Basement Floor Drain

[BeachWater2]

I can't imagine that a gallon of saltwater a day or 30 gallons at once in a month would impact the trees or downstream neighbors anymore so than the salt that's put on the roads in winter does. But I could be wrong. I plan to have a plumber take a look.

RO/DI units produce several times the amount of waste water as purified water. I'm getting 3 to 5 times as much waste water. I have no idea though how much minerals and salt are in the waste.

 

[BeachWater2]

You could measure salinity, tds, calcium, magnesium, etc. in the waste and compare it to the tap or groundwater.

 

[MnFish1]

It will be interesting to see the 'anatomy' of the system. I cant imagine an open pipe like that being connected to a 'floor drain' that is designed to drain water from the house (like if a pipe burst) - as compared to a drain-tile type system. I would also ask the plumber about draining into your drain field. Supposedly the salts can help the bacteria work better (according to some) - and cause packing of certain clay -type soils (according to others). Please let us know what the results are!

 

[ReefDreamz]

It will be interesting to see the 'anatomy' of the system. I cant imagine an open pipe like that being connected to a 'floor drain' that is designed to drain water from the house (like if a pipe burst) - as compared to a drain-tile type system. I would also ask the plumber about draining into your drain field. Supposedly the salts can help the bacteria work better (according to some) - and cause packing of certain clay -type soils (according to others). Please let us know what the results are!

Yes for sure. I have a plumber coming next Monday. I will be asking him all of these questions most importantly, how he feels about saltwater going into the septic system and where my basement floor drain drains to.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

A Brute Container with a Bell Siphon would work to dump the water down the drain all at once. BTW I’d put a Float Switch at the top to shut off the RO/DI and Auto Water Change, in Case the Siphon Fails. The other thing you could do is have a Straight Overflow pipe above the Bell Siphon.

 

[dennis romano]

Yes for sure. I have a plumber coming next Monday. I will be asking him all of these questions most importantly, how he feels about saltwater going into the septic system and where my basement floor drain drains to.

I would not put salt water into your septic system. First of all, the salt will kill the beneficial bacteria that degrades your waste. Watch what happens to your lawn if you get salt on it. Second, salt tends to corrode the concrete of holding tanks. The surface starts to decay. This process is called spalling. One example would be if concrete sound barriers are built too close to a highway in northern areas. Salt gets on them in the winter and in some circumstances the whole face of the barrier falls off.

 

[ReefDreamz]

I would not put salt water into your septic system. First of all, the salt will kill the beneficial bacteria that degrades your waste. Watch what happens to your lawn if you get salt on it. Second, salt tends to corrode the concrete of holding tanks. The surface starts to decay. This process is called spalling. One example would be if concrete sound barriers are built too close to a highway in northern areas. Salt gets on them in the winter and in some circumstances the whole face of the barrier falls off.

Thanks dennis. How would you recommend disposing of about 10 gallons of saltwater a week for someone with a septic system?

 

[LeftyReefer]

I just route all my water change and waste water to my sump pump basin in my basement. When the basin fills, the sump pump kicks on and pumps the water out to the storm ditch.

You have a floor drain in your basement, but no sump pump?

 

[WVNed]

Thanks dennis. How would you recommend disposing of about 10 gallons of saltwater a week for someone with a septic system?

10 gallons a weak wont hurt a septic system at all. I lived on septic for 30 years and all my tank waste went down the drain. When they salt the roads in the winter does it kill everything next to them?

 

[ReefDreamz]

I just route all my water change and waste water to my sump pump basin in my basement. When the basin fills, the sump pump kicks on and pumps the water out to the storm ditch.

You have a floor drain in your basement, but no sump pump?

Yes exactly. I thought it was strange too when I moved from NY to NH but apparently it's the norm around here. I was told it's because the land around here is so hilly and not flat so most houses are very unlikely to flood. My house is fairly new too built in the 80's.

 

[ReefDreamz]

10 gallons a weak wont hurt a septic system at all. I lived on septic for 30 years and all my tank waste went down the drain. When they salt the roads in the winter does it kill everything next to them?

Yeah plus like pee has specific gravity of 1.005 to 1.030 so it's basically the same as saltwater. How many gallons of pee go down the drain each week.

 

[dennis romano]

Thanks dennis. How would you recommend disposing of about 10 gallons of saltwater a week for someone with a septic system?

Ten gallons should not be a problem, but check with your septic guy. A co-worker of mine dumped his salt waste into his septic against advice. His father was a contractor. After about three years, the system failed. The septic people and his father were perplexed about why it had decayed so much in three years. After he told them that he was dumping his salt water into the system, they said that was the problem. Lucky for him, his father replaced it. Now, he pumps it to the back of his property where all plant life died. I can't tell you how many street side gardens that had to be replaced here in NJ. Plows pile the salty snow on top in the winter and in the spring the rock salt has killed everything from junipers to daylillies.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Dumping Coffee Grounds down your Drain is a sure way of destroying your Septic Drain Field. I put mine around the Bushes, I don’t want the Deer to eat. They hate the stuff.