Dumping Waste in Septics

[jerryjay11]

I have read on several different forums and subjects here of RVers dumping their wastewater into their home septic systems. If you do as I do and use RV chemicals to treat your tanks of the waste and odor then you are doing your septic system great harm. While RVs use chemicals to break down solids home septic systems use bacteria to break down your home wastes. Use of chemicals actually kill these bacterias and negate what a home septic system is designed to do.

Because your home septic system naturally will receive more untreated waste than what you would have dumped from your RV this home waste will not break down as it should and can contaminate the ground around your leach field. Solid waste can reach the leach field causing it to clog. This can as well run off into drinking water or nearby streams, etc. Besides the fact the septic system bacteria will be killed the chemicals in RV waste water treatments can also be of great hazard to the environment.

There is an article from the University of Arizona that explains this and provides a chart of chemicals that are harmful to your septic system and environment. Before dumping in your home septic verify that these RV waste treatments do not contain any of these chemicals.

[atwowheelguy]

gbopp wrote:

coolmom42 wrote:
Best thing to do is not put the chemicals in the RV tank to start with.

Yep, either that or go to Wal-Mart and dump it in the storm drain. :B
We haven't seen one of those posts for awhile.

That's what Hillary's campaign bus did when they came to Georgia.



http://www.11alive.com/news/local/hillary-clinton-campaign-bus-dumps-sewage-on-lawrenceville-street/...

[Rancher_Will]

We have always dumped our RV tanks in our Septic System on our home Ranch since I bought the Ranch in 1960. I do put RID-X in our home septic system every month but nothing in the RV holding tanks except a little laundry detergent, about a table spoon full in each tank, when we start on each trip. I can't prove that the laundry detergent helps but we seem to always have easy rinsing of the tanks when we dump them. We have never had any problem with our septic system either.

[dodge_guy]

lanerd wrote:

dodge guy wrote:

I`ve found the odor much less when using it. and one 8oz. bottle will last 2 tanks. I don't remember what I paid for the 6 pack, but its not much to have a pleasant toilet!

If you are experiencing odors.... you have a problem. You need to locate where the odor is escaping from and repair the problem, not just mask it with chemicals. Seals will crack, leak and generally wear out over time and usage. AAV's are known to be a problem even when new.

With the amount of $$ you've spent on chemicals, you could have easily repaired the problem and saved a whole bunch of $$.

Ron

Only when flushing the toilet does it give a whiff. nothing more, a little additive make it pleasant! and over the years I`ve spent less than $100. makes camping pleasant!

[lanerd]

dodge guy wrote:

I`ve found the odor much less when using it. and one 8oz. bottle will last 2 tanks. I don't remember what I paid for the 6 pack, but its not much to have a pleasant toilet!

If you are experiencing odors.... you have a problem. You need to locate where the odor is escaping from and repair the problem, not just mask it with chemicals. Seals will crack, leak and generally wear out over time and usage. AAV's are known to be a problem even when new.

With the amount of $$ you've spent on chemicals, you could have easily repaired the problem and saved a whole bunch of $$.

Ron

[CavemanCharlie]

Ken O wrote:

bid_time wrote:

PAThwacker wrote:

Ken O wrote:
I don't use chemicals either, to me its the same as flushing money down the toilet.

There is no way I can dump in my septic, its behind the house, a long ways from where I park the RV next to the garage. So, I built a homemade septic in the woods near the RV. I used two 55 gallon drums, connected them so I had a solids/digester, and clarifier, then a small 20' leach/drain field with perf pipe. Many years ago I worked for an outfit putting in septic systems, and had an idea of how they work. I have a backhoe, it was easy.

Its real nice to just leave if there is a line at the CG dump station. Or, if boon docking where there aren't any place to dump.

I'd be one pissed off neighbor if my well was close to that diy system

I don't care if my well was close to it or not. My neighbor would be getting a visit from the Health Department. That is just unacceptable. That's why they have to pass laws, cause of the stupid things some people will do.

