|
|
NC Iowa | the septic information from health dept. i got said avoid excess grease or oil going to septic tank. it also said to conserve water, shorter showers, fix leaks, and use staggered laundry days. i would guess that is to avoid overloading the leach field. that is alot to keep track of, and i don't want to have that to control when i shower, or take less of a shower than i want. it might just be part of a water conversation agenda, and not have anything to do with the septic field itself.
is there anything wrong with running the gray water from shower and laundry into the field tile? it could go into a settling tank first if that makes a difference. that would take load off the septic field, unless septic tank needs certain amount of water to work.
|
|
| |
|
central - east central Minnesota - | Minnesota allows such . . but there are guidelines that have to be followed. The other issue is having the county inspector understand the guidelines. Nothing cleans uup water better then a cattail slough . . . .
A guy can also use gray water to water the lawn or a field .. . . . |
|
| |
|
| in Indiana, septic systems are designed on water useage of approx. 75 gal. per person per day at maximum reasonable occupancy. That is 450 gal./day for a 3 bdrm house. Most homes won't use that much water. In Ind., you cannot (legally) dump gray water into a draintile. It has to go through the septic system. A lot of the precautionary water conservation measures are just common sense. Septic systems (legal ones) are closed systems. The soil will only take so much water per unit of time. I wouldn't worry about showers so much, but I would fix a toilet that runs all the time. No more Saturdays doing 14 loads of laundry either. Do one or two every day throughout the week.
I would advise NOT running your water softener discharge into the septic field, especially if you have any clay in your soils. The sodium will tighten up the soil in short order. |
|
| |
|
White Stone, Virginia | Grease and oil are very slow to decompose. You do not want them in your septic tank. A to how much water you can use, it all depends on your soils and the age and design of your system. Get the tank pumped every 5 years or so to take the solids out of the bottom. If you don.'t the capacity of the tank will diminish over time until it is fill and the bad stuff goes out into your tiles and clogs them up. |
|
| |
|
| Yep, it called FOG; Fat, Oil, and Grease. It comes not only from washing oily clothes, but from our diets, pots and pans, hair, and skin, as well. All septic tanks will have FOG. It's the slime that floats on the top of the septic tank. It is part of the reason tanks have some type of baffle to keep the FOG from entering the septic field (or draintile in a "rogue" system). There is only so much FOG that a tank can hold before it comes up over and defeats the baffle. That is one of the reasons why septic tanks should be pumped periodically. |
|
| |
|
| Iowa's new septic regulations that require proof of a modern system or installation new on a title transfer don't allow any drain in the house except the sump pump and the water softer flush to go anywhere but through the septic tank. They demand a larger tank than in the past and a larger leach field.
Fewer or shorter showers (with a low flow shower head) surely will extend the life of the septic system and cut your costs whether you pump the water or buy the water. You also pay to heat half that water. Their palliatives are also plain water conservation.
Some would also demand you filter the line from the clothes washer to keep lint from going to the septic tank because polyester lint doesn't decompose, it just plugs the soil in the leach field. I asked the boss of the crew that did my new septic last June and he though that was not a beneficial idea. That pumping the tank every few years would take care of the accumulated plastic lint. A service he also provides along with an annual inspection and cleaning the output filter. He thought that avoiding bleach and antibacterial soap was a good idea to protect the bacteria in the septic. He didn't think much of Rid-X to add bacteria. I'll find out in a year or two whether one bottle of Rid-X got the new septic tank off to a fast start.
Its probable that the septic system works best with an optimum mix of toilet sewage and gray water, that too much gray water might flush stuff out of the tank before the bacteria have completely decomposed it. But for most of us I think the septic system has plenty of resilience so we can go on a clothes washing binge and not destroy its function. Part of that is why my new tank is 1250 gallons and the old one was less than 500 (from 1975).
Gerald J. |
|
| |
|
NC Indiana | Well if your not dumping bleach and cleaners down your septic connected drains, then I agree Rid-X may not help you, but how many people do that? We've cleaned tanks that they've put enough cleaners and bleach down them to turn the waste off-white bc they've killed everything off. We use a bacteria product that speeds up slow drains and toilet and breaks up grease and solids in the systems. We have a strong demand for this bacteria from our commercial customers bc it reduces their drain problems and repair costs. A household of 4 should have their tank cleaned every 2 yrs and a household of 2 should have it cleaned at least every 5 yrs. This all assumes a 1000 gal tank. |
|
| |
|
| So one person using a 1250 gallon take need not have it pumped for a dozen years? Before I moved it was more than 39 years on the same tank without pumping it but it got only the bathroom drains, not the kitchen sink, the laundry, or the water softener flush which reduced the soapy water volume considerably.
