septic tank

I am wondering what sanitizers and amounts may affect a septic tank. I have read where some say they are safe for septic tanks but many say nothing. This may already have been discussed but I could not find where.

You'd think by the time it go to the septic thank it would be too deluded to hurt any thing

You put bleach in your washing machine right? That doesn't hurt anything

Well most washing machines do not flow into the septic system. Septic takes work with all kinds of lil critters. If it does not say septic safe, I would either A: Dont run it down the drain, or B: Ask the manufacture.

You might have issues if you dump large batches of sanitizer into the septic, I always dump my larger (5 gallons) batches of iodophor in my back yard away from the septic. sanitizers aside, PBW specifically says its septic safe and I haven't had any problems dumping it down the drain.

I have also been dumping my larger batches in the back yard. I do dump the used yeasties down the drain though, wonder if that speeds up things down there?

I have a septic tank too. PBW and Starsan from 5 Star Chemical are both septic safe.

I dump both and my yeasties down the drain.

sakalmon said:

I have also been dumping my larger batches in the back yard. I do dump the used yeasties down the drain though, wonder if that speeds up things down there?

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Is the septic tank the new, hot fermentation vessel?

Are we going to see a "Should I use a blow-off hose for my 1900 gallon septic tank?" thread?

nitrousjunkie said:

Well most washing machines do not flow into the septic system.

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Where exactly would the water from my washing machine go if not into my septic system? Is there a cadre of gnomes who crawl into the washer at the end of the cycle and form a bucket brigade to dump the washwater in the backyard?

k1v1116 said:

I always dump my larger (5 gallons) batches of iodophor in my back yard

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Me too.

blowmax10 said:

You'd think by the time it go to the septic thank it would be too deluded to hurt any thing

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Yeah, if you're so deluded that you find yourself in a septic tank, you're probably harmless.


Small sporadic quantities of sanitizer are harmless to your septic system. Just make sure you put in your bacterial cultures, Septo-Bac or equivalent, on a regular basis and you'll be fine.

some people myself included have a separate "gray water" system for washing machines dishwashers etc, basically anything that doesnt have feces in it can go into a separate system and water the plants instead of being processed by the septic system.

Are we going to see a "Should I use a blow-off hose for my 1900 gallon septic tank?" thread?

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A blow-off tube is unnecessary, that's what the leaching field is for. You can crop yeast from the leaching field with a feather-duster and a really long pole.

I want to dry hop the secondary but cant figure out how.

frolickingmonkey said:

Where exactly would the water from my washing machine go if not into my septic system? Is there a cadre of gnomes who crawl into the washer at the end of the cycle and form a bucket brigade to dump the washwater in the backyard? .

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Waiting patiently for LG to weigh in on this one...

frolickingmonkey said:

Where exactly would the water from my washing machine go if not into my septic system? Is there a cadre of gnomes who crawl into the washer at the end of the cycle and form a bucket brigade to dump the washwater in the backyard?



Me too.

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I run the washing machine drain hose right out the cellar window. It waters the grass in the back yard. No worse then washing your car and letting the soapy water run down the driveway. You just have to change the spot where the hose lies so it doesn't water log the grass in that aria.

We dont do much laundry anyway.

k1v1116 said:

some people myself included have a separate "gray water" system

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I'm actually planning on incorporating a graywater system into my new, small footprint house.

Jolly McStanson said:

I run the washing machine drain hose right out the cellar window.

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Right on Jolly!


I guess my tongue-in-cheek point was that MOST people probably are running it into the septic. There are certainly alternatives, and good ones at that! Glad to see people are conscious of where their water goes...

I guess I should have said that every septic system I have ever seen never had their "gray water" run into the tank. Every system I have ever seen the washer either had its own leach field, drained out into the yard, or just ran into some kind of dranage ditch.

Alright, so I'm going to get more off topic here...

I was wondering, is the idea of running the hose out the cellar window or separating washwater/graywater more prevalent in other regions? I notice that Jolly is from new England... Nitrous, I assume you are on a tour of duty in Iraq? Where are you when you are home?

It seems around here in western Washington that people, despite a general environmental consciousness, are maybe less aware of the graywater/blackwater connection. Literally everyone I know in the area runs everything into septic, and townies obviously run into the sewer. I think it has something to do with how water miraculously falls from the sky 200+ days a year. Peoples' attitudes are changing, though.

Well home for me is south TX. Im stationed at Pope AFB, NC. From what I have seen, NC is the same way as well.