Saltwater in septic tank

[Rich_Lucas]

I am moving and want to get a 240 gallon tank. However my new home will have a septic system and I'm curious as to the affect of the saltwater from changes on the system. Does anyone else have any experience with large water changes and dumping the water in to a septic tank?

Thanks.

[DocJim]

I have read mostly negative comments about dumping salt water into a septic system. Some say the newer systems can handle it but most will tell you to avoid it. I have no choice so I dump all my water changes into my septic and I have done this for 3 years without problems. My system is only four years old so maybe I will regret it someday. I have a 180g tank and do regular water changes.

[gooyferret]

I wouldnt recommend dumping into the septic tank. You could just dump it outside, just make a spot that you dump it everytime.

[Rich_Lucas]

We are building the house so the septic system will be brand new when we move in. Maybe I should ask our builder if he knows anything about it, although I'm thinking he won't. Outside is a possibility, it's woods all around me so I could run a line to a place in the woods to pump it to or something.

[crooks]

On my house the down spouts go into a drain tile which goes out to my culvert to keep the water away form my house. I run a piece of flex tube and pump into them instead of my septic.

[gooyferret]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15372323#post15372323 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crooks
On my house the down spouts go into a drain tile which goes out to my culvert to keep the water away form my house. I run a piece of flex tube and pump into them instead of my septic.

+1 great idea! :D

[njdevilsfan]

the new septic tanks have most of the equip held in place with these metal hangers
they will rust and can do damage
i found this out myself

[GrimReefer82]

When I lived with my parents up until the time I was 17 I always had a SW tank and always dumped the SW down the toilet. After my dad got remarried i bought the same house that I grew up in and still dump SW down the toilet. Never had a problem. The septic tank was cleaned out about 6 months ago which is the first time in over ten years and there were no negative effects in the tank. The only reason we cleaned it out was because a pipe busted under the house that was probably 30 years old and it needed to be replaced all the way down. It is just a concrete box with a pvc pipe in it and a couple field lines.

[salty joe]

If your system employs effluent pumps, you might want to avoid dumping saltwater in the septic.

[sikpupy]

Yea, I plus one dumping into a tube, buried under ground that goes out to the woods. Well, if i had a better job and money wasnt an issue, maybe.

[Dino]

I always figured plain salt water was one of the more mundane things we flushed down into our septic tank :p. We were on septic up until just a few months ago, I always just dumped my water outside though just to save putting those extra few gallons of water every week into the tank (which would need pumped eventually).

[jbird69]

Im just curious, Why do you guys pour your water down the toilet? If the water is pure enough to sustain corals it cant hurt the environment can it? I would think for the most part its cleaner than NSW. Ive been dumping mine on the front lawn form the past 10 years or so.... Should I be feeling guilty??

[unhpian]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15373502#post15373502 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jbird69
Im just curious, Why do you guys pour your water down the toilet? If the water is pure enough to sustain corals it cant hurt the environment can it? I would think for the most part its cleaner than NSW. Ive been dumping mine on the front lawn form the past 10 years or so.... Should I be feeling guilty??

It's not that saltwater in itself its bad.....but like most things, too much of it can cause a problem. The problem with pouring it on the lawn or directly on the ground is that over time the salts will build up in the soil and make it impossible for most vegetation to grow there. You're essentially "salting" the soil.

Dumping it into the septic system is "better" in the sense that the saltwater will be transported to the leach field and will infiltrate a few feet below the surface, and will prevent alot of the salt buildup on the surface. However, it also can cause any metal in the system to rust quicker - and, depending on the volume you dump, can also have a negative impact on the ecology and hydraulics of the system. A septic tank is essentially a settling basin, where solids settle and liquids elute off into the leach field...If you start pumping too much water through the system, this gets disrupted and you get solids into the leach field, which destroys it and costs many thousands of dollars. However, if your system is sized appropriately and maintained (pumped every ~5 years), you should be able to dump many gallons of saltwater in weekly without any significant harm.

