Dumping RV tanks into home syptic system

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

kenzmad wrote:

manualman wrote:
Hello, folks. Civil engineer here. I design wastewater systems.

Conventional septic tanks are an anaerobic environment (i.e. "septic") in which breakdown of solids into soluble substances happens on a glacial speed (SLOW). Solids build up on the bottom and grease scum builds up in a layer on the surface. If you are a low loading user, it may take a LONG time for the solids and grease buildup to get to the point where the tank no longer effectively clarifies the septage before it exits the tank and heads for the leach field. In a properly functioning system, the clearest water is in the middle elevation of the tank where the outlet pipe is. But if that outlet starts receiving greases or solids, the leach field will be destroyed (clogged tight).

NOT pumping your tank periodically until/unless there is a problem is similar in strategy to never topping off the oil on an old engine until the low pressure red light comes on on the dash. The damage is irreversible at that point.

The guy who has never pumped his tank and grinds up everything leftover on his plates either has an unsafe leach field built in soils innately made of gravel or his field is totally locked up and the flows are getting out on the surface or in a cross connected drain tile (which you'd never see).

My advice: Find out the dimensions of your tank and inspect it annually to make sure that the scum layer bottom and sediment layer top are at least a foot away from the opening to the outlet pipe (usually an elbow). Yuck. Or pay to pump it every couple of years and ask the honey wagon guy to measure for you before pumping. Increase pumping interval if its not building up much between pumpouts.

As an owner of a septic tank cleaning company, I am happy to see someone chime in here who has a grasp on how the tanks work. This has been a hard topic to read, knowing all the money these misinformed people will be spending in the future.

Since you brought up money lets talk about that for a moment.

I have no idea what you charge where you live but many, many, many years ago it was $250.00 where I live. It's now $450.00 to pump a tank and has been there for many years.

I haven't pumped my tank for 40 years in one of my houses. Now lets go low and say the average was $250 to pump my tank over the years.

Now $250 a year times 40 years is $10,000 grand!! 10 GRAND! At the other house I saved $7,500!

So total I saved $17,500 dollars!

Now, I concede that in the future I "may" have to replace my leach field. I might even have to do it in my life time. Then again, maybe not? Nobody knows for sure, not even the experts.

I have access to a hoe, and gravel and pipe is cheap. For sure not over a couple of grand and a day labor for me.

Net gain for me? About $15,000 grand! Not to gloat but that's not a bad pay day for me!

Now I don't recommend anybody do what I do, but it works for me and it has for a long time.

I Dont normally get into the back and forth with someone who doesnt have all the information he needs but here goes. Using your numbers, you are correct that you will be losing money, however, the average recommended time between tank cleanings is around 4 years. So, using your numbers, you are saving $2500.00. Damage to your drainfield is no doubt occurring as we speak. Damage to the groundwater supplies as well. You see, a septic tank is simply a water/solid separator that allows water to flow outand the solids to stay put. As time goes on, the concentration of sewage increases in the tank becoming more and more harmful to our groundwater. Times have changed and we now look at septic systems in a different light than before. The science behind it is eye opening.