Water Changes and Septic Tanks

[elwallacejr]

Hi Wamas!

 

I'm about to purchase a new home that has city water but septic tank for sewer.  I've always been on city sewer so I never gave WC or CWC (what I have now) much thought wrt the waste water.  Now though, I'm scratching my head as to the affect of 5g of SW a day on a septic system.  Any folks out there running Continuous Water Changes and dumping the wastewater into a Septic Tank?  Is it a no no?  Things to look out for?

 

Thanks!!!

[John-Solo]

I don’t have personal experience but my buddy had a septic tank and he said dumping salt water in it is a big no no. He just had a part of his yard that he didn’t care about and dumped it there.


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[Vacobra1]

I have heard the salt water can kill off the bacteria in the septic tank,  I don't know if that's true or now but makes sense so I don't dump it down my drain I poor it on weeds

[bshriver]

I do the same - I pour it on landscaping rocks to help keep the weeds out.

[Stephen]

Mine goes out into the yard in a place that doesn't grow grass for some reason. I'll also put it in a spray tank and spray it on the driveway to kill grass and weeds when about half of it evaporates.

[elwallacejr]

Wow good stuff - I think I'm going to save a lot not having to buy RoundUp!  So message received - DON'T DO IT!

 

Thanks WAMAS!  As always good people here.

 

 

[flooddc]

IMO, the amount of salt you use is probably not going to do much to the septic. typical septic is about 1,500 gallons capacity so the salt you pour into it is pretty much negligible. I change about 50 gallons/month and usually dump into the lawn. it's much easier for me to dump into the lawn than into the drain as mine tank is in the basement. The 50 gallons doesn't do anything to my lawn. 

When I moved here, I had a similar concern. let me see i I can locate the thread.

 

LOL: it's in my build thread.

down toward the middle of the page.

Edited June 1, 2020 by flooddc

[Origami]

I've been on well and septic for the last 9 years. I treat my saltwater change water just like any other water and it goes right down the drain in the fish room. I've never had any issues complicating the integrity of my system. Unless you're changing out a really large amount of water, the relative volume between discharge and the volume of your septic system will sufficiently dilute the discarded saltwater so as to not upset the bacteria balance in your septic tank. Furthermore, I've read that many studies in water treatment have indicated that some salt in septic discharge actually improves leachfield permeabiilty by breaking down clay soils. 

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

Yea I agree it shouldn’t be an issue. A septic system is large and the amount of bacteria and other stuff in the tank won’t even be touched with most any reefers waste water.