[jterrell]

We have a newer "bio septic" in which bactiria grows to break down waste. If I poured salt water into this type of system it would kill the system. I had my plumber install a drain from my reeftank and past the septic directly to the leach lines. This could be done for anyone who has a septic.

[aanntthhoonnyy]

This is the sexiest thread I've read all day.

[mfinn]

I've been dumping my saltwater into my septic tank now for 18 years in the same house.
The last time it was pumped, about 3 months ago, I told the guy who did it and he said that there was no harm done at all.

[camlov2]

My father-in-law pumps tanks and he has told me that you want to reduce the amount of liquids into a septic tank whenever possible. Excess water can (doesn't mean it will) push solids into the leach lines, this can reduce the lifespan of the lines. They are very expensive to replace so you don't want to risk losing even part of their life.

[Rich_Lucas]

It sounds like it depends on the amount of water you're putting through it.

[sikpupy]

Aparently. i was just going on the possible corossion factor. :)

[zippgirl]

Mine also goes into the septic tank, so far no problems.

[iamwhatiam52]

In both the Florida Keys and Saint Croix USVI I have lived in areas where toilets flush with salt water into septic tanks. No problem.

It should come as no surprise to any of us that waste can decompose in water of any salinity. Bacteria are very adaptable.

I even kept a tank for a while with the water from the feed leading to my toilet.

[munitalpeno]

not good for many reasons just pump it outside. you will pay in the long run if not. i'm sure you will not be able to find one septic company that would say it was ok.

[Mark426]

I am a contractor, so I have some knowledge of septic systems. A small tank holds 5000 gallons and the ones I install at most new construction is a two tank system. The total capacity of a two tank system is 8000 gallons for a 2.5 bath house. Now do the math and you tell me..... dumping even 80g into a typical 8000g system (normally its set to maintain 1/2 of total capacity) ... thats 2% of the capacity...how much would you raise the salinity?

My answer is almost zero. I wouldn’t worry about it...flush away.

Mark

p.s. I have dumped into my septic for many years..no problems

[mfinn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15376823#post15376823 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by munitalpeno
not good for many reasons just pump it outside. you will pay in the long run if not. i'm sure you will not be able to find one septic company that would say it was ok.




What reasons?



The company that just pumped my septic tank out said everything looked fine, even after 18 years.

[ibefishy]

Never wanted to risk it as I was unsure about putting all the saltwater down into my septic system. Where I live in CA there is a large problem with the septic systems polluting the bay, so they say. There is also a problem they say with salt intrusion from the bay into the underground aquifers. The city board has been fighting both of these issues for soooo many years.

[noahm]

If you have an older steel septic tank, it could affect the rate of corrosion. Other than that, unless it was the only thing dumped in there, it will be pretty diluted by the time you figure daily showers, dishwashers etc. As said before, bacteria thrive in all kinds of crap (no pun intended). It is probably not beneficial, but not likely much harm. Trees growing over the leach field is a much bigger problem.

If you have a septic cleanout anywhere, that would bypass your tank, I would use that just because. Should be a white PVC S&D, or black ABS cap sticking a few inches above the ground if you've got one. Then again, that might just run to the tank as well. All in all, not a problem for most systems to dump right into the septic. If you have a gravel driveway, dump on that in various places. It will dilute to where it shouldn't affect the soil. A lot of SW is referred to a 'salt' while a lot of it is minerals and such that will be adsorbed by the soil, and chemically used by microorganisms/plants/etc.

[Im14abeer]

I'm not going to say yes or no, but if there is a concern, and since you're building new, you might consider a dry well (or French drain depending on the local parlance.) Basically just a hole that's backfilled with gravel. They're often used for the effluent of sump pumps and softeners. They're not very expensive, it's just a couple of scoops of the backhoe for the excavator. A few yards of gravel and some PVC.