Septic System Problems From Using Sanitizing Agents & Cleansers

Hello John,

How familiar are you with the operation of a septic system? If your system is sized correctly there should be no problem adding reasonable amounts of sanitizing chemicals. One of the biggest problems with septic systems is improper maintenance. How often do you have your septic tank pumped? Pumping frequency depends on the size of the tank and the number of people in the household, and can be as often as every year. Many people wait until there is a problem before having the tank pumped. By that time there is likely to be clogging in the weeping tile bed which can be very expensive to remedy. I've lived in a home serviced by a septic system for close to 70 years. In our current home, we've been on the same septic system for the last 27 years and, with regular pumping, have experienced no problems. I've slowed down a bit in my winemaking over the past few years but, in 2006 I made 29 six gallon batches with no septic system problems. As far as adding a bacterial or enzyme starter/rejuvenator they are, according to the experts, at best ineffective and a waste of money and even worse, can be extremely damaging to the system and/or the environment.

Good luck with your system. I hope it's a simple cure. You may want to check out

Ross.

Ross,

Thanks for the web site. I found a wealth of information. Looks to me that my problem may lie with my field lines if my theory about the bacteria kill is incorrect. I had my system pumped out a couple of days ago and I'll find out soon enough if the same thing happens again. As I'd said, I have a lot of experience with septic systems and, from the information I read on the web link you shared, I seemed to be doing most things right. I looked back over the past several months to see about anything that had changed and the wine equipment sanitizing/cleansing was all I could come up with. I usually ferment two batches at once so, whenever I have to rack, I clean/sanitize two 9 gallon tanks before and after racking. I originally used a bleach type powder but more recently switched to an "Oxy" type cleaner. I just got to thinking that if this stuff is so good at killing bacteria then is it also wiping out the same in my septic system?

Again, thanks for the follow up.

John

John,

You're welcome. Here's a link to another site that will give you a lot of information on sanitizing solutions. I copied this page many years ago and refer to it quite often. It is geared toward beer making but pretty well all the info applies equally to wine making.

Take a look at the chlorine info and you'll see the recommended concentration is 200 ppm which is achieved with 1 tablespoon household bleach in 1 gallon of water. That concentration would not even be noticed by a healthy septic system. Also, you will note that after sanitizing with chlorine, or any other sanitizer for that matter, if you rinse with tap water you are in effect nullifying the sanitizing you just did because tap water contains bacteria. This is even more likely if, like me, you are on a septic system, your water is probably from a well and untreated like municipal water supplies. I don't know where you are located but, if you are in an area where it gets very cold for extended periods of time here's another consideration. If the frost gets down to the weeping bed and the tile/ground interface freezes, absorption is drastically reduced.

Again, good luck.

Ross.

Ross,

My house is at the base of a hill/ridge. We've had over 8 inches of rain the past month and the ground is soaked. Usually, a couple of days after a big rain, I notice water seeping out of a walkway where I'd made a hillside cut and stacked brick for a retaining wall. I'm hoping that my problem is that the ground is saturated right now and a few days without rain will clear things up.

Thanks again.

John

You should consider the possibility that you have changed the carbon to nitrogen ratio or the pH in the septic tank favouring a different biosystem. pH shift add a small amount of garden lime Nitrogen low add a small amount of urea fertiliser.

Bob M

About this, what about flushing a couple of packets of active yeast? That's what I do. It seems to work very well.

Cathy N (from TX)

Cathy

Unfortunately, active yeast IS one of the things that can do damage to a septic system.

This is addressed specifically at:

where it states: 'Yeast can cause frothing and excessive activity in the septic tank, preventing normal settling of solids and coagulation of greases. This agitation forces solid waste into the drainfield and by clogging the soil, shortens its life.'

You want to avoid damaging the drainfield because it is a huge expense to repair or replace.

Ross.