Wow! I thought I was doing good, my scaled down system is no different than yours, and for the little that goes in it, its overkill.

Yeah, your cell phone would be burning up making calls if you were near me. Around here there are deer camps, and seasonal cabins with just outhouses. An outhouse is just shack over a pit in the ground. I have been to some deer camp parties, and can tell you more UNTREATED sewage is going down in a few hours, than my TREATED system in years.

Also, hunters out there, no flush toilets in the woods yet (more calls). The cattle up the road are dumping all the time, (more calls). Etc. I'm sure your pets are toilet trained, don't know about your neigbors, more calls.


I wish you well, we just live in different worlds.

I am not trying to get into your disagreement. We do seem to be a different world around here too. If you had any of the things you stated above in my area you would be in big trouble.

Some of the local parks do have "Vault Toilets" but, they are not out houses and they are pumped out once a year by a licensed pumper who takes the waste to a city that charges him a fee for dumping it.

No outhouses or homemade drain fields in may area

That being said, a lot of use still have substandard septic systems with no leach field at all. This only causes a problem if you sell the house. Then the next owner is required to add a leach field.

(My septic tank drains into a broken field tile, that ties into a broken field tile, that ties into a broken field tile. lol. Somewhere along the line it all just soaks away) Is it illegal ? Kinda, but nothing is said until the house is sold. Then it must be fixed.

[Ken_O]

bid_time wrote:

PAThwacker wrote:

Ken O wrote:
I don't use chemicals either, to me its the same as flushing money down the toilet.

There is no way I can dump in my septic, its behind the house, a long ways from where I park the RV next to the garage. So, I built a homemade septic in the woods near the RV. I used two 55 gallon drums, connected them so I had a solids/digester, and clarifier, then a small 20' leach/drain field with perf pipe. Many years ago I worked for an outfit putting in septic systems, and had an idea of how they work. I have a backhoe, it was easy.

Its real nice to just leave if there is a line at the CG dump station. Or, if boon docking where there aren't any place to dump.

I'd be one pissed off neighbor if my well was close to that diy system

I don't care if my well was close to it or not. My neighbor would be getting a visit from the Health Department. That is just unacceptable. That's why they have to pass laws, cause of the stupid things some people will do.

Wow! I thought I was doing good, my scaled down system is no different than yours, and for the little that goes in it, its overkill.

Yeah, your cell phone would be burning up making calls if you were near me. Around here there are deer camps, and seasonal cabins with just outhouses. An outhouse is just shack over a pit in the ground. I have been to some deer camp parties, and can tell you more UNTREATED sewage is going down in a few hours, than my TREATED system in years.

Also, hunters out there, no flush toilets in the woods yet (more calls). The cattle up the road are dumping all the time, (more calls). Etc. I'm sure your pets are toilet trained, don't know about your neigbors, more calls.


I wish you well, we just live in different worlds.

[manualman]

3oaks wrote:

Some areas of the country are more prone to septic system failures than others. Particularly when they are over taxed all at once and depending on the soil composition.

As bid_time noted, this actually is NOT the problem. The problem is that the cheapest septic system to install is one that gravity drains from the home through the tank to the leach field such that there is a steady low flow trickle coming out of the tank. What happens in such cases is that the very first few feet of leach field are constantly loaded and never get to breathe. Leach fields are supposed to operate on aerobic bacteria (oxygen breathers). A portion of the field that never dries out goes anaerobic (no oxygen) which doesn't break the organics down to solubles as much as aerobics do. The end result is that you get "creeping black death" of the leach field. The pores progressively plug with undecomposed organics until the leach field no longer can leach.

More effective systems let a measured amount of volume accumulate in the pump well and that whole volume is then pumped to the leach field in a short time to fill the whole field. Then the whole thing gets to rest and "breathe" again while the next batch accumulates in the pump manhole. These systems that "dose" the field with long periods of zero flow in between last MUCH longer than the cheaper gravity systems. Especially in soils with marginal percolation rates to begin with.

