Impact of dishwashing on septic system: hand washing vs. automatic

[Drippy]

From what I gather, a modern automatic dishwasher uses less water than washing the same amount of dishes by hand. This would reduce the wastewater load on the septic system and thus help preserve the drainfield. I do not know the number of gallons saved; would it benefit the system enough to warrant switching to an automatic?

Also, I know that the chemistry of the detergents has changed with modern technology. How friendly are modern detergents to septic systems? In addition to the effects on bacteria etc., I am particularly curious about how fats are broken down in hand washing (Dawn etc.) versus auto washing.

 

[Twowaxhack]

A septic system that’s in good condition will not have a problem with normal dishwashing with either detergent but I’d say Dawn is better for your tank than automatic detergents.

Wipe your dishes out before you wash them to keep grease to a minimum.

As a general rule, less water is better than too much water for a septic system.

 

[Ludington]

Just for comparison.... Maybe we've just been lucky, but we didn't pump our tank for roughly 25 years, and it was fine. At about that point, our clothes washer was diverted from its own drain field into the septic tank, 15 years later the septic tank was pumped again. No problems. But we will be pumping probably every 3-5 years now. We were just ignorant of how often it should be done. So, for us, sinks, dishwasher, clothes washer... no problems.

 

[Aggie83]

I have a new dishwasher that uses very little water (GE, made in USA!). I use Dirty Labs dishwasher powder which does not build up. I would avoid the plastic paks of dishwasher detergent... just my opinion.

Also, on wiping off the grease of dishes, wipe it off into the trashcan!

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

I have a new dishwasher that uses very little water (GE, made in USA!). I use Dirty Labs dishwasher powder which does not build up. I would avoid the plastic paks of dishwasher detergent... just my opinion.

Also, on wiping off the grease of dishes, wipe it off into the trashcan!

All of the new dishwashers use very little water, some around 4 gallons per load which is a fraction of the water used if you hand-washed that full load. Many dishwashers are made in the USA, including Bosch in South Carolina. All of the Whirlpool brands (Maytag, Whirlpool, Kitchen Aid) made in USA, as is Dacor and Frigidaire.

I generally use the tabs recommended by the manufacturer. The "plastic pouches" are actually just the powder measured and sealed in a bag made of a water soluble polymer called polyvinyl alcohol. Never any "build up" which can be caused by unmeasured use of powder.

The cycle times have gotten WAY longer; what was less than one hour on my circa 2001 Bosch is now about 2.5 hours. When they removed phosphates from detergent they struggled for about a year to find substitutes that work. I think it's all settled.

 

[cgilley]

The least of my concerns is the dishwasher .

Context: lived in this house for 30 years raising a giant family. Think 11 showers/day, 3 meals, 5 loads of dishes, and at least 4 loads of laundry. When the girls got to "that age" I had mom have a chat with them about what is okay to flush. When older children started to cook, I had the "we do not put grease down the sink. Now, when I was a kid, we routinely dumped french fry oil down the drain (not on septic). My system has two tanks plus 550' of drain line.

However, I did not anticipate toddlers or frisky teenagers. Or cooks that really did not believe about no grease. So one day we had our 5 year backup, and the tanks were just slammed solid. Other times, we'd be pulling toys and other items out of the tank. A couple of years ago, I got fed up with getting my yard torn up and installed risers and grade level lids. If you've not done this, please do it. It allows anyone to come out and just look. Worth the money.

If you have a normal sized semi-psychotic family, the dishwasher is just not going to be an issue. FWIW, my MIL insists on washing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I suppose she just never had a decent washer. I'd been told the new detergents are designed to expect and utilize food waste.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Flushing condoms is a no no. Better have a talk with the “ boyfriends “

 

[cgilley]

lol, that talk was had. Very, very directly and with sons and daughters. There is a Bible verse, "Be sure your sins will find you out."

 

[Twowaxhack]

There’s no stopping teenage love.

 

[cgilley]

Married at 19 while in engineering school, but yeah, I get that.

Note to group: if you want your children to learn adulting, they need bills. Lots and lots of bills.

 

[Ludington]

Married at 19 while in engineering school, but yeah, I get that.

Note to group: if you want your children to learn adulting, they need bills. Lots and lots of bills.

As long as you don't break down and pay them.....

 

[Aggie83]

All of the new dishwashers use very little water, some around 4 gallons per load which is a fraction of the water used if you hand-washed that full load. Many dishwashers are made in the USA, including Bosch in South Carolina. All of the Whirlpool brands (Maytag, Whirlpool, Kitchen Aid) made in USA, as is Dacor and Frigidaire.

I generally use the tabs recommended by the manufacturer. The "plastic pouches" are actually just the powder measured and sealed in a bag made of a water soluble polymer called polyvinyl alcohol. Never any "build up" which can be caused by unmeasured use of powder.

The cycle times have gotten WAY longer; what was less than one hour on my circa 2001 Bosch is now about 2.5 hours. When they removed phosphates from detergent they struggled for about a year to find substitutes that work. I think it's all settled.

Agree that the 'brick' type powder blocks are fine. Any plastic pouches will result in microplastic waste... I have found remnants of pouches in the dishwasher and the washing machine after they are run. Tide pods are the worst! Never again!