in it until they are cleaned out. Actually, the opposite is true, namely, if you have a grease interceptor, do NOT use a disposer, because you just have to throw the stuff away anyways, just all at once instead of as it is used.

I agree.

Just put worms in the tank and all is good.