Question about Toilet Papers
 

I have a 3 year old home and septic system. The installer told me the septic tank should be pumped every 3 to 5 years. This is our third year in home with just my wife, her mother, and myself living here. My wife and mother-in-law know nothing but toilet paper goes down the stool, so I wasn't expecting any surprises. I called to have the tank pumped just for the maintenance, not because I was having any problems.

The gentleman pops the lid and I hear him say, "Wow".

I said "What?"

He responds "You use Charmin toilet paper, don't you."

"Yes, why?"

On the surface was 1 1/2 maybe 2 feet thick of, for lack of a better word, "junk". He explained that Charmin does not anaerobically digest well and suggested using Angel Soft or Northern, white only.


The above I got in an email and was wondering if there was really anything to it, any ideas?:)

Here's a simple test to determine whether your TP is septic system "safe":

Place a few sheets of TP in a quart jar that is half full of water. Then shake it for 10 seconds. If the TP falls apart and settles, it is septic system safe. If the TP does not disinegrate and/or floats, buy another TP brand.

We use single-ply Scotts TP.

Single Ply TT..... is all I have ever bought because of the septic systems.

Yes it is true.
I used to be able to tell if people used powered tide soap. You could open a septic up and it would be just full of it. I was told that back then they used mainly wood as a filler (Not sure if that is true but it sure looked like it to me) and it would not break down like others would.
Like others said it is easy to see what breaks down easy. We use Sam's brand as it is nice stuff (Not to thin or thick and seems nice and soft) and falls apart great when it hits water.

Here's 2 tips that might help even if your family is using the correct TP.
For the women using TP to wipe dry, dispose of that TP in a paper bag or recycled paste board food product box...then burn, compost, whatever.

Use my famous BOOTIE BLASTER for both toilet tasks... it's a 3 gal. garden pump sprayer.Then dry off with a clean cotton cloth.
WARNING! Place Bootie Blaster near a heat source for winter use.
Helpful tip, one drop of your favorite essential oil fragrance into the sprayer will enhance the Bootie Blaster experience.
Good luck

What Cabin Fever said.


"Bootie Blaster"? Now that's funny!

Thanks for the tip, I just tried ours and it didnt pass the test.

Bootie blaster! I'm still laughing, gosh now i'm crying. Too funny.

LOL - Bootie Blaster:pound:. Also - NO Kleenex in the potty. We use Scott's tp, too. Not the new, "softer" stuff - the old style. When we visit DD, I feel like I'm using a towel with that fancy tp.

My grandparents were adament, no paper ever went down the toilet.

I was raised in a house that had a septic tank. My parents only used Scott's single ply. They have only had their tank pumped 3 times since 1970...They have never had a problem, but my mom just decides that it would be prudent to get it done ocassionally!

Scotts Single-Ply is also known as John Wayne TP

http://jeremyinc.com/images/john_wayne_toilet_paper.PNG

http://www.thisblogrules.com/wp-cont...et-paper-2.jpg

Oh I forgot to say before. A well working septic tank never needs pumped out. I know they say that they do but look at who is saying that, The same people you pay to pump it.
I was a plumber as was my farther. The home I grew up in has and still has a septic and it was never been pumped in the 35+ years it was in the family.
We did when my parents got the home added onto the drain field ( my farther and I done it ourselves).
But besides that nothing was even done to it for over 35 years and never a single problem. The only reason people do have septic problems is because they put stuff into them that they should not.
Grease, Bleach, A lot of soaps and other things is what causes the problems.
Oh I should also add that we also changed the washing machine drain into a what is called a dry well so that waste would not go into the septic.

That does it...no more Charman Ultra Strong for us. Thanks Cabin Fever for the test. (love John Wayne):grin:

Thanks also for the suggestion of using Scotts Single-ply TP, that would have been my next question...what do you all suggest.:)

Micahn, glad to know about Tide. How about Arm and Hammer? I usally make my own using Fels Napha, washing soda and borax but thought I'd try a box of Arm and Hammer for a change. I used to use Sam's for the longest time and liked it before I started making my own.

