Yes, the type of soil and the average temperature have a great deal to do with the septic pump-out schedule. I was fortunate to have very sandy soil in a warm climate. Those little devils kept busy, and the tank drained quickly. I only had to pump every 20 years, and the tank was only 1/4 full then. I know that in heavy clay soils, it is a different story.
Clay soils donāt absorb water very well and make a poor choice for leach fields and pits. Being in a warm climate helps the bacterial action that breaks down solids and turns them to sludge. The reason that normally-functioning septic tanks need pumping is to remove the sludge that lies in the bottom of the septic tank, not to remove the effluent (read liquid part,) that is normally drained into the leaching pit or field. If you went for 20 years without pumping the sludge from the tank you either had a very large capacity septic tank or minimal accumulation of solids.
Conventional septic systems commonly fail when the sludge builds up to the height of the effluent discharge in the secondary chamber and blocks or renders the leach field or pit useless.
Yes, the sludge is what the bacteria cannot eat, and the solids that do not mix with the outgoing water. If you avoid soap and other cleaning products getting into the septic tank, that reduces the scum build-up on top, and that allows more sludge to be liquified and drained into the dispersal field. Because we used two sewer lines, one for toilets waste, and the other for all other drains (kitchen sink, dishwasher, bathroom sinks, and washer), the waste going to the septic tank did not contain chemicals or soap. The extra 4-inch PVC drain pipe cost maybe $200 in the 1970ās, but avoided a lot of septic tank problems. All septic systems would be built that way, if the homeowners were doing the building, instead of a developer who is only interested in providing the minimum required system.
The number of people using the tank makes a big difference. It was just he two of us, and for most of those years, we were only home at night and weekends, so the septic tank got about 25% of the normal use.
The reason that dishwashers have a pool of left-over water in the bottom (underneath the grill that is designed to hide the dirty eyesore), is that at the end of the wash cycle, dishwashers have to pump the dirty water uphill for about 3 feet high and into the sink drain pipe. When the level switch senses that the dishwasher tub is empty, the pump cuts off. Then the dirty, food-containing water that was inside the dishwasher drain line runs back into the tub, and stays there until the next washing. That water can emit odors, depending on the amount of dissolved food that it contains. To guarantee that you have no odor from leftover food in the bottom water pool, you have to pre-rinse. Maybe someday, some company will design a dishwasher that, after the pump cycle, the drain line is flushed with clean water. Then (maybe) I will stop pre-rinsing.
For my dishwasher, it definitely does not. At most a foot, and probably less.
Anyways, I would think that the rinse cycle would be eliminating any water with food or dirt particles.
I agree with 1 foot, based upon the dishwashers I have installed, usually draining into the plug in the garbage disposal (if you have one) to into a connection below the sink. Portable dish washers use a water hose from the faucet and eject dirty water back into the sink, so there are some cases where the drain line is long, but almost every dishwasher I have seen is right next to the sink.
Personally I canāt have a garbage disposal because I am not on a sewer system. Disposals are not recommended to be used on cesspool or septic systems.
I currently have a cesspool but recent EPA rulings are requiring all of us to change to septic tanks. At perhaps $20,000 per house many of us are wondering how that will happen. There is a concern that cesspools are contaminating the nearby ocean and that is the case for those people living along the coast, but the rest of us are probably not contributing at all. For example I am 3 miles from the coast and up 900 feet in elevation. I donāt get flooding during heavy rain because below me is rock, broken, pourous rock. On my island alone, to convert the mostly common cesspools would be next to impossible. There are half a million houses. Say 300,000 have cesspools. There are a couple companys that can install septic tanks. In many cases they cannot dig in dirt, they dig in rock, so thus the cost. We donāt have 300,000 septic tanks here, have no easy place to store that many and the EPA wants them all replaced in 25 years. Many places have residents who canāt afford to live here now, let alone pay $10,000 to $35,000 to replace a cesspool with a septic tank. SOme people separate grey water and let it soak away from the house.
The best we can do is care for what we have and replace those units closest to the ocean or ones that are large users like restaurants or resorts which can afford the conversion cost.
Weāve used garbage disposals with septic systems for 40 years with zero problems. You just have to pay attention to what you put down them. No deep-fry grease or egg shells, potato peelings, etc.
With soil temps at your latitude it would not be an issue. With a 1500-gal tank with two people we only pump it every 8-10 years, our USDA growng zone is 6 to 7, yours is 11.
I had a Bosch and eventually had a funky smell. Then as Lancie said, take that rectangular screen out. YOu will find a lot of funk on it. Clean that off and the odor goes away. After that, Iād pull the screen and clean about once every month or two. My first Bosch was the cheapest that they made and it worked great for about 12 years. It was working when I replaced it this year (with another Bosch), but it was getting much louder and I knew it was a signal to replace it./
The diswasher in my daughters townhouse shot craps and teh landlord had a service guy come out. I was there since she was at work and I asked him what brand he sees the fewest service calls for. He immediately said Bosch. so I got another.
The Bosch dishwasher is great at cleaning and is one of the quietest we have ever owned. However, I clean that screen before every wash and we still occasionally have a funky smell.
I donāt know anyone in my neighborhood without a disposal, and almost the whole neighborhood is on septic. (One street is connected to the sewer.). The neighborhood is 52 years old, and Iād be surprised if any of the homes ever did not have disposalsā¦itās always been upscale.
How far is your Bosch located from the pipe that it drains into? Some have pointed out that the āfallā in their dishwasher drain is only 1 foot, but if the dishwasher is located 3 or 4 feet (intervening cabinet or appliance) from the drain pipe, then that extra length can hold dirty water that runs back into the dishwasher at the end of the wash cycle. Yes, most of the dirty water should be flushed during the rinse cycle, but not all of the garbage in the sump will be flushed.
I agree. I had a dishwasher and garbage disposal going not even to a septic tank, but to a settling tank (called a āgrease trapā by many) and then draining into field lines. That system was working great when I sold the place after 30 years.
The dishwasher and drain are only about a foot apart and it is a separate drain from the sink.
OU812, that is a great arrangement. If it were me, I would pull the grill off the bottom sump inside the dishwasher and see if there was a dead rat in there. Clean out everything and the odor may be reduced to a manageable level.