Closing on a house in a couple weeks, and it has the usual list of stuff
that needs to be seen to. Pretty high up on the list is replacing or fixing
a basically dead (non-draining) dishwasher, and a rotted trap assembly under
kitchen sink. I noticed sink has no disposal, which isn't uncommon in
septic-system houses of the vintage. But I was wondering, since I'll have it
all apart anyway, and this would be a convenient opportunity to add a
disposal, what is current thinking on the subject? I don't use disposals to
grind bones or leftovers or anything. Anything big enough to scrape goes in
trash can. Is trivial food waste like post-scraping plate residue really a
problem for septic systems? Or does pre-cleaning the plates make a disposal
a moot point?

Open to hints on the dishwasher, too, by the way. Seller claims soap cup
latch being busted was only problem, but when inspector ran it empty after
sitting for several months, it didn't drain. Any chance it something trivial
like a clogged screen, or dried crud in corrugated drain line which goes in
a big loop (to act like a P-trap, I assume) under kitchen sink before it
goes into adapter right under strainer? Brand is Hotpoint, or one of the
corporate twins. (At least the inside looks just like the 1992 Hotpoint here
in the apartment. I was considering snatching a parts machine out of
dumpster first week of June, when the idiot repair guys fix the busted
appliances in the newly-emptied units, by replacing them. I won't spend
repair money on a 13 year old dishwasher, but if I can get parts free and
fix it myself before I move mid-June...)

I'm sure I'll be asking a lot of dumb questions on here next few months- I
may have grown up in the business, but that was a lotta years ago, and the
details grow foggy...

aem sends....

"ameijers" wrote in message
...
Closing on a house in a couple weeks, and it has the usual list of stuff
that needs to be seen to. Pretty high up on the list is replacing or
fixing
a basically dead (non-draining) dishwasher, and a rotted trap assembly
under
kitchen sink. I noticed sink has no disposal, which isn't uncommon in
septic-system houses of the vintage. But I was wondering, since I'll have
it
all apart anyway, and this would be a convenient opportunity to add a
disposal, what is current thinking on the subject? I don't use disposals
to
grind bones or leftovers or anything. Anything big enough to scrape goes
in
trash can. Is trivial food waste like post-scraping plate residue really a
problem for septic systems? Or does pre-cleaning the plates make a
disposal
a moot point?

snip....

YMMV, but we've been running a garbage disposer into a septic tank for
almost 40 years without any problems. We don't put anything in,
intentionally, other than food waste: all kinds, including leftovers and
even small chicken bones which help clean out stuff that hangs up on the
hammers. The tank has been pumped out every 2-3 years and there has never
been anything more than the usual fine sediment on the bottom.

"Martin" wrote in message
The tank has been pumped out every 2-3 years and there has never been
anything more than the usual fine sediment on the bottom.

Most people don't do anything with their septic systems until it is already
too late. You are one of the smart ones.

Somewhere I read that adding a disposal is like adding one or two more
people to the household. There is nothing inherently wrong with it (as long
as you don't add large quantities of grease); just a bigger load on the
system.
I expect if you do a search on "septic system" "garbage disposal" you will
come up with better information than you will get here.

I can barely keep my own dishwasher running, sorry I can't help with yours.

Incinerator makes one that's pricy about ($180 at home depot) and has a
replaceable dispenser that injects enzymes that break down vegetable matter
..I had one in the house I bought recently. I had problems with mine the
aluminum portion of the unit rotted through after only 6 years and I got a
second one to replace it
. Can't comment on how good it works but as a person that replaced a septic
system I don't plan on doing it again.
Another cool product you might want to look at is a Septic protector which
filters grey water from your washing machine . Amazing how much lint you
dump into the system.
Bob

"toller" wrote in message
...
Somewhere I read that adding a disposal is like adding one or two more
people to the household. There is nothing inherently wrong with it (as
long as you don't add large quantities of grease); just a bigger load on
the system.
I expect if you do a search on "septic system" "garbage disposal" you will
come up with better information than you will get here.

I can barely keep my own dishwasher running, sorry I can't help with
yours.

"BoborAnn" wrote in message
...
Incinerator makes one that's pricy about ($180 at home depot) and has a
replaceable dispenser that injects enzymes that break down vegetable matter .I
had one in the house I bought recently. I had problems with mine the aluminum
portion of the unit rotted through after only 6 years and I got a second one
to replace it
. Can't comment on how good it works but as a person that replaced a septic
system I don't plan on doing it again.
Another cool product you might want to look at is a Septic protector which
filters grey water from your washing machine . Amazing how much lint you dump
into the system.
Bob


This is Turtle.

