saltwater disposal

[iwishtofish]

I guess it is said that no question is stupid if one doesn't know the answer, so I'm forging ahead with these:

Is there a "best" way to dispose of salt water from water changes? If one doesn't want to pour it into their septic system, is it ok to dump it at the edge of the yard? Over a long (or short) period of time, could this negatively affect the environment, including one's well?

[Frogmanx82]

What would be your concern about the septic system?

[iwishtofish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15741566#post15741566 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Frogmanx82
What would be your concern about the septic system?

Primarily my lack of understanding as to the effect of salt on the beneficial bacteria in my septic tank, or even something like salt buildup in the drain field pipes. Secondly, I don't want to rust the metal fittings in my sink/tub drains. (I don't have a utility sink)

[doublejesus]

i just pour mine in my driveway instead of into the septic. I don't want to fill my septic any faster and I don't want weeds growing in my driveway - win win haha

[iwishtofish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15741635#post15741635 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by doublejesus
i just pour mine in my driveway instead of into the septic. I don't want to fill my septic any faster and I don't want weeds growing in my driveway - win win haha

Well, I guess that's one way to solve the weed problem! :) Too bad salt water doesn't take care of tank weeds the same way!

[Diadado]

I pour it on weeds outside and it kills themm quite nicely :)

I'm not sure of the long-term effects of salt water on asphalt? I know the salt mix I put down for ice in the winter eats away at it.

[fishnut321]

i pour mine on a gravel pit below my porch, keeps the weeds away for the landlord and keeps from killing grass.

[Mark426]

I see this often...the question about harm to a septic system.
Think about it. A medium septic tank is 5000 gallons. Even if you pour 50 gallons down the drain to your septic, thats 1%. How much do you think that would raise the salinity? Almost none is a good guess.

[SkyPapa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15741860#post15741860 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mark426
I see this often...the question about harm to a septic system.
Think about it. A medium septic tank is 5000 gallons,....

I don't want to get into the merits of septic tank use, but my septic, here in FL, is 1500gals on a 3200 sq. ft. house.
I see you are a contractor but mine is what it is.
I dump used water in the yard

[Mark426]

whoa..1500? Must have much different rules in FL. Up here its 1500 per bathroom and its hard to find a tank less than 3500G

[cody6766]

Mine goes into the toilet. If you pour fast enough it self-flushes :)

Pouring into the soil will essentially 'salt the earth' in that area. Just find a spot where you don't want to have any plant grow th and dump away.

Too bad it's not like having a fresh water tank where dumping WC water is good for the soil. My hedges and grass outside my apartment used to grow like crazy when I was running 3 heavily stocked cichlid tanks.

[tydtran]

There is no problem with pouring it down into your septic system. Salt water from an aquarium is usually less salty than urine, which can have specific gravity as high as 1.035.

[SkyPapa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15742174#post15742174 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mark426
whoa..1500? Must have much different rules in FL. Up here its 1500 per bathroom and its hard to find a tank less than 3500G

Just speculation, but maybe it's because Fl was/is a big sandbar and water works thru the drain field quickly.

[iwishtofish]

Thanks for the input, everyone! I guess nobody is suggesting that just dumping it into the ground might eventually affect negatively the quality of my well water. I suppose, after all, that just the salting of the nearby road in the winter adds as much salt to the environment as I would be...

Interesting point, tydtran, about the specific gravity of urine!

[JeF4y]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15742226#post15742226 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tydtran
There is no problem with pouring it down into your septic system. Salt water from an aquarium is usually less salty than urine, which can have specific gravity as high as 1.035.

Great. Now I have to pee on my refractometer...

Here's what the interwebs say about such..

Normal Results (of human urine)

Normal values are between 1.002 to 1.028.

Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Wouldn't there be some ill effect on the bacterias in the septic though? I would certainly think so, but I have no real basis as to why.

And BTW, 3500G + for a septic is amazing. Everything around here is 1000 or less. I think mine is around 1000 and my house is 5 bedrooms, 4 baths and almost 4000 sq-ft. Then again, I live in rock/gravel quarry country, not sticky red clay land. I would think that might have a lot to do with it.

[ludnix]

I don't think anyone on here has reported an issue with dumping saltwater into the septic systems.

I dump mine down the toilet, pouring it on cement will slowly eat away at it. Pouring it on a patch of gravel seems like a good alternative though.

[arredondojason]

i live on a farm in up state new york and i have a 240 gallon tank and a 135 gallon tank and all my water gos right off the side of my porch and i have not seen anything negitive from it i think the green thing is starting to go to peoples heads to much. its not like your dumping toxic waste it is saltwater in the same ratio as it is in the ocean. it cant be any worse then your car leaking a little oil in your driveway.

[Jaycen B.]

I have been dumping it on my grass for almost 2 years in the same spot and my bermuda grass is not showing any ill efects.

[pszemol]

I see this often...the question about harm to a septic system.
Think about it. A medium septic tank is 5000 gallons. Even if you pour 50 gallons down the drain to your septic, thats 1%. How much do you think that would raise the salinity? Almost none is a good guess.

I am pretty sure nobody with a septic tank is concerned with one time 50 gallons salftwater flush.
But, if you think about doing a 50 gallons water changes every 2 weeks over the 3-4 years - what would be your calculations and predictions of the side effects in that case?
We have 52 weeks in a year, so it makes 26 water changes per year.
50 gallons x 26 is 1300 gallons. So we would be dumping 1300 gallons of saltwater per year into a septic tank...
What would be long-term effects of such usage of the septic tank?

[chet]

Being a plumber i would not pour saltwater down your drains into a septic tank. It will kill the bacteria in tank and then you will have some major problems with build up of solids in the bottom of tank.