Yeast and septic systems

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Mindhop

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2011
Messages
93
Reaction score
2
Location
Milford
Occasionally after kegging I will pour the yeast cake and remaining trub down my drain and into my septic system. Has anyone researched brewers yeast and septic systems.

I know this is not an exciting topic but for those of us with septic systems it is a concern.
 
I know in my floor drain, strange smells and things have happened as the yeast ferment whatever TF. Nothing serious though.

My guess is that yeast would be beneficial for a tank, but I am by no means the one to ask.


EDIT: Yeast is fine, and can be beneficial.

As long as you don't have 50 fermenters going at all times I think you are fine.

Aerobic Septic systems actually recommend "brewer's yeast"
 
cheezydemon3 said:
I know in my floor drain, strange smells and things have happened as the yeast ferment whatever TF. Nothing serious though.

My guess is that yeast would be beneficial for a tank, but I am by no means the one to ask.

EDIT: Yeast is fine, and can be beneficial.

As long as you don't have 50 fermenters going at all times I think you are fine.

Aerobic Septic systems actually recommend "brewer's yeast"

Cheezydemon

Where did you get you info? Would like to read up on this topic. Thanks for the reply :mug:
 
I pump my septic once or twice a year.My septic guy told me that it is good for
the septic.His father who was a farmer said that is all he ever used for decades.
I told him I was a homebrewer and dumped yeast all the time.He said that it is
a little known secret,don`t waste your money on septic treatments,just use
yeast.
 
The only source I have is my own experience.I have been doing it for about
10 years and can attest to the fact is that it does work.I have no ill effects
from it and my septic guy sez tank looks good everytime he is here.
 
The reason I posted this thread is because a guy called me, at 8:30 in the morn, to sell me his product to treat my septic. I am glad that he annoyed me to the point that I hung up. Brewing beer is good for the mind, the soul, and the septic system! Love brewing!

Cheers
 
Yeah, I just googled it.

for our non septic pipes, our plumber gave us this powdery stuff to mix with warm water and dump down the pipes to eat gunk left in the pipes.

I have not gone so far as to pitch it in wort, but I have a suspician it is mostly yeast!
 
I have been on septic for years and have been brewing for years. I have dumped tons of trub and yeast into the holding tank and while I can't say it helps it certainly does not hurt. Get your tank pumped out once a year and you will be fine.
 
I don't know if this is bull**** or not but a guy I know told me his neighbor was dumping his yeast into the septic tank and it blew the lid off of it. I don't know anything bout septic tanks could they actually build up pressure or do they vent. Probably was all do to something unrelated.
 
Yeast will probably not have an effect on your septic system one way or another. They would not be the dominant organism in the tank so they just would probably die off. So they can't hurt or help it.
 
I don't know if this is bull**** or not but a guy I know told me his neighbor was dumping his yeast into the septic tank and it blew the lid off of it. I don't know anything bout septic tanks could they actually build up pressure or do they vent. Probably was all do to something unrelated.

how about methane blowing the lid ?
 
Brewers yeast is fine for a septic system, but not a replacement for proper treatment as brewers yeast is not so good at dissolving and breaking down solids like feces and paper.
A properly vented system will not build pressure (roof vents).
Star-san is not harmful and can act as food for the bacteria in your tank that is needed to break down solids.
Chlorine based sanitizers are very harmful and not a good thing to do in large quantities.
Properly treated septic system would only need pumping once every 5 years depending on number of people in the house hold. More people more water to flush out bacteria therefore more treatment and more pumping.
 
Does anyone have any information about dumping commercially bottled, and canned, out dated and stale, beer into your septic system? I know that the yeast, and maybe the malt, would be beneficial to the process, but my concern is that perhaps the alcohol content could destroy beneficial bacteria. Does anyone know? Thank you.
 
Riley333 said:
Does anyone have any information about dumping commercially bottled, and canned, out dated and stale, beer into your septic system? I know that the yeast, and maybe the malt, would be beneficial to the process, but my concern is that perhaps the alcohol content could destroy beneficial bacteria. Does anyone know? Thank you.

How much are you dumping in!?
 
Right now, I am not dumping in any, but I have about ten cases of out-dated beer. If it would be helpful, I was thinking of dumping into the septic tank about a six pack every two weeks or so.
 
Right now, I am not dumping in any, but I have about ten cases of out-dated beer. If it would be helpful, I was thinking of dumping into the septic tank about a six pack every two weeks or so.

Hi!

I doubt if fermented beer will be the least bit helpful.
 
brewers yeast is fine for a septic system, but not a replacement for proper treatment as brewers yeast is not so good at dissolving and breaking down solids like feces and paper.
A properly vented system will not build pressure (roof vents).
Star-san is not harmful and can act as food for the bacteria in your tank that is needed to break down solids.
Chlorine based sanitizers are very harmful and not a good thing to do in large quantities.
Properly treated septic system would only need pumping once every 5 years depending on number of people in the house hold. More people more water to flush out bacteria therefore more treatment and more pumping.

thank you for the info.
 
I have been on septic for years and have been brewing for years. I have dumped tons of trub and yeast into the holding tank and while I can't say it helps it certainly does not hurt. Get your tank pumped out once a year and you will be fine.

HHHhhhmmmm- THANK YOU FOR THE INFO. I HAD TO LOOK UP "trub".

Trub (brewing) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the process of brewing beer, trub (from the German for lees) is the layer of sediment that appears at the bottom of the fermenter after yeast has completed the bulk of the fermentation.[1] It is composed mainly of heavy fats, proteins and inactive yeast.[2]

Trub also refers to the material, along with hop debris, left in the boil kettle or hopback after the wort has been transferred and cooled. Brewers generally prefer that the bulk of the trub be left in the kettle rather than stay in contact with the fermenting wort. Although it contains yeast nutrients, its presence can impart off-flavors in the finished beer.

A home-brewing setup showing accumulated trub, or lees, at the bottom of the carboy

References
1.^ "Handbook of brewing - Google Books". books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
2.^ Charles W Bamforth, Beer: Tap Into the Art and Science of Brewing, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2003), p. 56
 
Back
Top