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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Aug 04 2005 at 3:47pm | IP Logged
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We recently moved to a new home that has a septic system. The guy who installed it came to service it a few days ago, and gave us a paper with things to be careful of, to maintain the system well. One of the things listed was "no more than 6 loads of laundry a week, 3 tops in a day, with at least a day off in between."
"Uhhhhhhhhhh..., Mr. Septic man," I said, "but we've got 5 children!" He wasn't all that sympathetic to my plight. :P I guess thats to be expected...his job is to make sure the system lasts as long as possible.
One of my jobs, however, is to make sure my family has clean clothes. I average 2-3 loads a day, 6 days a week!!!
If you live on a septic system, do you have any advice?
Blessings,
Bookswithtea
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Bridget
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We have been told our septic system is undersized for our house. We were given the same kind of guidelines you were. We just ignore them. What can you do? The laundry and dishes have to get done.
We've been here 4 years and had the system pumped twice. So far it looks good and has no problems, although I'm sure we are taxing it terribly.
The best thing to do would be to get a front loader washer since they use less water.
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amiefriedl
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I'll second the front loader washer idea. Ours uses a tiny amount of water. Even for really big loads.
Also, you may want to consider put the soiled tp in a trash can beside the potty as opposed to flushing it.  Sorry!
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Amie
Blessed with an awesome hubby and Mom of ds10, dd7, dd3 and dd 10months.
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mary
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We have a septic and a small family (3 kids) but I grew up with a septic and 6 sisters. If you are using more water than average, just have your tanks pumped more often. There are 5 in our house and we have it pumped every 3 years. You might considering pumping every 2 years and asking the septic sucking guy for his opinion about your tank and any suggestions. Make sure you use a reputable septic removal company - I hear that there are some who only suck one side and that can lead to all sorts of septic problems as well as fines from the dept of health.
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Aug 05 2005 at 9:07pm | IP Logged
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OK, now I'm really showing my ignorance, suburbia girl that I am...
Septic systems get pumped regularly? How often is this normally done? The guy who came to service the system changed the leach field switch and "aerated" the system, whatever that means. I asked a friend with 8 kids the same question and she said something about tablets to add to the system now and again? The septic guy said that the problem with too many loads of laundry was that the bacteria didn't have a chance to build up and "eat" the garbage before getting all washed out.
I feel like such an ignoramous! There is so much to learn about living in the country. Don't be surprised if in the next months I post again, concerned about too much water useage on well water! arrrggg.
Thank you for listening to my rambling...
Bookswithtea
edited to add: PS. I do have a front load washing machine. Does that mean I don't have to worry quite as much about all of this?
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Kelly
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Growing up in a family of 10, and now in our own family of 8 (plus my brother AND an international student to make it 10), I've never NOT had a septic system. My advice is forget about it  Follow the good words from Mary and others about having it pumped every so often, but beyond that, as Bridget says, what can you do? We've been in this house for eight years, doing Mt. Everest-sized mountains of laundry six days a week, have never pumped, have never had a problem. In my youth, my parents occasionally had problems with the septic system, but it was more related to its undersize than its inappropriate use. The problems got ironed out without much ado or expense. People love to tell septic tank horror stories, but on the whole, they work just fine, at least in our experience.
Keep on launderin'
Kelly in FL
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Bookswithtea
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Thank you, Kelly. I think I'll take your advice. I don't really know what else to do...its not like I can tell the whole family to wear the same clothes 3 days a week! LOL
Bookswithtea
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dhbrug
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We had the same problem with our septic. The biggest issue is washing machine water. However, this is not water that is full of nasty toilet stuff, so we redirected the washing machine output to a separate drainage ditch outside of the septic system. The septic can handle the rest of the water throughput quite handily.
The washing machine water is not going to cause a health and safety issue, it is just dirt (and lots of it for the boys clothes). The key for septics and even this solution is to carefully check your detergent. Minimise bleach and ensure it is the type marked as safe for septics.
Cheers
David
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mary
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this article is an excellent description of how a septic works, the inside of the tank and how to care for it. If your service provider (was this a septic pumping service?) switched your leach field, then you must have 2 of them and the first is clogged and will naturally unclog over time. If he aerated, then you must have a system that uses both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. This means that your solid wastes are being dissolved more quickly.
You should add no chemicals because some of the solvents can damage a system. Be careful not to flush any non-biodegradable items and have your system pumped regularly. That is really the only care a septic system requires.
your tank should be pumped often enough that it does not overflow. How often depends on how much water your family uses. If this is a new tank then I would pump in 2 years. If you don't know when it was pumped last, then I would have it pumped now.
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Aug 06 2005 at 3:28pm | IP Logged
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I can't thank you all enough. Yes, we do have two fields, and we were told it should be switched every 6 months, no matter what, so thats why he did it.
I hadn't thought about redirecting the laundry water (thats pretty much just gray water, right?). My dh might be able to do that. Dumb question...will that affect the well at all?
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mary
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I don't think it would hurt your well. You would probably need to add a filter to keep out the lint that is sure to be in the water and also use natural type detergents to avoid soap build up. Be careful where you put the water - if you collect it, make sure it isn't a breeding ground for mosquitoes for instance. And, it shouldn't be sprayed onto garden plants that would be consumed directly (lettuce leaves, carrots etc). Also, if you wash diapers or someone has an intestinal flu, you need to have a switch valve so that you can divert that water to the septic system.
Be sure and check with your health department or extension office - the health dept can let you know if there are any rules regarding wells and gray water in your state and the extension office can provide you with information about how to recycle your gray water.
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KToste
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Hi,
I am getting in here late but wanted to mention something else - Having had a septic system for the past 16 years (after city living and never even having heard of septic) and copious amounts of laundry (5 kids) try to avoid the anit-bacterial soap that is popular today. A friend had started using it to keep down germs (like soap the kids don't use is going to help BWG ) and it actually ruined the septic system - it eliminated the bacteria in the tank so it couldn't breakdown the solids. I put tablets in the toilet weekly to help with the bacteria growth. You can get RIDEX in the stores which is used monthly. Other than that, launder to your hearts content. My plumber also mentined to use powder laundry det rather than liquid and to check to make sure the box says 'no phospherous'.
Another caution-if you do redirect your grey water - you might want to slyly inquire to the town's laws. I don't know where you are, but here in our town in MA, we cannot just pump grey water out - nasty fines etc.
Karen
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Large Families and Septic System?
