Is Salt water safe for Septic Systems?

nanafish · 01/10/2009, 11:41 PM

My husband and I are at odds with each other on this topic. If I were to drain my waste water from the tanks down the drain, where it will enter into the septic system - Will this do anything to the bacteria living in the septic tank? I wanted to run a hose out the window where it will drain into the mulch. No tender plants, just shrubs. He says it will kill the shrubs. (Its not like I am doing daily water changes) I currently have a 125 gal, 29 and 30 gal. tanks. I want to keep peace and ultimately save face on this topic. Any help would be apreciated!

JHemdal · 01/11/2009, 09:45 AM

Does your laundry and/or dishwasher feed into your septic system? If so, your system is probably large enough to handle a decent amount of saltwater intrusion. On the other hand, if you need to divert those water sources somewhere else, you likely have a smaller system that may not be able to handle the infux of salt.

IMO, the bacteria in the system can adapt to brackish conditions over time, but they are not really adept at quick changes - so I would not change the water in all the tanks in one morning.

Another trick is to change the water in the tanks at the same time you are adding freswhater to the system from some other source (bath, dishwasher, etc.) this will dilute the saltwater as it enters the system.

You might try reposting your question in the Advanced or chemistry forums....

Jay

cdbias2 · 01/27/2009, 05:23 PM

It will kill your septic tank and your bushes.

GoBigOrGoHome · 01/27/2009, 06:43 PM

I would say that it could go either way, but more likely your septic system will be fine. I would be very surprised if a volume of, say, <20 gallons/ week or so could possibly kill a significant amount of bacteria.
Jay had it right when he said drain your saltwater while there's an influx of freshwater happening at the same time. If the septic bacteria can handle all kinds of laundry soap and stuff like that, I would suspect they could handle a pretty hefty amount of salt as well.

Same goes for your bushes, depending on what they are. If your bushes prefer a low pH, low mineral content soil, probably not a good idea. Then again, if its well-drained soil, you've probably got nothing to worry about.

madreefer14 · 02/14/2009, 03:28 AM

Just ad Ridex 1 box every month. Ours is a 1500 gal system. No problems so far.

Wolverine · 02/14/2009, 10:53 AM

When we moved to our current house, I asked the people who did the septic inspection about this. They recommended doing what Jay mentioned. When I put saltwater into the system, I do it when laundry or the dishwasher or something else is running to dilute it.

unhpian · 03/02/2009, 07:35 PM

Generally speaking, I would say less than 50 gallons per week into a septic system will be okay, as long as it is dilluted (as previously mentioned). In reality - the amount of treatment that occurs in a septic tank is minimal, and its true function is as a settling basin, allowing the solids to be pumped out later while the liquids go into the leach field.

Long term, letting the water infiltrate around shrubs will definitely cause problems - most plants are very intolerant of salt, and regularly doing this will result in a significant buildup of salts in the soil, and will make it difficult for anything to grow there (unless you want marsh plants, of course . . ).The septic tank is a much better option in this case.

CHOMPERS MFK · 03/21/2009, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by unhpian
The septic tank is a much better option in this case.

^ I agree. Where they irrigate with brackish water, after several years there is a large increase in the salt content in the soil. During rainy periods, they have problems with the salt from lower levels creeping back to the surface and killing everything.

It is better to put it into the septic system where it won't concentrate. A typical septic tank is between 600-1200 gallons, so the dilution of the saltwater will render it harmless.

01/10/2009, 11:41 PM	#1
nanafish Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: ohio/Col. Station 44028 Posts: 629	Is Salt water safe for Septic Systems? My husband and I are at odds with each other on this topic. If I were to drain my waste water from the tanks down the drain, where it will enter into the septic system - Will this do anything to the bacteria living in the septic tank? I wanted to run a hose out the window where it will drain into the mulch. No tender plants, just shrubs. He says it will kill the shrubs. (Its not like I am doing daily water changes) I currently have a 125 gal, 29 and 30 gal. tanks. I want to keep peace and ultimately save face on this topic. Any help would be apreciated!

01/27/2009, 06:43 PM	#4
GoBigOrGoHome Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: WI Posts: 641	I would say that it could go either way, but more likely your septic system will be fine. I would be very surprised if a volume of, say, <20 gallons/ week or so could possibly kill a significant amount of bacteria. Jay had it right when he said drain your saltwater while there's an influx of freshwater happening at the same time. If the septic bacteria can handle all kinds of laundry soap and stuff like that, I would suspect they could handle a pretty hefty amount of salt as well. Same goes for your bushes, depending on what they are. If your bushes prefer a low pH, low mineral content soil, probably not a good idea. Then again, if its well-drained soil, you've probably got nothing to worry about. __________________ Check out my little red house. 8000-gallon tank build in progress Current Tank Info: 15 tanks of varying sizes, 8-110 gal, 11 fresh, 4 salt

02/14/2009, 03:28 AM	#5
madreefer14 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Iowa Posts: 345	Just ad Ridex 1 box every month. Ours is a 1500 gal system. No problems so far. __________________ And the corals sang praises unto me Shouting "You are my sunshine, my only sun shine."- me Current Tank Info: 55 gal reef tank filled 11/05/07 t5 lights w/2 actinic+, 1 10000k and 1 super actinic on 660 IC, 40 gal home made sump, 4000HH return pump and via aqua 388 skimmer w/ 1200gph CPR overflow, Koralia #4 PH. Tank to be mainly sps

02/14/2009, 10:53 AM	#6
Wolverine RC Mod Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: West Bloomfield, MI Posts: 17,732	When we moved to our current house, I asked the people who did the septic inspection about this. They recommended doing what Jay mentioned. When I put saltwater into the system, I do it when laundry or the dishwasher or something else is running to dilute it. __________________ Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. -Douglas Adams Current Tank Info: 14g, 29g nano reefs

01/11/2009, 09:45 AM	#2
JHemdal Moved On Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,971	Does your laundry and/or dishwasher feed into your septic system? If so, your system is probably large enough to handle a decent amount of saltwater intrusion. On the other hand, if you need to divert those water sources somewhere else, you likely have a smaller system that may not be able to handle the infux of salt. IMO, the bacteria in the system can adapt to brackish conditions over time, but they are not really adept at quick changes - so I would not change the water in all the tanks in one morning. Another trick is to change the water in the tanks at the same time you are adding freswhater to the system from some other source (bath, dishwasher, etc.) this will dilute the saltwater as it enters the system. You might try reposting your question in the Advanced or chemistry forums.... Jay

01/27/2009, 05:23 PM	#3
cdbias2 Appalachian Reef Society Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alum Creek, WV (No more) Posts: 1,433	It will kill your septic tank and your bushes.

03/02/2009, 07:35 PM	#7
unhpian Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 85	Generally speaking, I would say less than 50 gallons per week into a septic system will be okay, as long as it is dilluted (as previously mentioned). In reality - the amount of treatment that occurs in a septic tank is minimal, and its true function is as a settling basin, allowing the solids to be pumped out later while the liquids go into the leach field. Long term, letting the water infiltrate around shrubs will definitely cause problems - most plants are very intolerant of salt, and regularly doing this will result in a significant buildup of salts in the soil, and will make it difficult for anything to grow there (unless you want marsh plants, of course . . ).The septic tank is a much better option in this case.