[3oaks]

wnjj wrote:

3oaks wrote:
Yep. I was thinking that right along. Surprised that fact wasn't mentioned sooner. Too much all at one time can upset the natural balance of bacteria inside the septic tank which breaks down the sludge before the outflow hits the leech field.

It was mentioned in the 9th post (wa9yxm's). 😉

Your right. I missed it. :S

[manualman]

Unless yours is a VERY old system, you likely have a septic tank with at least 1,000 gallons of sewage sitting in it right now. That 50 gallons of black tank with 5-6 oz of CampChem in it is NOT going to sterilize the septic tank.

We have an old saying in civil engineering: Dilution is the solution to pollution. Diluting the formaldehyde that much puts it below the toxic level for the anaerobic bacteria that chew on your sewage in the septic tank.

Go ahead and use your home system as follows:
1. Don't use massive doses of chem in your RV tank. Follow the directions for your tank size.
2. Dump a max of 50 gallons at a time unless you know you've got a septic tank larger than 1,500 gallons.
3. Never dump into the inspection hatch of the septic tank. You'll churn everything up and nasty greasy gunk will get discharged to the leach field (expensive!).
4. If you add a cleanout to avoid #3 above, make sure it is located Upstream of the septic tank. If you install it downstream, you'll be needing a new leach field soon.
5. Listen to anything bid_time says on the subject. He obviously knows his... well,you know.

[3oaks]

nevadanick wrote:
We had a huge soaking tub in our last house, it drained all at once and never created a problem. I think everyone has to much time on their hands to worry about stuff that doesnt matter. In my whole life i have seen one septic system fail and it was built wrong.

But was your huge soaking tub full of ****? I sure hope it wasn't. :R

Some areas of the country are more prone to septic system failures than others. Particularly when they are over taxed all at once and depending on the soil composition.

[wnjj]

3oaks wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
.....................
BUT I don't dump ALL at once.

Rapid influx of waste effluent can cause septic systems issues.
It can force sludge over into distribution box and out into leech field piping plugging it up.........................

😉

Yep. I was thinking that right along. Surprised that fact wasn't mentioned sooner. Too much all at one time can upset the natural balance of bacteria inside the septic tank which breaks down the sludge before the outflow hits the leech field.

It was mentioned in the 9th post (wa8yxm's). 😉

Edit: Demoted wa9yxm back to wa8yxm. 🙂

[bid_time]

I would be surprised??? I have worked in the water and wastewater industry for the past 37 years. The places I have been and the things that I have done would make you heave chunks. And I ate lunch right after words with those same hands.

There is no problem with a properly designed septic system draining to the aquifer. It's those backyard hack jobs that cause problems.

And one more thing, dosing tanks are the preferred method of using a septic system. A dosing tank stores then discharges a larger volume of water to the septic system rather then the typical 2 gallon flush every time the commode is used. Dosing gets water out into all parts of the leach field rather then only using the first few feet repeatedly. This makes the field work better and last longer.

[dodge_guy]

bid_time wrote:

PAThwacker wrote:

Ken O wrote:
I don't use chemicals either, to me its the same as flushing money down the toilet.

There is no way I can dump in my septic, its behind the house, a long ways from where I park the RV next to the garage. So, I built a homemade septic in the woods near the RV. I used two 55 gallon drums, connected them so I had a solids/digester, and clarifier, then a small 20' leach/drain field with perf pipe. Many years ago I worked for an outfit putting in septic systems, and had an idea of how they work. I have a backhoe, it was easy.

Its real nice to just leave if there is a line at the CG dump station. Or, if boon docking where there aren't any place to dump.

I'd be one pissed off neighbor if my well was close to that diy system

I don't care if my well was close to it or not. My neighbor would be getting a visit from the Health Department. That is just unacceptable. That's why they have to pass laws, cause of the stupid things some people will do.

I think you would be surprised at how many septics are in a given area, and all end up draining back down into the aquafere where all the drinking water is pulled out of!

[kmbelt]

My parents and I both use this chemical. Septic safe.

Pure Power Blue