Question on garbage disposals

[Brandi*]

Hi all

We are remodeling our kitchen and we would like to add a garbage disposal unit but my father keeps telling me that you cannot have a garbage disposal in older homes that have septic tanks.

Anybody know anything about this?

Thank you

 

[mininik]

We've got a 100 year old home... a garbage disposal... but city sewer. Sorry! I would google for an answer, and put a call in to a few local plumbers.

 

[Vertical Limit]

Well beats me. I lived an older home for almost 30 year with a septic tank and had a garbage disposal and my newer home now has a septic tank and a garbage disposal! Never had any problems.

 

[shelia]

I have also been told this. they say the garbage disposal waste will clogg the system. It does not break down like the other waste. They say the little pices will float out to the leach fields and get clogged. they will build up right at the exit of the septic tank.

We have a garbage disposal but I rarely use it because I have been afraid this would happen. Rid X might help some of it break down. It is going to take longer though.

 

[SampleMM]

I have a garbage disposal and a septic system. We live in a new house now but our last house was 25 years old and had the same garbage disposal system there with no problems. I will say this, I don't shove tons of food down it. I scrape plates with food into the garbage can and just leave the disposal to get whatever ends up in the sink. I think this helps in preventing problems.

 

[Brandi*]

WOW guys, thanks for such quick responses

My dad said something about if we had one then we would have to have somebody out every year to clean it out. In the past he has told me stuff like this but he is a BIG exaggerator of everything. He used to tell me that if I used the hot water I would make the hot water heater blow through the roof. So I ended up using cold water for everything but a shower. Finally hubby and I had the darn hot water heater replaced and it no longer "roars" so that lie is down the drain thankfully

Plus I asked the guy that installed it and he said that it would be very very hard for the hot water heater to "blow" out the roof lol

So anyways, I guess I am just assuming that my father is taking the extreme side on this subject too. Someone gave us a brand new disposal system and it sure would be nice to use it. Even if it is just to catch any run away scraps

I will try calling around to see what advice I can get.

Thanks again for the info

 

[Sonya]

I've always heard that you shouldn't use a garbage disposal with septic also.

My dad said something about if we had one then we would have to have somebody out every year to clean it out

technically, you should have your septic cleaned out every two years anyhow, garbage disposal or not. There is just hubby and I and we go about every 5 years. We also use rid-x every couple months though.

 

[coopermini]

We have been in the construction business for 5 generations. When building a new home if a garbage disposal is going to be installed it takes a larger septic field and often a larger size tank to meet building codes. Many older septic systems were not designed to handle waste from a disposal. The material put in a garbage disposal can and often does take much longer to break down. The volume of material put in a disposal varies with each user, some put everything down them others just scraps off of plates before washing. When running a disposal you are supposed to run a considerable amount of water at the same time to help liquify and flush the material down the drain lines and help disperse it into the tank. Many people do not do this and that can cause plugging in the drain lines and cause buildup of materail in one spot in the tank. In areas with building codes and code enforcement of any type you would need a permit to add a disposal to any residence. When getting the plumbing permit they would tell you then if are able to install one on your system.

If you are installing yourself many people will skip the permit process. Sometimes that can come back to bite you in the long run. If you have been having any problems with your septic system adding a disposal will only make things worse.

Mark

 

[Brandi*]

Mark,

We haven't had any problems thus far (knock on wood) but we certainly don't want to add any either

I have never heard of having to get a permit for a garbage disposal. We are having a contractor come out in a few weeks to change our kitchen plumbing around. We have a wall mount faucet which is a pain in my rear and he is going to change it so that the faucet mounts on the sink. I didn't even think of asking him

He builds custom homes so he should know a thing or two.

But from the sounds of it the disposal will be a no go for us

I was really hoping it would work lol.

Thanks so much for all the info everyone

 

[coopermini]

Brandi,

Ask the plumber about the disposal. In your area he would know what is needed and probably have a good idea if one will work for you and what is required. I thought you might be installing it yourselves. Anyway good luck with the project.

Mark

 

[Brandi*]

Thanks Mark! I will do that