Well Water Treatment System

[Ashful]

Any chance of pumping the backwash into an irrigation system? I use about 200 gallons per day in irrigation, which is a lot for a private well, so that's the first place I'd be looking to reuse any backwash not containing salts.

 

[Highbeam]

Some people are crazy enough to route this backwash water into their septic system which about doubles the design volume of sewage it was designed to handle each day all in one huge shot.

 

[mellow]

I was told to never flush out my RV tanks straight into my septic for this very reason, huge amounts of water all at once is not good for the overall health of the system, from the tank to the drain field.

 

[ABMax24]

I was told to never flush out my RV tanks straight into my septic for this very reason, huge amounts of water all at once is not good for the overall health of the system, from the tank to the drain field.

You could dump the black water in the septic (not a whole lot of volume) and dump the grey on the grass.

One issue I have heard of though is many of the RV "tank deodorizers" contain biocides that can kill the good bacteria in the septic tank.

 

[Highbeam]

You could dump the black water in the septic (not a whole lot of volume) and dump the grey on the grass.

One issue I have heard of though is many of the RV "tank deodorizers" contain biocides that can kill the good bacteria in the septic tank.

Actually, the black tank is the usually the same volume as the grey tank and also usually quite full with high strength waste. Residential toilets dilute the waste with a ton of flush water compared to rv systems.

Another myth is that grey water is clean. I assure you, that grey tank can get really nasty. Not as bad as the black tank but you usually don’t make the mistake of dumping a ripe grey tank on your lawn twice.

Since it is likely the summer when you are rv traveling and since you had been gone on that trip, the septic tank contents have had time to settle out and digest and the drain field should be relatively dry and ready to handle a pulse. It is certainly better not to dump your rv into the septic tank.

 

[ABMax24]

Actually, the black tank is the usually the same volume as the grey tank and also usually quite full with high strength waste. Residential toilets dilute the waste with a ton of flush water compared to rv systems.

Another myth is that grey water is clean. I assure you, that grey tank can get really nasty. Not as bad as the black tank but you usually don’t make the mistake of dumping a ripe grey tank on your lawn twice.

Since it is likely the summer when you are rv traveling and since you had been gone on that trip, the septic tank contents have had time to settle out and digest and the drain field should be relatively dry and ready to handle a pulse. It is certainly better not to dump your rv into the septic tank.

The tank size may be the same, but the volume in them greatly differs. I'd be generous to say I get 10 gallons out of the black tank after a 4 days weekend, but I will get 50 gallons or more from my 2 gray tanks.

Shower and dish water isn't particularly stinky.

 

[brenndatomu]

Shower and dish water isn't particularly stinky.

Might depend on who's showering...

 

[ABMax24]

Might depend on who's showering...

Lol. I've got an outside shower for those types...

 

[Highbeam]

Shower and dish water isn't particularly stinky.

It is definitely less stinky than black water. Washing dishes is likely the big culprit and then that funk (food waste, grease) setting in a hot dark ventilated tank for weeks.

Some RV designs have a shower dumping into the black tank. I would not want one of those.

Sorry for the derail...

 

[Ashful]

So... what's in the backwash water from a system like bholler's?

 

[bholler]

So... what's in the backwash water from a system like bholler's?

Iron and manganese

 

[Ashful]

Probably not the best thing to be irrigating with, unless it's just a small fraction of your total water usage. Some iron is good of course, but at such high concentrations it can cause many problems. I haven't researched manganese myself, since it's already a "no go" at iron alone.

I guess some of the iron could be pulled out by filtration, but the fact that you've already gone beyond filtration alone indicates the concentrations must be pretty high?

 

[BigJ273]

Some people are crazy enough to route this backwash water into their septic system which about doubles the design volume of sewage it was designed to handle each day all in one huge shot.

It’s also very bad for the concrete in the septic tank. It’ll actually start to eat it away. It was routed into my septic when I first bought the house. We dug a dry well and re-routed it there.

 

[bholler]

It’s also very bad for the concrete in the septic tank. It’ll actually start to eat it away. It was routed into my septic when I first bought the house. We dug a dry well and re-routed it there.

If it is backflushing salt yes absolutely. But mine isn't. I have a valve I only run it through the septic when it's below freezing

 

[BigJ273]

If it is backflushing salt yes absolutely. But mine isn't. I have a valve I only run it through the septic when it's below freezing

Yea. Mine does salt. Our water would be orange without our conditioner.

 

[bholler]

Yea. Mine does salt. Our water would be orange without our conditioner.

Mine as well. That's what my filter is for. I used to have a salt system and it never worked nearly as well