Using a Macerator to Dump Into Home Septic

[Trivet]

But again more frequent dumps.. will be easier on the septic

Of course this can cause issues LONG TERM with the black tank or so it is believed.

I've always wondered if that admonition applies to tanks that are emptied using a macerator, or if people even think about that. They talk about how the tank needs to be pretty full to provide an adequate amount of "swoosh," but there's no swoosh with a macerator because the contents are moved with a pump through a small hose. If the pump is doing the work, it seems to me it wouldn't matter how full the tank is.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Depending on the age and model, a typical residential top load clothes washer uses anywhere from 20 to 45 gallons per load. The septic tank will be fine with your black tank dump. As for dumping the grey water on the grass, be aware that grey water can smell as bad as or even worse than black water.

That is true and truthfully, the gray water is needed to flush out the hose or Macerator.

I just a had my home septic pumped out for the first time. House was built in '85, and I bought in '97. I know the original owner never had it pumped, they were real short on money.

Mine was full of sludge up to the inlet pipe so it certainly needed it though the septic guy said it really wasn't a problem.

Charles

 

[John From Detroit]

I've always wondered if that admonition applies to tanks that are emptied using a macerator, or if people even think about that. They talk about how the tank needs to be pretty full to provide an adequate amount of "swoosh," but there's no swoosh with a macerator because the contents are moved with a pump through a small hose. If the pump is doing the work, it seems to me it wouldn't matter how full the tank is.

I have emptied both ways... I agree.. Usually however if I was using the macerator it was while I was on the road. not at a proper campground but a Moose Lodge or some like facility where I needed the 50' Black hose (I had a 50' 3/4" black "rubber" hose. also a 25' Gray one) At regular CG's I had multiple 3" slinky type totaling 30 or 40 feet (I had 3 or 4 of them 10' each)

so normally I WOOSHED.

On the road I used a waste digester to help break down solids.

I've only seen one POOP Pyramid that was in somebody else's rig. I had the tools to bust it up and flush it.

 

[whiteva]

There are more than 21 million septic tanks in the US. We are told to clean them every 3 to 5 years as an average. Each household is different based upon usage and what is thrown down the pipe. The only way to determine actual time to pump out is by determining the depth of sludge at the bottom of the inlet tank by using a sludge judge. Most people fall into 1 of 2 types: never have to pump it out or pump every 5 years.

1 important rule is NEVER flush wipes, oil or feminine products. 2. garbage disposal is very hard on a septic tank, resulting in quicker build up.

A commercial sludge judge is a relatively expensive item used once every 2 years or so. Here is a video of a DIY sludge judge and how and why to use it.
I made a similar one many, many years ago resulting in less need to pump out except during the teenagers at home years.

In my opinion, whooshing into a septic tank may cause turbulence in the input chamber, causing some floating effluent to spill over into the 2nd chamber of a modern septic system. (Not a major problem) However both tanks should quietly settle back to normal operation by 24 hours. Using a macerator and garden hose should lessen the shock of wooshing.

FYI: I base my thoughts from checking the results of using both methods after dumping every week while living in my MH following hurricane Michael (8 months rebuilding the house)

 

[SMR]

My plan is to dump with the macerator pump every Fri, rinse the black tank and then follow it with some Grey water to clean the hose out.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Where my inlaws live no one gets their septic tanks pumped, they called several neighbors and none of them have had theirs pumped out...I asked a friend who lived in the greater Little Rock area and he never had his pumped out.
They said it's been 20 years since the last pump out.
When we lived in Elkhart ours was pumped every 3 years.

That's not unheard of - if not abused a well-designed septic (tank & leach/drain field) may never need pumping. On the other hand, there are areas where pumping every two years is mandatory. Not just for the sake of the tank either - to reduce the sludge escaping into the leach field in places like waterfront locations or clay-like soils.

Over the years the capability of a leach field may decrease substantially due to tree roots, grease build-up, collapsed pipes, and other changes in the percolation capability of the soil. Regular pump outs will help extend the life of the leach field.

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

The general dimensions of the tank will pretty well define the gallonage. A rough calculation is done by multiplying the cubic feet of tank space by 7.5. You can usually find the length & width by simply sticking a rod into the ground (the septic truck driver carries one for this purpose) but the height is a bit of guesswork. Most are in the 5-7 ft range but the liquid doesn't come all the way to the top. It's not rocket science, so all you need is a reasonable guess.

Another option is to go to your local county office that handles permits and ask for a copy of the paperwork for your system - it will list the location of the tank AND the size of the tank, as well as the location and size of the drainage field.

 

[Firstime RVer]

If you have a 1000 gallon septic tank, dumping 40 gallons would only add to 1/20th of its fill/depth. Our tank is aproximately 6 feet deep so the addition would only add less than an inch to the fluid in the tank..
Hardly worth worrying about.
Safe travels and all the best.

 

[Trivet]

If you have a 1000 gallon septic tank, dumping 40 gallons would only add to 1/20th of its fill/depth. Our tank is aproximately 6 feet deep so the addition would only add less than an inch to the fluid in the tank..

The logic is sound, but I think your math is off by a factor of three. 1/20th of 72 inches is 3.6 inches, not less than 1 inch.

But in addition, 40/1000 is 1/25, not 1/20. 1/25th of 72 inches is 2.88 inches, or just shy of 3 inches. So the 40 gallons would add about 3" to the fluid in the tank, not one inch.

At least your logic is sound, and even three inches is not a big deal.

Here's one where the logic wasn't great: A long time ago somebody said that by no longer putting "yellow" toilet paper in the toilet, they increased the amount of time the black tank lasts from 5 days to 14 days, and recommended it as a way to increase capacity in the black tank.

