My house and septic system were built in 1971, so are 40 years old. The septic guy told me the drain field would eventually have to be replaced and that would cost $6000. He said it would last longer if less water goes into it.
It would be easy to disconnect my showers from the drain line, and instead run a pipe out to the lawn and let the water go there. Has anyone else done this. Is there any reason not to?
It may not be legal, depending on the codes in your locality, but aside from that I don’t think it would cause any particular problems. FWIW, I’ve done something similar for years with my washing machine. Laundry uses a lot of water, and it was overtaxing the septic system. In addition, I think some detergents have an adverse impact on drainage systems. I live in a dry climate, where the lawn quickly sucks up all the water the washer puts out - I suppose if you’re in an area of high rainfall you could have some mud problems. Also, be sure to route the drain water away from the location of the drain field, as excessive surface water can also sub into a drain field and cause trouble.
SS
I believe you’re referring to a greywater system.
Generally speaking, even though greywater is not sewage or blackwater, you can’t just dump it anywhere. Not sure if your local codes would allow you to simply dump it on your lawn.
check if it would be legal where you are.whoever regulates your septic systems is a place to start.
a greywater system is what you would want. irrigating vegetation is a method if your climate permits. you will need to get rid of a large volume of water in all seasons.
though a septic system built when yours was would have been designed for a long lifetime with a population for your house size. also not running enough water into a septic system can cause higher maintenance costs.
In Los Angeles County we are recently allowed to “grey water” one fixture without a permit. If you want to do more, it’s OK, but you need a permit. You are NOT allowed to sprinkler the greywater into the air, but must deliver it under mulch or by drip.
Do some reading about what goes in a septic tank and what doesn’t in terms of grease, detergents and food solids, follow those instructions, and add some enzymes. You may be able to stretch the life of your field out a few more years. Your tank is probably fine, but the dirt/gravel where the water is supposed to flow and evaporate is clogged with soap, food grease and solids.
your field will last longer with a particulate filter on the outlet of your tank.
septic tanks are made for shit, piss and toilet paper. other inputs can lessen the performance of the tank.
I wonder why? What is the danger or problem with the shower water going on to the lawn?
Possibly the soap in the water – would that be bad for the lawn?
And a lot of people (men) pee in the shower, so there is some urine in that greywater.
Don’t assume this is strictly- or even largely- a male thing. Plenty of women do it too.
Of course, of all the nasty things you could potentially put on your lawn, highly dilute urine is probably not in the top 10. Barring an infection of some kind, fresh urine is largely sterile and diluted with the water of a shower it’s not concentrated enough to burn your plants.
Even if you had a bladder/kidney/urinary infection and peed in the shower I don’t see how that’s going to be a problem unless someone in your neighborhood makes a habit of dragging their bare crotch across the drainage area. It’s not like the lawn is going to catch your yeast infection or whatever.
The soap, shampoo, or cleaning agents you use are more likely to cause a problem in the local eco-system, and these days, chemicals down the drain is really more of a concern than human urine. Septic systems are usually connected to well systems, and if you pour nasty chemicals down your septic system or on your lawn you risk them eventually winding up in your water supply, which is FAR more serious than a little pee.
discharging water outside makes it surface water. it might find its way to other surface water (through natural flow, storm drainage system to lakes, rivers, streams, ponds and wetlands). it could also flow into your drain field of your septic making that less effective. it could also find a path into the aquifer and into yours and others well water.
there are regulations on water issues because of the potential damage.
greywater systems are being developed and improved. they have benefits of lessening the burden on private and shared waste water systems. there can also be a benefit of lessening water consumption.
doing it correctly can be a good thing.