Garbage Disposal And Septic Tanks

The do s and don ts for using a garbage disposal with septic systems.

Garbage disposal and septic tanks.

A garbage disposal grinds food waste to easily flow through a home s plumbing and into a septic tank. Depending on your needs this might mean tough vegetable fibers eggshells seeds meat and even small bones or fruit pits. Once there food scraps decompose faster than other waste sent into the tank. Don t put food macaroni veggie peels grease egg shells etc.

Maybe you moved into a house that already has a garbage disposal and a septic system. Garbage disposal septic tanks explained the key trait of septic friendly garbage disposals is that it can grind food wastes thoroughly. Unfortunately though they are not the best choice for septic systems. You can sidestep this issue with a little selectivity.

Maybe you have some reason why you feel you need to add one. Do pump out the septic tank more frequently if garbage disposal is being used heavily. This excess waste will never get a chance to break down in the wet environment. The gold standard rule of thumb is simply don t use a disposal at all with a septic system.

Because food scraps are 75 to 90 water they add very little to the solids that settle at the bottom of the tank. When you use a garbage disposal for your septic system you are overloading the waste that is being put into the tank. A garbage disposal is used to grind food scraps into tiny pieces making is easier to dispose of and process the waste. However that may not be the most realistic expectation.

So let s go over some other dos and don ts. Down that garbage disposal. If you are using a garbage disposal when you have a septic tank though eventually you may accidentally overfill the solid layer in your septic tank. The thing that garbage disposal manufacturers don t tell you is that you have to pump your tank at least twice as often if you use their product.