Salt water & Septic Systems

[goulding.c]

I am curious if anyone has made a grand mistake like mine, by allowing the salt water from water changes enter there septic tank and leach field. And is they have had major failures in there field because of this. Tomorow I will be digging up my backyard because the salt has disolved the clay particles in the soil and plugged up the entire field.
CG

 

[pohtr]

Egad - that sounds disasterous. My tank is only 1 week old so no water changes yet but I was wondering about what to do with all the salt water. Was thinking about dumping it in the driveway.
What does everyone do with their old salt water????

 

[goulding.c]

After 2 of my employees and my backhoe apent 2 hours digging today we found a clog in the leach field line. However I was doing some research and found that one of the worst thing you can do is run brine solutions "Water softener" or in our case fish tanks, into the leach field if you have clay based soils. Pennsylvania has heavy clay soils and the salt basically dissolves the clay making a fluid like paste that can clog about anything.
I have changed my plumbing so that the clothes washer, ro filter, and waste tank water runs out onto the surface where it is dispersed and dilluted with fresh water from washing machine. However we all need to consider this potential problem. I am sure that not many of you have backhoes, and excavators like me to avoid the thousands of dollars of contractor fees. If anybody wants advice on this part of the hobby I am getting very good at it. I am also have a degree in horticulture "PLants" which helps.
CG

 

[goulding.c]

Pohtr, I forgot that if you are nto familar with what salt crystals can do to concrete you may not want it on your driveway. If its concrete and a bad pour that was finished to much, the salt will pop the top layer really bad. If its asphalt your good. Just keep it away from any desirable plants.
CG

 

[pohtr]

C.G.
Oh well its not paved at all but is gravel and crusher run and a little mud. It also runs downhill to the street. In the winter maybe it would help keep the drive from freezing?!

 

[goulding.c]

It will do that but it will also cause your subsoil to thaw and stay thawed through the winter, I didn't see where you are form but if your soil normally freezes and you ump salt water on it it can make a big mess. My trucks load up with salt for plowing season here in pittsburgh, and last season we spilled some on the gravel and it turned it into a muddy slurry that never changed even through summer with rain diluting it. I would make every attempt to get it off your lawn gravel ect.. and into a storm sewer.
CG

 

[hbradyr]

Thanks for some great advice. i live in Clinton Montana and wondered what the salt water was doing to the septic tank.we have very rocky soil around here. not much clay if any in these parts.i have not dumped to much salt water into it at this point. will not put anymore in it at all.thinking maybe its time to have it pumped out.better to be safe then sorry.thanks for the great post.

 

[pohtr]

Our ground doesn't usually freeze at all here in SC (which is why some areas stay muddy all winter) so I guess it shouldn't make the driveway muddy. I'm WAY out in the boonies- no storm sewers here! Don't even have cable!
If I can carry it that far I could dump it across the street where there is a power line right of way. They spray poison all over the area anyway (much to my horror and dismay) so they don't have to prune.

 

[bcollie]

Originally posted by goulding.c
I am curious if anyone has made a grand mistake like mine, by allowing the salt water from water changes enter there septic tank and leach field. And is they have had major failures in there field because of this. Tomorow I will be digging up my backyard because the salt has disolved the clay particles in the soil and plugged up the entire field.
CG
OH NO!!! I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT THE SALT WATER MIGHT BOTHER THE SEPTIC TANK & FIELD!! I think I'm gonna be sick.
What do I look for..how do I tell if I've plugged up my entire field???

 

[bseth90]

Boy that must have been some salt spill. I'm a landscaper in Michigan and my yard is all gravel and crushed concrete. We spill some salt sometimes as well, but it drains off pretty quick after a few snows. Never knew that about the fields I will have to check this out....sorry to hear that it happened to you, but glad to have the possible forewarning.

 

[goulding.c]

bcollie,
I wouldn't worry if you have a small tank. Mine is 125 gallons, so i was dumping on average 20 gallons a week of salt water. Also after I dug it all up, I found the pipe was plugged were it led into a very poorly installed field. After talking to some specialist they all said to not let saline solutions from water softeners or fish tanks enter the system. The only concern I would be worried about is if your field area is a heavy clay based soil. The clay breaks down when the salt hits it and causes it to migrate much faster horizontally. It slowly fills in all the voids the gravel provides, and then the water in the system backs up into your house. If your field has a soil seperating fabric around it you should be set, but very few contractors get that detailed. Also I would have your tank pumped every 3 years at least, and at the first sign of trouble, saturated sewage smelling lawn, water backing up into the house, call somebody fast. Is also a good idea to know were your field and tank are and check those areas every now and then.
CG