I buy water here and it took about three months to use enough to fill that tank. About the time it filled, I gave it a start up treament of Rid-X. Presuming that at worst it wouldn't hurt anything and that at best because I don't produce nearly as much body waste as a family that the Rid-X might get it started better.
I do use dishwashing and laundry soaps with machines, but don't think I need bleach because the purchased water quality is very good. Doesn't spot the glasses at all.
Gerald J. |
|
| |
|
NEIA | What I have read is can put all grey water in a tile line. Just no fecal matter. That must all go to septic tank. So you can put your shower water down your basement drain. We did that for alot of years when we had 3 kids and 2 adults takeing showers and flushing toilets and washing cloths every night. If we had a long wet spell the leach field could not handle all that water and would start to back up. |
|
| |
|
| I think the new rules changed that.
Gerald J. |
|
| |
|
| Any septic system should be required to have a DNR officer installed in the tank to monitor it's intake and operation. Many of Iowa's problems would all go away. |
|
| |
|
nc IA | That's the best idea yet - job creation too!
Heck, they got their noses stuck up where the sun doesn't shine as it is... |
|
| |
|
| I disagree, I think this should be EPA should be down in the trenches |
|
| |
|
lucknow,ontario | you can divert gray water hear in ontario and your system is desighned for your daily design flow it goes by the number of fixtures in your house and everything if it was done right then you are fine just pump your tank every 3 years to stop the cruddys from pileing up and you are good i have a llicence to put them in up hear if you email me i can ask you some questiions and see how big it is sapposed to be there is a book and charts and stuff and it gives you bed size and tanks size hope that helps |
|
| |
|
| Ontario rules don't apply in Iowa. A couple years ago Iowa passed new rules tied to transfers of home titles. They increased the number of inspectors from one per county to almost three per county, mostly commercial installers passed the new inspector test and they increased the standards. Nothing to field tile, no tanks under 1000 grandfathered, new tanks minimum 1250 gallons and a bigger leach field to match. All house drains except the water softener flush and the sump pump have to go to the septic system. There are no provisions for gray water unless its treated some and reused for toilet flushing then it still goes to the septic system.
They renamed and rewrote chapter 69 of the Iowa Administrative code making a
> new Chapter 69, “Private
> Sewage Disposal Systems,” Iowa Administrative Code.
> Pursuant to Iowa Code section 455B.173(3), the Commission is required to
> establish, modify, or repeal rules relating to the location, construction, operation, and
> maintenance of private sewage disposal systems.
> In addition, Iowa Code section 455B.173(11) requires the Commission to adopt
> rules for the issuance of a single general permit, after notice and opportunity for a public
> hearing. The single general permit shall cover numerous facilities to the extent that they
> are representative of a class of facilities which can be identified and conditioned by a
> single permit. The proposed new chapter will fulfill the Commission’s and the
> Department’s requirements pursuant to Iowa Code sections 455B.173(3) and
> 455B.173(11).
> The new Chapter 69 begins with a title change to be consistent with Iowa Code
> chapter 455B, division III, part 1. Several definitions have also been changed to be
> consistent with statute. Definitions were added for new technologies. Definitions were
> removed for terms repeated in NPDES General Permit No. 4 as well as for terms not used
> in Chapter 69.
For the whole thing explained in a mere 44 pages search out Iowa "final69.pdf"
These are NOT Ontario rules, but new Iowa rules.
Gerald J. |
|
| |
|
| gene_champ - 2/11/2011 13:30
the septic information from health dept. i got said avoid excess grease or oil going to septic tank. it also said to conserve water, shorter showers, fix leaks, and use staggered laundry days. i would guess that is to avoid overloading the leach field. that is alot to keep track of, and i don't want to have that to control when i shower, or take less of a shower than i want. it might just be part of a water conversation agenda, and not have anything to do with the septic field itself.
is there anything wrong with running the gray water from shower and laundry into the field tile? it could go into a settling tank first if that makes a difference. that would take load off the septic field, unless septic tank needs certain amount of water to work.
I guess it depends on every state. What I know off is that normal daily showers and laundry doesn't really affect the septic tanks since it is already being mixed with lots of water. But if you are running a business that deals with a lot of detergents, then probably that would affect the bacteria in the tanks. |
|
| |
iowa septic regulations?
