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absob

Have septic and use garbage disposal.

absob
10 years ago

Do you have a septic and use a garbage disposal? If so, what do you put down it, what do you NOT put down it?

Comments (6)

  • Majra
    10 years ago

    I don't put much in the disposal at all. An occasional lemon or lime rind to keep it smelling fresh is the biggest workout it gets. We would rather give the garbage to the garbage man than the septic tank!

  • sushipup1
    10 years ago

    I only use it for soupy things. I scrape into the garbage, so few larger pieces get into the sink at all. I dumped about a 1/2 cup of chicken noodle soup last week. Probably only use it once a week, but I wouldn't be without it.

  • new-beginning
    10 years ago

    I have chickens, a turkey, goats, a dog and cats - that pretty much takes care of any food scraps, leftovers.

    With a septic system, not much should go down the disposer unless you like getting it pumped frequently.

  • lucas_tx_gw
    10 years ago

    I compost just about everything and only let the small bits that get in the sink go down the drain. Run a citrus rind occasionally to keep it clean.

    Considered taking out the GD when we remodeled but decided it was worth keeping even if rarely used.

  • ppbenn
    10 years ago

    We have had a septic tank system in the past four houses
    We have had a garbage disposal at each house and are sensible about what goes down. Plate scraps, small things go down of course
    Large stuff like shucking a dozen ears of corn, 10# of potato peelings get composted. My kids put more stuff down than I do.
    We have NEVER had an issue with our septics.
    I would never NOT have a disposer. It just seems like good insurance to be able to grind up stuff that might just slip down.
    My daughter had no disposer in her first apt and ALWAYS had clogs
    Her landlord was going to add disposers to all 12 apts.
    Our current 150 year old farmhouse with a cesspool not a septic has had NO problems over the past 7 years since we included the disposer in the remodel
    YMMV

  • smiling
    10 years ago

    I've also had a septic and disposer for over 30 years with no problems.

    Many years ago my hardware store pointed me to a live bacteria treatment called Microbe-Lift that I flush into the septic about twice a year. (I have no association with the company, just swear by their stuff.)

    They also advised me to put about one cup of sugar down the drain once a month (to feed the bacterial culture that breaks down the solids in your septic tank).

    Our plumber says that one of the best ways to clean a disposer is to run a whole tray of ice cubes. The little shards of ice are like knives scraping the insides and the grinder. YMMV but it works great for us.

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