I showed the calculations to convert the volume of a roll of toilet paper into a volume of liquid--it's about a quart. I said that was 1/2 of 1 percent of the OP's 47-gallon black tank capacity. Kirk jumped in with a picture of a package of 24 rolls of toilet paper, noting that even that was less than a 5-gallon bucket.

The yellow toilet paper diverter said it's bigger unrolled.

 

[Firstime RVer]

The logic is sound, but I think your math is off by a factor of three. 1/20th of 72 inches is 3.6 inches, not less than 1 inch.

But in addition, 40/1000 is 1/25, not 1/20. 1/25th of 72 inches is 2.88 inches, or just shy of 3 inches. So the 40 gallons would add about 3" to the fluid in the tank, not one inch.

At least your logic is sound, and even three inches is not a big deal.

Here's one where the logic wasn't great: A long time ago somebody said that by no longer putting "yellow" toilet paper in the toilet, they increased the amount of time the black tank lasts from 5 days to 14 days, and recommended it as a way to increase capacity in the black tank.

I showed the calculations to convert the volume of a roll of toilet paper into a volume of liquid--it's about a quart. I said that was 1/2 of 1 percent of the OP's 47-gallon black tank capacity. Kirk jumped in with a picture of a package of 24 rolls of toilet paper, noting that even that was less than a 5-gallon bucket.

The yellow toilet paper diverter said it's bigger unrolled.

LOL I was already into cocktail hour and just "eyeballin" it.
Safe travels and all the best.

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

The logic is sound, but I think your math is off by a factor of three. 1/20th of 72 inches is 3.6 inches, not less than 1 inch.

But in addition, 40/1000 is 1/25, not 1/20. 1/25th of 72 inches is 2.88 inches, or just shy of 3 inches. So the 40 gallons would add about 3" to the fluid in the tank, not one inch.

Calculating the fluid level wiill require knowledge of all of the tank's dimensions, not just it's depth.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If you have a 1000 gallon septic tank, dumping 40 gallons would only add to 1/20th of its fill/depth. Our tank is aproximately 6 feet deep so the addition would only add less than an inch to the fluid in the tank..
Hardly worth worrying about.
Safe travels and all the best.

You can't tell how much rise an extra 40 gallons will cause until you know the length and width.

But it doesn't really make a difference. Whatever the rise is, it will quickly run out into the leach field because the tank is always "full" up to the level of the drain pipe. The larger concern is how much extra solids & paper are introduced all at once and how that stirs up the sludge at the bottom.

All that said, I agree that adding 40 gallons to a 1000 gallon tank is not much of a risk if it's a reasonably healthy septic system.

 

[TheBar]

If you've ever watched a septic overhaul the perforated lateral lines are usually the reason for the failure. 90% of the time the reason is from using too much toilet paper. If you are using a half roll on each flush its a problem. Using a macerator helps by liquefying it.

 

[TheBar]

Also try to cut down on the cleaning products. Beneficial bacteria dissolve most of the waste. Anything containing bleach is definitely taboo.

 

[Trivet]

Calculating the fluid level wiill require knowledge of all of the tank's dimensions, not just it's depth.

You can't tell how much rise an extra 40 gallons will cause until you know the length and width.

I was just correcting the math.

But I realized I don't know what shape a septic tank is. Using ratios like the OP did knowing only the depth works for containers with straight vertical sides and a flat bottom, like a cylinder or cube or rectangular solid (is there a specific word for those? Box? Block? I'm drawing a blank). The ratio formula would not work for a sphere or a cylinder on its side.

 

[John From Detroit]

IF the tank is pumped out it is fairly easy to get the size provided it's a regular shape.

A laser range finder can do it swiftly

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I was just correcting the math.

But I realized I don't know what shape a septic tank is. Using ratios like the OP did knowing only the depth works for containers with straight vertical sides and a flat bottom, like a cylinder or cube or rectangular solid (is there a specific word for those? Box? Block? I'm drawing a blank). The ratio formula would not work for a sphere or a cylinder on its side.

I'm pretty sure the majority are rectangular and most of the rest are uniform upright cylinders, so the ratio (proportional) estimate probably works well enough for this exercise. Old tank were uniform inside, but modern two-chamber designs are not as uniform, but probably still close enough for a SWAG.

 

[Trivet]

I'm pretty sure the majority are rectangular and most of the rest are uniform upright cylinders

Thanks! It's kind of amazing you can calculate the rise in the level knowing only one dimension of the container. I know I took some convincing. Math is cool.

The only personal experience I have with septic tanks is a friend of mine was hired as a teacher at a boarding school. The house they gave her to live in was previously occupied by a coach, and to try to get it even back close to clean she used so much bleach she got in trouble for damaging the septic tank.

 

[SMR]

Tank was pumped today, they said its a 500 gallon tank.

 

[khill1]

We will spending around 3 months at my inlaws and will be living in our camper at their house. Lots of projects......
Thinking I will need to dump the black tank every 7 plus days, it's around 20 gallons or so into the septic system. We will use the house as much as possible.
Grey water goes into the grass.
My question is will it do any damage to the septic system if I dump it every 7 days?
Thanks

20gal. in 7 days not going to amount to much, just treat with septic safe product. You might want to hold grey a couple days and experiment with odor control products verse leaving open. Dump at night when it soaks in verse rapid evaporate and smell during day. Move every time dumped. Dump grey when raining to disipate works good too. Comparison my old top load washer with one wash, two rinse cycles was 40 gallons of water at 5-6 loads a day sometimes 200-240gallons plus all other household water use a day hitting septic was never an issue.
I have 35 black and 70 grey and dump whatever in them as needed, RV dump line "T's" into line from house a couple feet from septic tank.