Bob You would be amazed at what $.25 cent pack of baker yeast will do to help a
septic tank in clearing it up.

TURTLE

"TURTLE" wrote in message
. ..
This is Turtle.

Bob You would be amazed at what $.25 cent pack of baker yeast will do to
help a
septic tank in clearing it up.

TURTLE



Turtle is right.

Just don't do what my great uncle did. He thought if one pak was good a
dozen would work 12 times as fast. He connected to the sewer right after
that. I wasn't there but they say it was something to see. Fermented real
good and quick it did.


Colbyt

TURTLE wrote:

"BoborAnn" wrote in message
...

Incinerator makes one that's pricy about ($180 at home depot) and has a
replaceable dispenser that injects enzymes that break down vegetable matter .I
had one in the house I bought recently. I had problems with mine the aluminum
portion of the unit rotted through after only 6 years and I got a second one
to replace it
. Can't comment on how good it works but as a person that replaced a septic
system I don't plan on doing it again.
Another cool product you might want to look at is a Septic protector which
filters grey water from your washing machine . Amazing how much lint you dump
into the system.
Bob



This is Turtle.

Bob You would be amazed at what $.25 cent pack of baker yeast will do to help a
septic tank in clearing it up.

Actually, a septic system doesn't rely on any sort of bacteria or yeast.
It's much simpler than that. All the waste goes into the 1000 gal
septic tank where much of it liquifies on its own. Solids sink to the
bottom and it just piles up there. The liquid pours out to the leach
field where it evaporates.

The worst thing that can happen is grease and fat get put into the
system. These float. Therefore, they will get transferred to the
leach field and will clog it. That's your basic $6,000 mistake.

Depending on the number of people in your household, the tank will need
pumped occasionally. That's simply because all the bones, paper goods,
rubber things, and cellulose ("fiber" in nutritional terms) build up in
the tank.

We compost nearly all the vegetable matter. And we put all the fat
and meat leftovers out on the back of the property near the woods.
They're gone in the morning! So we don't use the disposal very much.

In a septic tank, anything that floats rises to the top and forms a layer
known as the scum layer. Anything heavier than water sinks to form the
sludge layer. In the middle is a fairly clear water layer. This body of
water contains bacteria and chemicals like nitrogen and phosphorous, the
bacteria breaks down the organic material in the wastewater. As new water
enters the tank, it displaces the water that's already there. This water
flows out of the septic tank and into a drain field. Inside the tank on the
discharge side is usually a pipe that goes down into the tank a little so
the scum floating on top does not enter the drain field.

"Stubby" wrote in message
...
TURTLE wrote:

"BoborAnn" wrote in message
...

Incinerator makes one that's pricy about ($180 at home depot) and has a
replaceable dispenser that injects enzymes that break down vegetable
matter .I
had one in the house I bought recently. I had problems with mine the
aluminum
portion of the unit rotted through after only 6 years and I got a second
one
to replace it
. Can't comment on how good it works but as a person that replaced a
septic
system I don't plan on doing it again.
Another cool product you might want to look at is a Septic protector
which
filters grey water from your washing machine . Amazing how much lint you
dump
into the system.
Bob



This is Turtle.

Bob You would be amazed at what $.25 cent pack of baker yeast will do to
help a
septic tank in clearing it up.

Actually, a septic system doesn't rely on any sort of bacteria or yeast.
It's much simpler than that. All the waste goes into the 1000 gal
septic tank where much of it liquifies on its own. Solids sink to the
bottom and it just piles up there. The liquid pours out to the leach
field where it evaporates.

The worst thing that can happen is grease and fat get put into the
system. These float. Therefore, they will get transferred to the
leach field and will clog it. That's your basic $6,000 mistake.

Depending on the number of people in your household, the tank will need
pumped occasionally. That's simply because all the bones, paper goods,
rubber things, and cellulose ("fiber" in nutritional terms) build up in
the tank.

We compost nearly all the vegetable matter. And we put all the fat
and meat leftovers out on the back of the property near the woods.
They're gone in the morning! So we don't use the disposal very much.

"Stubby" wrote in message
...


Actually, a septic system doesn't rely on any sort of bacteria or yeast.

Don't know where you're getting your information, but that's wrong. Septic
tanks require bacteria just as municipal sewage disposal plants do. And the
liquid going to the leaching field should be percolating down through the
ground with very little evaporating. If it isn't, and you haven't got
bacteria in your tank, I wouldn't want to get too close to your location :)

"Stubby" wrote in message
...
TURTLE wrote:

"BoborAnn" wrote in message
...

