Low Flow Toilets

[redgrizzly69]

Has anyone had problems with a 1.6 gpf toilet with a septic system? The tank is approx. 200 ft from the house. I was going to replace a old toilet with a newer style and had this question. I don't know if there will be enough force and flow to carry the waste to the tank, without building up in the line.

[Charleen]

We replaced our older style toilet with a 1.6. It's on the second floor and everything is fine. Septic tank is not far from the house, maybe only 20' or so and we've had it pumped twice in 12 years (just 2 people in the household). If the downstairs toilet needs to be replaced, I think we'd get another 1.6.

[WisJim]

We have 2 toilets rated at a 1 gallon flush (Ifo toilets). Never have any problems except occassionally (rarely) need to flush a second time after some uses of the toilet. Still uses much less water than a five or 3 or 1.6 gallon flush toilet. We use them with an old septic system, which is about 50 feet from the house.
What is your concern? No toilet uses enough water to get the waste from the toilet to the tank immediately after flushing.

[kmaproperties]

some old pipes are rough on the inside, and need more water to carry the solids along. That said, have the adults in the house remember to hold the handle down till the tank empties whenever solids are present and this will be a good preventitive measure.This may not be needed but it won't hurt, houses with cast iron pipes have problems on long runs with the low flow tanks.

[Jackpine Savage]

I've been trying to figure out if our low flow toilets are the problem. We purchased this place this last spring. The septic system is about 2 years old, and located about 200' from the house. It's backed up twice on us so far. The solids must build up in the pipe, then the plug gets pushed into the inlet on the tank and hits the steel baffle plate. This plugs the line and it backs up into the house. Luckily there's a cap right over the tank inlet that I can take off. I can just take a stick and push the plug down into the tank and then everything is fine.

I'm wondering if the low flow toilets are the culprit or if there is too much slope in the line. We also had some block work done in the basement and some of the grout was washed down into the floor drain. But I would think that would be washed down the pipe by now. We are also trying to limit the amount of TP that gets flushed.

[redgrizzly69]

That was my concern, is there enough force to keep pushing the waste to the tank, the image I had was, if you take a potatoe and toss it in your rain gutter, now you try to flush that to the end, you will get the job done with a 5 gallon pail, but not so much if you use a 1 gallon pail. Granted if your tank is right outside the house 1.6 will get it there, but if it doesn't, and the next person drops a biscut and so on and so on, you can have a problem. I think I'll stay with a higher flow toilet and think about using gray water to flush, now I have to re-plumb!.

[Cabin Fever]

I've never heard of a problem as long as the sewer line was using a proper slope. The sewer should have a slope of at least 1 inch per 8 feet. For sewers longer than 50 feet, the pipe should not slope more than 1 inch in 4 feet. If too flat a grade, the liquid will slow down, allowing the solids to settle out in the sewer pipe. If too steep a grade, the liquids will flow away from the solids.

[Oxankle]

You fellows are putting a new one before me. Around here no one would dare put a septic tank more than l0 feet or so from the house. Drain lines might run out a bit, but not 200 feet before the laterals. We are on fairly flat land of course.