A septic system is a collection of sewage containment and treatment equipment designed to make the conveniences of indoor plumbing accessible in locations that are not near municipal plumbing grids. Additives designed to accelerate waste breakdown are marketed to septic system owners, but according to "The Septic System Owner's Manual" by Lloyd Kahn, John Hulls and Peter Aschwanden, these are unnecessary and can even be detrimental. Some septic system products, however, can help extend the life of the system.
Septic Tank Separator
According to the University of Maryland, most modern septic tanks are constructed with a two-chamber design that features a separating panel in the center. Kahn, Hulls and Aschwanden state that older tanks lacking this feature can sometimes be retrofitted to include a separating panel, but that it may be more cost-effective to just buy and install a new tank. The purpose of this panel is to prevent most solid waste from reaching the side of the septic tank with the pipe leading to the septic drain field. When waste settles in a septic tank, it forms three separate layers: a bottom layer of mostly solid sludge, a middle layer of mostly liquid wastewater and a top layer of scum, which is somewhere between the two. It is important for the pipe leading from the tank to the drain field to draw from the middle wastewater layer, but this layer gets thinner as sludge and scum build up. The separator has a gap at the wastewater level, which blocks most of the sludge and scum from reaching the other side of the tank, creating a wider wastewater layer from which to drain.
Biodegradable Toilet Tissue
According to InspectAPedia, a home design and inspection information website, most ordinary toilet tissues are not harmful to septic systems when used in reasonable amounts. However, some manufacturers produce highly biodegradable toilet tissue designed to break down faster in sewage systems that demand it, such as the chemical toilets used in RVs, buses and airplanes. Kahn, Hulls and Aschwanden suggest that using this type of tissue over the long-term may have a positive effect on the frequency with which the septic tank must be flushed, which can make a significant difference in smaller septic systems. InspectAPedia also conducted tests to determine how completely ordinary toilet tissue breaks down in water, and found that small, suspended particles of cellulose may remain. The authors theorized that this could potentially contribute to soil clogging in a drain field, but acknowledged that their test did not replicate the bacteria-rich environment of a septic tank.
Greywater System
A greywater system is a separate water management system that complements your septic system and reduces its load. Greywater is used to refer to dirty water that does not contain human waste, such as that passed through sinks, bathtubs and laundry machines. With a greywater system, homeowners can direct water from these sources to a separate tank where it is filtered. While the filtered water produced by most greywater systems is not clean enough to drink, it can be used for irrigation, landscaping or even flushing toilets. With no greywater system in place, all such water goes into the septic tank, increasing the tank's load and shortening its life.
References
- "The Septic System Owner's Manual"; Lloyd Kahn, John Hulls, Peter Aschwanden; 2007
- University of Maryland: Septic Systems and Their Maintenance
- InspectAPedia: Septic System Additives & Chemicals for Septic Tank and Drainfield "Maintenance," "Un-Clogging," or "Repair" -- Septic Tank Treatments
- InspectAPedia: Greywater or Gray water systems as Components of Alternative Septic Systems for Difficult Sites
- InspectAPedia: Septic Tank Maintenance: What Kinds of Toilet Paper are Best For a Septic Tank -- Septic Tank Maintenance Guide
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