Septic Tank

user 6139 · Apr 8, 2013

Hi all.

Up here in the Highlands of Scotland, I'm well off the mains sewage system, all of my ah'em "waste" goes into a septic tank in the field , where it's supposedly digested by "bugs" before draining away in the soak away.

In theory the "nice" bugs which digest my "output" are the same ones I'm trying to exterminate using copious amounts of VWP while sanitizing my brewing equipment. So all the VWP I flush away after sanitizing is probably killing the sensitive eco-system in my septic tank ?

How do other folk handle this situation. Is there a septic-tank friendly sanitizer ?

Lee.

graysalchemy · Apr 8, 2013

Do you use household bleach and cleaners around the house anyway?

You don't need to fill an FV completely with steriliser to sterilise it I clean it then spray it with a little sanitiser thus reducing how much you flush away. You could also steam it.

user 6139 · Apr 8, 2013

We tend to avoid using bleaches, and use "eco" brands wherever possible. We also pay for the tank to be emptied occasionally, but if it's working correctly, there should be no need to.

The accepted wisdom is that we should scrape up some fresh road-kill every now and then and throw it in the tank to re-introduce bugs (kinda like a pro-biotic yogurt).

I have been filling my FV with VWP solution and letting it stand for a while. I guess I could use much less and swish it about?

Lee

dennisking · Apr 8, 2013

Starsan no rinse, because you can re-use it works out cheap.

rpt · Apr 9, 2013

dennisking said:
Starsan no rinse, because you can re-use it works out cheap.

+1 to Starsan.

user 6139 · Apr 9, 2013

Thanks all,

Will look into using Star San instead of the VWP stuff.

Jeltz · Apr 9, 2013

I use videne for sanitizing and and soda crystals for cleaning. I use the videne in a spray most of the time so it doesn't have much to pour away and I would have thought that even no rinse sanitizers would be deleterious to the bacteria which break down waste in the septic tank. However, so long as there isn't a lot going in any that are killed will be replaced pretty rapidly.