BOOTIE BLASTER:smiley-laughing013:

We could all probably save a lot of money if we would just switch to using bidets

Legally in my state they need to be pumped every 3 years....

Practially, any septic tank needs to be pumped out _some_ day.

Greases collect on the top, and non-digestable solids will coollect on the bottom.

Very careful, simple living folk who lightly use their large septic system with great care might get by for many decades without pumping.

A large family in a house with a small setup with little care for what goes down the drain might need theirs pumped every 18 months.

Whatever the situation, to say a septic _never_ needs pumping is not true, and just not a wise thing to say. Dirt particles, pumice from soap, woody-fiberous material can & will build up in _any_ septic system. At some point, that will fill a septic to the point it doesn't have room to work. While it could be 50+ years for the ultra careful, at _some_ point the septic will fill up. And most people are not quite that frugal & careful at living.....

--->Paul

Thanks Paul!

In Minnesota the code reads: septic systems are required to be inspected every three years." The inspection can be done by the owner. (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/?id=7080.2450) No where does the code require a frequency of septic tank pumping.

i posted a warning on here months ago about charmin toilet paper..check a sheet of your toilet paper in a glass of water..if it doesn't completely dissolve in seconds..chuck it..and buy one that will..generally the best are northern and angelsoft

Our system doesn't like Charmin - we have trouble flushing it.

I had the house built in 1992. Septic tank is designed for a 3 bedroom home even though we only have 2 bedrooms and 2 people living here.

Finally decided we should have it pumped out in 2007. The pumper looked and said "well looks like you all have been keeping up w/your pumping. See you next year" ha. Not likely. Guess it is working the way it should be:)

Better just to not put TP or other junk down the septic.

I'm used to septic tanks being for toilets only, all shower/sink/laundry waste so called "grey water" went separately out into the field lines and not through the tank.

And in that situation, where the tank only ever gets toilet water, with no TP going down it doesn't need cleaning out for long long time.

A few I have known have even sent just the laundry water from the washer in it's own field line or out on the ground in an open trench and not even into the septic field.

Them and us.

Funny river, I agree and that's what the BOOTIE BLASTER is... a bidet, just a cheap, easy to install..heh heh, "po folks" version.
Good to know I got a laugh or two from my BOOTIE BLASTER thread. I'd post testimonials and pics , but I don't think it would be appropriate.

Now it's my time to chuckle.
Good luck

In WI. it is Law they must be Pumped every Three years not just looked at.

I notice they open the fire hydrants in Japan quite often. Could that be for the sumo wrestlers?

I am gonna back this up 100%. And we are plumbers also. Have master licenses in 3 states. We built our home 23 years ago and have never pumped our tank neither. And we've had no problems. Cause you septic system works like your stomach. Do you pump that every 3 years? I never poured grease down the drain but I do clean only with bleach. Heck, we clean wells with bleach and that goes back into the septic systems. :bored:
But I will add that tree roots can mess up your plumbing system.

States require a lot of things. It's called getting money off of homeowners. We have a flush tax here to save the bay. We flush into the septic not the sewer yet the state requires us to pay for saving the Bay. They also require permits for replacing things in your home, like faucets, dishwashers, toilets. But guess what, if the homeowner doesn't get it inspected, they don't care, after a year the permit is no good. The state has what it wants, your money.

In this house only the most "dirty" TP gets flushed. The rest is put in a "garbage can" waste paper can (the kind where the store bags fit right in).

When we burn garbage, we pull out the bag, close it, and burn it. And put a new "grocery store" bag in the waste paper recepticle.

The only water that goes through our septic tank is from the bathroom (toilet, sink, and tub). The kitchen sink goes down into a drain field. If I remodel sometime, I would put the sink and tub onto the drain field and have just the toilet on the septic.

