Care of the Homestead Septic Tank
Jamming loads of potato peels into the garbage disposal is a holiday season rite of passage. Garbage disposals are a nice way to grind up food debris so that it flows down the drain lines to the septic tank or waste water lines. However, garbage disposals do not handle loads and loads of potato peels or other waste effectively—because they are not compost bins or rubbish bins. One time I unclogged a neighbor’s sink—pineapple skins were the culprit.
My view is that we shouldn’t treat our drains whether in the bathroom or kitchen as rubbish bins. Save time and hassle by discarding organic debris in another way—compost bin outside or worm bin under the sink or if your area has a composting program. Garbage disposals are unnecessary and they encourage us to use our plumbing as part of a solid waste disposal system which it isn’t designed or intended to be. #allcitiesshouldhaveacompostingprogram
Recommended reading: Lloyd Kahn’s The Septic Tank Owner’s Manual. Shelter Publications, 2017. Or start with the tons of free information: https://oasisdesign.net/wastewater/septic/failure.htm
All the added organic matter is bogging down systems and costing who knows how much in clogged drains, clogged sewer lines, additional load on municipal waste water systems, additional septic tank clean outs, failed leachfields, and so forth. Save money and headaches.
Some recommendations:
Use grey water friendly products. This is good practice to get ready for having a grey water system or moving to a rural area with a septic tank. The major consideration is sodium and boron (borax) as ingredients. Learn more about grey water: https://oasisdesign.net/greywater/ or https://greywateraction.org/greywater-faq/
Years ago I tried every product that I could get my hands on for dishwashing, laundry washing, hair and body washing, the bottom line was that many of the products were just not good. Sometimes the price was super high and/or the products were not always available.
These products work for us: Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds for dishwashing and I keep a couple bottles of Ecos on hand in case we run out—Dr. Bronner’s is available in gallon jugs which is nice. Soap nuts for hand washing clothes, Dr. Bronner’s for dirty, sweaty summer clothes, and Ecos for not so dirty clothes. We scrub with Bon Ami and Barkeeper’s Friend. Vinegar, water, and a bit of Sal Suds cleans surfaces. I do use an ammonia solution to clean windows—no amount of scrubbing and vinegar is going to keep out woodland windows clean without sweatin’ to the 80s. Our windows need to be cleaned quarterly—I strive—and the extra time to save what amounts to a bottle of ammonia every five years isn’t worth it to me. That said, if I had small children, I would scrub, scrub and use vinegar.
Use a drain screen to catch all the organic debris and toss in the compost bin or worm box. Consider a lint catch for your washing machine as a first step and laundry to landscape diversion as a next step if possible. Catch and compost all the food debris and lint.
Dispose of used cooking oil properly—in a septic tank oil creates an oily layer which isn’t good for septic tank health. Wipe out oily pots and pans with a paper towel and compost or scrape out well. We use a paper towel dispenser in our kitchen with paper towels that are tri-fold, unbleached, and made from recycled paper. One case lasts 14 months at an expense of about $2.86/month. A bit of a splurge but we like the convenience and all the used towels are composted. We also use tons of towels and dish towels in the kitchen so that towels can be changed frequently.
Dispose of rich pasta and rice cooking water in another way or use for other cooking.
Dispose of acidic or sweetened bagel boiling water in another way.
If you have a septic tank consider spreading out loads of laundry, showers, and baths, so that your septic tank isn’t overloaded.
And also don’t flush anything extra down the toilet—tissues and paper towels are not intended for flushing and clog things up. Limit toilet paper use and consider a bidet attachment for toilets.
In the city limiting the debris and water that heads down can alleviate clogs and if we rely on a septic tank less debris that we pay to have pumped out and hauled elsewhere. We can save money and add bulk to our compost bin.
Before you buy a house with a septic tank have it inspected. Make sure the size of the septic tank is appropriate for the number of water outlets. In some instances folks have already diverted grey water, inspect any grey water diversions.
As many of us conserve water—it is important to remember that clear flowing pipes rely on a certain amount of water carrying things on their way. Folks who conserve water tend to have more clogs than those who use more water. Conserve water—but also make sure waste water is freely flowing. Check those p-traps and so forth. Not sending extra organic debris is going to be very helpful too.
Instagram: Soirée-Leone Website: soireeleone.com
Producer: Marina Darling
Recorded in beautiful Hampshire, Tennessee
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