Incinerator makes one that's pricy about ($180 at home depot) and has a
replaceable dispenser that injects enzymes that break down vegetable matter
.I had one in the house I bought recently. I had problems with mine the
aluminum portion of the unit rotted through after only 6 years and I got a
second one to replace it
. Can't comment on how good it works but as a person that replaced a septic
system I don't plan on doing it again.
Another cool product you might want to look at is a Septic protector which
filters grey water from your washing machine . Amazing how much lint you dump
into the system.
Bob



This is Turtle.

Bob You would be amazed at what $.25 cent pack of baker yeast will do to help
a septic tank in clearing it up.

Actually, a septic system doesn't rely on any sort of bacteria or yeast. It's
much simpler than that. All the waste goes into the 1000 gal septic tank
where much of it liquifies on its own. Solids sink to the bottom and it just
piles up there. The liquid pours out to the leach field where it evaporates.

The worst thing that can happen is grease and fat get put into the system.
These float. Therefore, they will get transferred to the leach field and will
clog it. That's your basic $6,000 mistake.

Depending on the number of people in your household, the tank will need pumped
occasionally. That's simply because all the bones, paper goods, rubber
things, and cellulose ("fiber" in nutritional terms) build up in the tank.

We compost nearly all the vegetable matter. And we put all the fat and meat
leftovers out on the back of the property near the woods. They're gone in the
morning! So we don't use the disposal very much.

This is Turtle.

You need to talk to the fellow who design these tanks and let them in on this
new way you say they work. No Bacteria in the tank and it will work fine. They
need to see this.

TURTLE

"Martin" wrote in message
...

"Stubby" wrote in message
...


Actually, a septic system doesn't rely on any sort of bacteria or yeast.

Don't know where you're getting your information, but that's wrong. Septic
tanks require bacteria just as municipal sewage disposal plants do. And the
liquid going to the leaching field should be percolating down through the
ground with very little evaporating. If it isn't, and you haven't got
bacteria in your tank, I wouldn't want to get too close to your location :)


This is Turtle.

He may live out there where the tested that A-Bomb in New mexico where all the
people glow in the dark like a Colored Trojan.

TURTLE

On Wed, 01 Jun 2005 13:24:57 -0400, Mark wrote:

You pump your septic tank every couple of years at most. They are designed
to be pumped. If you don't, THEN you're looking at an expensive repair
down the road....

So, put anything you want in there. Regular disposers are fine. If you
grind a lot of stuff up, you may have to pump more often - that's all.

You don't have to pump it out that often if you take care of your
septic system. I know people who have gone 25 years without pumping
it out. You should go easy with a garbage disposal. Typical use of a
disposal doubles the rate of solid buildup in the tank, requiring that
it be pumped out twice as often. Where we live, it costs $400 to pump
out a typical 1,250 gallon septic tank. And that's using the cheapest
company. You really don't want to do that very often. We use our
disposal only for what rinses off the dishes after we put most of the
garbage in the trash compactor.

If you are serious about taking care of your septic system, there are
two primary rules. Space out heavy water-using activities, and don't
put anything into the septic that didn't go through the human body
first. Obviously you can't follow that completely, but the closer you
can come to those rules, the longer it will be between pump-outs. If
you are pumping more often than every five years, you have a poorly
designed system, or you aren't taking care of it.

Dick

On Mon, 30 May 2005 15:34:00 -0500, "TURTLE"
wrote:

[snip]
You would be amazed at what $.25 cent pack of baker yeast will do to help a
septic tank in clearing it up.

I would be very amazed if it did anything at all.

--
Luke
__________________________________________________ _________________
"The best time to invest is when there is still blood on the
ground."
-- Delegate at ReBuilding Iraq 2 trade show, Sheraton Hotel,
Arlington, VA, December 3-4, 2003

On Mon, 30 May 2005 19:03:00 -0400, Stubby
wrote:

Actually, a septic system doesn't rely on any sort of bacteria or yeast.
It's much simpler than that. All the waste goes into the 1000 gal
septic tank where much of it liquifies on its own. Solids sink to the
bottom and it just piles up there. The liquid pours out to the leach
field where it evaporates.

Why do you think it is called a Septic Tank? Webster's defines a
septic tank as, "A tank into which sewage is conveyed and where
organic solids remain until decomposed by the action of anaerobic
bacteria." If this didn't occur, you would be pumping the tank every
few weeks.