I don't agree with the septic NEVER needing pumped. Eventually it WILL fill up with solids, and then you'll have a MAJOR problem on your hands when solids get into the leach field!

Spending $200.00 every 10 years is cheap insurance - $20.00 / year to GUARANTEE your septic will keep working.

At the "up north" place I noticed that my sister was using up a whole roll of tp in about 2 1/2 days.............!!!!
One day when I stopped by . .panic time . . ."Its backing up"
Keep story short . . . . .All that tp ended up totally plugging up the leech field..
Home was/is on a lake . . new restrictions . . . . .
A pump back to a mound system WAS REQUIRED . . .read $$$$$$$$$

bottom line . . if you don't mend your tp ways it is going to cost you dearly . . .'down the line'

My stomach gets "pumped" every morning! I would hate to see what would happen if my stomach..and GI tract....was never allowed to empty!

There is no such thing as 100% decomposition. Think about it, even the best compost piles will result in a build up of solids. Likewise, you're septic tank will eventually fill with solids. It may take 20 or 30 years for this to happen. When your tank fills with solids, the solids will spill over into your drainfield or mound system and plug the soil. When this happens your wastewater will back up into the house and the only remedy will be to build another drainfield or mound. So, the 20 to 30 years of saving money of never having your tank pumped will have to be spent in building a new drainfield or mound....which is going to be a lot more expensive. Trust me, I;ve seen dozens of drainfields full of sludge at residences where the know-it-all owners never had their septic tanks pumped.

No, you're stomach 'works' every morning just like it's supposed to. So does the septic tank. Why should it fill up unless there is a problem? If you have a problem, you need to get it fixed. But if there isn't something wrong, you don't need to fix it. If the tank is working, it's not necessary to pump it and if there is a problem, pumping it can hide the problem but there is still a problem. You're just avoiding the problem. And most of the time, you don't even know it.

Just like you, everything eventually stops. Nothing is forever.

Because the purpose of the septic tank is to settle solids and float grease and scum. Why" Because you don't want solids (ie, sludge), grease and scum in your drainfield...these materials will plug the soil in the drainfield.

The purpose of a septic tank is not to provide digestion of waste...any digestion that occurs in the tank is a side benefit.

we use dollar general knock off of scott tissue. cheaper- works the same. trying to train the kids to only flush dirty paper, not wet. wet goes into the trash to be burned. also trying to train them yellow-mellow; brown-drown. but they have other influences. anyway. all of our water except the 2 toilets goes down the hillside in a graywater drain field. only the potties go into the septic...

Scott's here. We don't like that weird stuff that feels like a spa robe.

I'll have septic at the retirement home and I am really trying to figure out a way to not put grey water down the septic. Rules there are pretty draconian though...

Um....okay. I really like Charmin :) We are going to have septic when we move this fall. I do not like one ply at all - feels like sand paper!
Do the other brands that were mentioned have the same "feel" as Charmin?

We use Charmin in our septic tank and always have. No gray water goes in the tank. It is HUGE.

We did have "training" when I realized how much TP we were going through about what is an acceptable amount. As I pointed out to my kids, "1....This is not the cheap stuff. It doesn't require as much for the job." "2....we have running water and soap right there. If you do have a "break through" just clean up. Lord knows I did often enough after some of your diapers and we are all still alive."

Each of my kids ran cross country and carried a roll of Charmin in their bag. It took less than half a roll to make it the entire season and that was around 20 races. Just FYI, distance runners always empty their colon before a race.

Keep the charmin but train your family and maintain your system well.

countrysunshine I had to smile at #2 when I read it, oh so true.

When I read about the Scotts I thought 'Oh boy I bet that's the sand paper stuff we used years ago'. My husband picked some up the other day and it's not like sand paper at all. Not like Charman Extra but I can sure see why the Scotts breaks up better.

I've got a really dumb question for those of you who put the 'yellow' paper in the trash, doesn't the trash smell or do you burn it every day? Dumb question I know.