Toilet question
I love getting out in the winter but with how cold it has been the last couple of years dumping the tanks is impossible. I have a chance to get a new porta potty for cheap and I am thinking of removi...
Forum Discussion
Reddog1 wrote:
Is the washer fluid any more harmful to septic systems than regular RV anti-freeze?
Wayne
Neither one is particularly harmful to a septic system under the conditions most would use. The sludge in the bottom has bacteria that can utilize either methanol or propylene glycol as a carbon source for energy. Most of the biodegradation of these two chemicals would occur in the drainfield soil where bacteria near the top and deep in the soil. Degradation rate depends on many factors, but you'd be hard pressed to find these in the soil come spring time.
For example, dumping 20 gallons of black tank liquid containing 1:1 diluted washer fluid (~20-25% methanol) into my small 1000 gallon septic tank dilutes the methanol to 0.4-0.5% by volume where it would have minimal effect on the bacteria in the septic tank or drainfield. Typically for methanol to prevent bacterial growth requires concentrations above 10% by volume. To kill bacteria usually requires concentration in the greater than the 30-50% methanol range (depending on the microorganism). Septic tank volume turns over every one to two weeks depending on the size of the household and water availability, so these very water soluble chemicals are rapidly dispersed and degraded.
