Have septic and use garbage disposal.

absob

10 years ago

Do you have a septic and use a garbage disposal? If so, what do you put down it, what do you NOT put down it?

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Comments (6)

Majra
10 years ago
I don't put much in the disposal at all. An occasional lemon or lime rind to keep it smelling fresh is the biggest workout it gets. We would rather give the garbage to the garbage man than the septic tank!
sushipup1
10 years ago
I only use it for soupy things. I scrape into the garbage, so few larger pieces get into the sink at all. I dumped about a 1/2 cup of chicken noodle soup last week. Probably only use it once a week, but I wouldn't be without it.
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scapulous My DW gave me this book as a gift (a sort of joke) but it explains septic systems and how to care for them in very simple terms. The Septic System Owner's Manual (Paperback) by Lloyd Kahn (Author), Blair Allen (Author), Julie Jones (Author), Peter Aschwanden In our new home (our first time on a septic system), we chose to wire for the disposal but to not install it. We wanted to try living without first to see what it would be like. It really is not a big deal - the stainless sinks we have came with a deep basket cup that catches food waste but does not clog and we dump the food waste into a trash can. It reminds me when I was a kid - before disposals became popular and affordable - when I had to do the dishes as a chore. You get used to it. The problem with the disposal is conditioning yourself to not use it the way you might on public sewer. There are a lot of materials (like apple skins) that are not good for the septic - see the book for the list. I was worried that we would forget, or get sloppy, or have guests over that would not ask - and we might run into problems. There are other items you need to be careful of too - the one's that often get flushed down the toilet. See the book, no need to get gross here. We spent a small fortune on our septic system. I want to make sure it will never fail. This has become a real issue in the county where we live where septic systems have been failing frequently mainly due to what people throw in them, some due to bad designs. Most of the issues stem from folks who lived on public sewer all their lives and then moved to the country to septic - and were never told how septic systems work and how to care for them. My septic system did not come with an ower's manual - so the book really is a great reference guide. Best of luck living in the country - it really is nice. Except for the bears and snakes - but we will get used to them too.
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septic tank and garbage disposal
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Comments (10)
There have been numerous threads on garbage disposals and septic systems, here and in Kitchens. They are banned some places, such as where I live. Some people never have an issue, others ruin their leach field and learn a very expensive lesson. So, you are going to get some responses that say "I've had one for 30 years, never pumped, and never had a problem" to responses like what my DH would write, which would be "never have a garbage disposal with a septic system" (he knows of what he speaks, he is licensed to install and design in 3 states). As others mentioned, the issue is what floats into the leach field. I would like a GD, primarily to pull the water down the drain faster. But I won't risk it because we have a very expensive leach field due to the clay soil around here.
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garbage disposal with septic system??
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Comments (5)
Agree non-degradables do accumulate until pumped. Septic systems do need to be pumped/inspected at appropriate intervals and those intervals will be shorter with more solids. I do regard occasional pumping/inspection as normal maintenance required of any septic system. I did not mean to imply that in 28 years using a disposal with my septic system I've never done anything to maintain it. To be specific, I typically pump/inspect it every five years or so. Upon each of those occasions, there were no problems of any kind observed and was advised I could wait longer. Not an expert. Just saying my experience. Probably should have left the "microbes" quip out. Trying to be cute.
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To garbage disposal or not garbage disposal
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Comments (26)
My husband and I were just discussing this the other day, if we had it to do over again, we wouldn't. I don't really cook the kind of meals that need a lot of "disposing" and my garbage is picked up twice a week. I don't think it is worth the sometimes smelly unpleasantness. It probably is more likely to smell if you hardly ever use it, as in our case. I only got it because I replaced the one that went on the fritz after 16 years. I should have just ditched it then and could have gotten a different kind of sink but that's a whole other story. I also don't like how much room it takes up under the sink.
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new-beginning
10 years ago
I have chickens, a turkey, goats, a dog and cats - that pretty much takes care of any food scraps, leftovers.

With a septic system, not much should go down the disposer unless you like getting it pumped frequently.
lucas_tx_gw
10 years ago
I compost just about everything and only let the small bits that get in the sink go down the drain. Run a citrus rind occasionally to keep it clean.

Considered taking out the GD when we remodeled but decided it was worth keeping even if rarely used.
ppbenn
10 years ago
We have had a septic tank system in the past four houses
We have had a garbage disposal at each house and are sensible about what goes down. Plate scraps, small things go down of course
Large stuff like shucking a dozen ears of corn, 10# of potato peelings get composted. My kids put more stuff down than I do.
We have NEVER had an issue with our septics.
I would never NOT have a disposer. It just seems like good insurance to be able to grind up stuff that might just slip down.
My daughter had no disposer in her first apt and ALWAYS had clogs
Her landlord was going to add disposers to all 12 apts.
Our current 150 year old farmhouse with a cesspool not a septic has had NO problems over the past 7 years since we included the disposer in the remodel
YMMV
smiling
10 years ago
I've also had a septic and disposer for over 30 years with no problems.

Many years ago my hardware store pointed me to a live bacteria treatment called Microbe-Lift that I flush into the septic about twice a year. (I have no association with the company, just swear by their stuff.)

They also advised me to put about one cup of sugar down the drain once a month (to feed the bacterial culture that breaks down the solids in your septic tank).

Our plumber says that one of the best ways to clean a disposer is to run a whole tray of ice cubes. The little shards of ice are like knives scraping the insides and the grinder. YMMV but it works great for us.

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Have septic and use garbage disposal.

Comments (6)

Majra

sushipup1

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new-beginning

lucas_tx_gw

ppbenn

smiling

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