Can i install a garbage disposal on a septic system

A septic tank underground water-tight container is similar to the sewer system. It gets waste from the house and decomposes it through bacterial activity. Then it diverts the liquid waste into the drain field. Septic tanks are build from safe and durable materials like concrete. They can last between 26 to 31 years with proper maintenance and offer an accessible substitute to the standard sewer system. However, they require pumping after every few years.

Otherwise, they won't function properly and eventually halt entirely because of the accumulated sludge. You're here because you want to know the answer to the question: Can you install and use the garbage disposal with a septic tank? However, several precautionary measures need to be taken to ensure that the garbage disposal doesn't disrupt the septic tank's functionality.

A septic tank separates solids and other floating matter from wastewater. The floating particles reach the top whereas, solids sink deep. As the floating sludge and scum increases, the septic system's capacity decreases.

Meanwhile, the bacteria will help decompose parts of the solids, however not all, which is why a septic tank needs to be pumped regularly. When you use garbage disposal along with a septic system regularly, the amount of overall waste that flows into your septic system dramatically increases. As the natural bacteria won't decompose all of the solids quickly enough, the septic system requires more inspection and pumping.

Here are a few preemptive measures you can take to avoid problems when using a garbage disposal with a septic tank:.

There are actually lots of videos on the topic of how a septic tank works. There are different kinds of designs. You should know which one you have and how it works. Here is a good overview of single compartment, double compartment and pump systems from the King County, Washington government. Do not flush household cleaners, diapers, tampons, condoms, cigarette butts, unwanted medication, oil or grease or any number of other things that people commonly put down toilets.

Be water wise. Running too much water through the system is a common cause of or factor in septic tank failure. Be mindful of not negatively impacting the tank physically. This includes both landscaping choices and lifestyle choices. It will impact the soil and can potentially break pipes. However, that may not be the most realistic expectation. Maybe you moved into a house that already has a garbage disposal and a septic system. Maybe you have some reason why you feel you need to add one.

Hopefully, that will minimize problems if you do have a disposal in the house and a septic system out back. In fact, if you have bought a house with a septic system and it has a disposal, you should consider having it removed. If you do so, get it removed by a professional plumber who can replace it with the appropriate pipes.

Generally speaking, the less you use it, the better. Humans are creatures of habit and will tend to do what they have always done. It can be hard to get them to change their habits. Renters are notoriously bad about not knowing how to take proper care of the property.

After the accumulation of enough waste and the garbage disposal is turned on, a spinning disc or an impeller plate possessing a pair of blunt metal teeth turns at high speed. It causes the food waste to accumulate to be mashed against the walls of the grinding chamber. Despite the garbage disposal being utilized as an appliance for the easy disposal of waste food, not all food scraps are suitable for disposal to act on.

This means that the garbage disposal while being functional, should not be mistaken for or used as a trash can. Most of the foods and materials that are best left out of the garbage disposal are so classified because of their ability to cause jamming or clogging of the appliance and their inability to degrade once within a septic system correctly.

This inability to degrade quickly enough is a big deal and could have significantly pronounced effects on the longevity and maintenance costs of using a septic tank. Some of the best left out of the garbage disposal include meat bones, greases, and oils, fibrous food, potato peels, fruit pits, etc. The list goes on, and the best method to avoid putting in the wrong types of waste is to check that food that absorbs and expands in water has the ability to wrap itself around the blades or get between the teeth of the grinders are left out.

Buying garbage disposal is one thing, but getting one that fits the way you like to work or conduct your cleaning is another. To achieve this compatibility between your system of cleaning and effective function, here are a couple of features to look out for in garbage disposal:.

There are two types of motors used in garbage disposals; the induction motor and the permanent magnet motor. The permanent magnet motor is the more recent of the two technologies and is widely considered more effective. This is because it possesses almost twice the speed of performance demonstrated by induction motors.

This would mean that the disposals powered by the permanent magnet motor would use less water and less electricity than the induction motor garbage disposals. The feed mechanism of the garbage disposal could be batch feed or continuous feed. The suitability of any of these mechanisms depends solely on the person using the appliance. The batch feed, as the name suggests, allows for the disposal to grind food waste in batches, and while a batch is being worked upon, the device is required to be closed to prevent the addition of more waste.

On the other hand, the continuous feed system allows you to keep adding waste to the grinding chamber even while the appliance works. Such disposal can keep working until it is switched off, unlike those with a batch feed mechanism. The material used in making the mount of the garbage disposal would determine how much noise the disposal would make while working, along with the regularity with which it would need to be changed or maintained.

To be more specific, purchasing a mount made of sturdy material like metal would result in minimal wear and tear or the need for regular replacement. It would also result in less vibration and, consequently, less noise. Another big feature to take note of is the power. Different garbage disposals are made with different power requirements depending on the regularity with which they are to be used or just how extensive their functions would be required to be.

The number of users can also affect the frequency of usage, and so it can also be used as a criterion in determining the power rating that is needed. The models should be adequate for a maximum of 2, 4, and 6 users, respectively, with the heavy use model being the strongest and indicated to be capable of handling most types of food scraps.

The garbage disposal function is to grind food into small particles to aid their efficient disposal. To better perform this primary function, some garbage disposal possesses more than one grinding stage, with some even having up to three. The number of stages would imply that the food would be ground down to even finer particles, reducing the chances that drains could be clogged by food waste.

Sue to this classification, the more powerful garbage disposals have multi-grind stages and use two or three grinding stages, while the less powerful models possess just one grinding stage. The type to purchase would depend on the kind of food waste that would be passed through; if you anticipate that you might need to deal with many types of food and some might be on the hard side, a multi-grind stage garbage disposal would better serve you.

The size of the garbage disposal to be purchased would depend on the size of the space beneath the sink and whether or not the garbage disposal would fit. As such, the size of your garbage disposal might also require you to compromise on certain features you might have fancied and change certain cleaning habits.

Based on this, it is to be expected that deep sinks, such as a farmhouse sink, would require a smaller garbage disposal unit that is more compatible with its design. Not all garbage disposals possess an inlet to facilitate a connection to a dishwasher, but they must do. This is to allow for the dishwasher to be used with the garbage disposal due to the likelihood of food particles being washed out along with the wastewater from a dishwasher.

This inlet is usually plugged with a cover that needs to be removed before the connection can be made. A warranty protects the client in the purchase of an item. It guarantees that in the event of a fault, the appliance bought can be replaced or repaired at no extra cost provided that the warranty period has not been exceeded. This is usually an important feature to note in the purchase of appliances, and the garbage disposal is no different.