I'm also in the market for a new w & d and d/w and have a septic system. As far as I know, the biggest concern is water consumption. I am looking for the machine that cleans the best and is the most energy efficient with the least amount of water.

There is also other considerations such as trying to limit the use of harsh chemicals, such as liquid chlorine bleach, but that has nothing to do with which appliance you pick.

Any of the modern FLs will use extremely low amounts of water, even compared to "energy-efficient" top loaders. tantadoodles is wrong that it doesn't matter which machine you pick - if you want to not use chlorine bleach, you need to pick a machine with an onboard heater, preferably one that can handle stains by heating gradually from cold in the machine. The small-drum European machines (Bosch, Miele, Asko, AEG) can all do this, and of the large-drum machines the Bosch Nexxt can do this most consistently in all cycles. - DR

dross-

The OP asked what machine would be better for septic systems. I answered that question which you concurred with. As an aside, I was simply pointing out that the use of chlorine bleach is not good for septic systems and should be limited - not which machine would be better to use if using chlorine bleach.

You misunderstood my point.

My comment was about which machines would be better if you *don't* use chlorine bleach If you cannot use bleach, then this does in fact impact the choice of washer, since you want one that offers an alternate way to deal with laundry stains, elimination of bacteria, and potential machine biofilm problems. - DR

Lynnski,

The drainline to our septic tank started backing up, (outdoors thankfully), while washing clothes with our old Maytag toploader. After pumping out the septic tank the problem returned within six month so I eventually dug up the septic tank outflow distribution box and found out that the leach lines were no longer functional. Tree roots will clog up the perforated PVC leaching pipes. A contractor installed three new leach lines using arched plastic structures. The roots from all our big trees should not be able to plug it up

Then we retired our 1980's toploader Maytag and switched to a Bosch Nexxt FL washer. The volume of water sent to the septic tank is greatly reduced. The health of the septic tank bacterial culture is also enhanced by using a lot less laundry soap and using the internal heater rather than bleach. We will only occasionally use a peroxide bleach on work towels because it breaks down to plain water and should not harm the septic tank bacteria. We also minimize flushing food debris to the septic tank ( no garbage disposer).

The Bosch washers are actually made in the USA and they can be less expensive than some of the Whirlpool and Kenmorel FL washers.

I should have mentioned that this is a weekend/vacation home, therefore not the location where we'll do all our laundry. We can easily live without bleach and do all our whites at home where we pay a hefty water/sewer tax. So--leaving the issue of bleach out of the question, how else should the septic system affect our decision?

I understand that our new home has a leach pit, not a leach field, if that is a consideration. And the top of the pit is about 6 feet below ground.

We are on a septic field system installed in 1998. We use a regular old top loader circa early 1990's. This has never been a problem. You can use bleach, just not gallons of it at once. A cup of bleach with your whites is not going to destroy your septic field. Try not to run the dishwasher, shower and washer at the same time, but don't let the septic run your life. The best thing is to ask other people on the same system in your area their experiences as different set ups can vary.

If this is a vacation home, you could probably go with either a TL or a FL, although a FL would put less stress on the septic system. If you are using well water or paying for water, that's another reason to consider a FL.

I'm also on a septic system, installed in 1997. We pay a premium for water and our septic system, although relatively new, is in such a precarious location that fixing it would require all hand labor (no tractors, no power tools), so I have an incentive to keep the system healthy. I switched to a FL.

DGMarie's advice follows the advice I got from the septic system installer: Don't do all your "water chores" (shower, dishwasher, laundry) at the same time, try to space them out over the day. If you do 12 loads of laundry a week, don't do it all on one day, do a couple of loads a day, preferably not close to shower time or dishwashing time. As long as you aren't using bleach and other cleaning chemicals to excess, they shouldn't have much effect on the bacteria colonies in the tank.

Septic systems tend to be dependable and silent. When they are working well, no one notices them. If a septic system does have problems, by the time you notice it (because water is backing up, for instance) it's a HUGE problem.

Lynski, did you have the septic system at your new place inspected during the purchase process? When we bought our home, this was the best $350 we spent. (We, the buyers, paid to pump the tank and have it inspected.) The system (about 30 years old) had a lot of problems that the sellers were unaware of (they hadn't lived in the home for 10 years; it had been a rental), so the septic system had to be replaced (it was that bad). The lots in our neighborhood were originally developed as vacation properites and houses built in the 1930s -- many of the present owners have very little first-hand knowledge of theis own septic systems, not through any fault of their own.

CMC

Here is a link that might be useful: The Septic Tank Page

Thanks for all the great advice. We are still in the inspection period. Here in Massachusetts the seller pays for the septic inspection, and the system has to pass "Title 5" before the property can be sold.

The system is 21 years old, and *seems* to be OK. The current owners have a garbage disposal, but we will be switching to compost. Since we're a family of 3 in a 3 bedroom house, the septic system should be under- not over-stressed. We will be on a well, so the FL might still be the way to go. But I dunno--I just found a nearly new Kenmore washer/dryer set offered at $200 (see my other post), so I may just go for that and be done with the whole question.

You got lots of good advice from CMC. If your laundry usage is going to be low, that Kenmore set may be a good choice. Hope the old leach pit is easy to access and passes inspection.

Lynski, don't let my story of an old defective septic system worry you too much. In our case, the original design of the septic system left a lot to be desired and this contributed to its dysfunctional state.

In California, at least in my county (Santa Clara), there is no requirement for the septic system to pass an inspection in order for the home to be sold. Buyers can and do buy homes with a septic system and they have no idea of the health of the system, sometimes they have no idea where the tank and leach field are, or the last time the tank was pumped. As the home buyer, I can have any number of inspections performed, if I pay for them. (I can also negotiate who pays for specific inspections with the seller.) I am required to share the results of all inspections with the seller.

After my experience, I always encourage home buyers to have the septic system inspected, even if they have to pay for it themselves. This advice paid off for our friends, a couple who discovered a system in need of repair before the sale was finalized. (That was in the state of Washington.)

CMC

We lived with a septic field in our last house for 12 years and never ever had a problem with our run of the mill 89 GE toploader. We never used bleach, ever. If you're in a hardware or most grocery stores you'll find stuff for septic tank/fields. Actually it's enzymes, you flush down the toilet every so often to keep your system activated. I used those maybe every month and never had to have the tank portion cleaned out either, unlike our neighbors who all insisted on using bleach.

The need to have the tank periodically pumped has nothing to do with whether or not you use bleach. In the tank solids settle at the bottom of the tank and oils rise to the top. the outlet that takes water to the leach field is in that middle area, so no solids or oils go into the leach field. You don't want solids and oils in the leach field. At some point (a number of years) you do need to pump the tank out to remove the accumulated solids and oils. I've heard anecdotes of badly neglected tanks where the solids build up and the oils build down to where there's no room left for the outflow fluids - solids or oils start flowing into the leach field, at which point the entire system is compromised.

There are a lot of opinions on additves. All my neighbors have septic systems. Some swear by various additives; we've never used them. You don't need enzymes to keep the system activated. You put perfectly good bacteria into the tank every time you flush.

See the Septic Tank Page link further up in this thread to find links to pumping schedules. It depends on the size of the tank, how many people are living in the house, and whether or not you use a garbage disposal. A garbage disposal can make a big difference in how often you need to pump.

CMC