septics and garbage disposals

Raised mounds have always been known as an extra sensitive type of septic system. It is basically installed for houses or establishments that are built on properties with high water tables. Because it is above the surface, it is exposed to the elements and should be well-protected especially during the winter. A special construction fabric should cover the raised mound before it is covered with a thin layer of top soil. The construction fabric keeps the heat in the raised mound system. The bacterial activity results to heat. This is because of the constant metabolism that happens. Knowing this, you became very concerned about your newly installed garbage disposal unit. Do garbage disposals harm raised mounds? This is a question that has been haunting homeowners for years.

There were friends who told you that they didn’t use their garbage disposals because it was known to increase the amount of sludge in the raised mound’s tank. But even if they did say this, why do other homeowners still use their garbage disposals? You were in need of a confirmation. Do garbage disposals really harm raised mounds?

Garbage disposals are installed and used by many because it is important to keep sanitation in your home. When you just use the conventional way of disposing organic garbage, decomposition ensues in your trash cans. As you know, when there is decomposition, the smell is strong and pungent. This attracts so many pests and other animals to your property, particularly to your garbage bin. You will often discover your trash bins opened or toppled over, surrounded with flies, or even crawling with maggots. This is a serious way of getting various diseases and skin irritations that you never thought you could get in your own yard. Through garbage disposal units, your organic garbage could safely go into the raised mound’s collection tank to be broken down by the resident anaerobic bacteria.

As you know, garbage disposals grind the organic garbage. This process turns huge chunks into finer pieces, thus increasing the surface area of the solid wastes before entering the tank. The anaerobic bacteria find it easy to degrade and decompose these solid wastes. With regular pumping and treating, there would absolutely be no problem with your raised mound system and garbage disposal functioning at the same time. It is only disappointing to know that there are homeowners who think that it is all right to dump non-biodegradable materials, grease, and oils into the garbage disposal. They think that these would not affect the raised mound system at all. The truth is that these substances contribute greatly to the clogging, backing up, overflow, and failure of the raised mound.

You should keep in mind that in order to maximize the function of the raised mound and your garbage disposal, you have to use both properly. Just be responsible enough to place used oils, fats, and grease in a jar, seal it, and throw it in the garbage bin. As for non-biodegradables, it would be better to reuse them or just dispose of them properly in the trash bin as well. There are bacterial additive in the septic stores nowadays that you could use exclusively with your garbage disposals. They have non-pathogenic bacteria that help accelerate the decomposition of the organic garbage that you dump in.

Even if the raised mound truly needs extra care and attention from homeowners like you, you should still try your best how to incorporate other appliances in your home so that your life could be made much easier. This is all part of becoming a responsible homeowner. When you called up your septic expert about your dilemma, he told you that it was perfectly fine to start using your garbage disposal unit. You asked him again, do garbage disposals harm raised mounds?  The same routine would continue with your raised mound when it comes to care and maintenance. Just treat the garbage disposal unit the same way as your drains, toilets, and sinks and you will reap benefits of having appliances in your home and a smooth running raised mound as well.

In a conventional septic system, there are two main components—the septic tank and the drain field. The most obvious and the most urgently attended one is the septic tank. This is the holding vessel of the wastewater that comes directly from your household. Here, three layers are formed—the scum (top solid waste layer), the effluent (the middle clear liquid layer), and the sludge (the bottom layer resulting from anaerobic bacteria degradation. The septic tank is where the primary treatment of the wastewater takes place. If something wrong happens here, then you can be sure that the rest of the entire septic system will eventually perish. One of the big questions we encounter is do garbage disposals harm septic tanks?

Your new home has just been furnished and necessary appliances have just been installed such as the ever present garbage disposal unit. This appliance is considered as a very important tool in disposing of garbage easier. It is an alternative to keeping leftovers and other garbage to rot in your trash bin. Doing so could just attract pests like cockroaches, rats, flies, and stray animals. It could also be a means to spread disease and contamination to the surrounding environment. When you have a garbage disposal unit installed, you could be assured that the sanitation in your home is optimal. Before you had the garbage disposal installed, you did your needed research on it. Do garbage disposals harm septic tanks?

Well, most American homeowners think so. Majority of the US population d not have garbage disposal units installed because of the idea that the septic tank would have a hard time accommodating all the additional solid particles produced by the garbage disposal unit. The true answer to the question is a resounding NO. If you observe the function of the garbage disposal, it grinds up and increases the surface area of the solid wastes that you dump in it. This may add to the solid wastes but it also makes the solid wastes much easier for the resident bacteria to break down. The septic tank is a component f the septic system that received everything that your household delivers as waste. It is only proper that its size and the capacity should fit the household. With regular maintenance and pumping out, the septic tank would do just fine even with a garbage disposal gobbling up all those solid wastes.

You have to make sure that the septic tank gets regularly pumped out because the sludge should not be allowed to accumulate. Once this happens, the resident bacteria will get suspended and will not break down the solid waste products effectively. This will eventually result in clogging, backing up, overflow, and system failure. Pay attention to the septic tank care and the garbage disposal would do just fine with it. Another thing to remember is that you should treat the garbage disposal unit as an organic garbage grinder and not a garbage transformer. It only grinds up the solid wastes into finer pieces so that the bacteria could decompose them right away. With this, you should make it a point not to dump non-biodegradable materials, grease, and oils into it because when they enter the garbage disposal, they are still what they are. And what they are will harm the tank and the system. Just place them in an enclosed jar and dispose of them in the trash bin. Bad habits can be very difficult to break but you have to change them for the sake of your septic tank.

These days, you can opt for bacterial additives that can be used on garbage disposals. These additives help the anaerobic bacteria in making sure that the added solid wastes would be degraded faster and easier. It can really be taxing to have anything installed in your home. Every single thing should make things easier for you and not make your life more difficult. Do garbage disposals harm septic tanks? A garbage disposal unit is a good tool to have. It is generally safe for your septic tank just learn to use it properly for your septic system’s sake.