Trying to decide what to do with my nutrient run off from my drain to waste coco system. The house i moved to has a septic system (aerator septic) built in the 90s. My local area requires septic run off testing once a year. Not sure what they test for tho? How would you get rid of the nute runoff?
Dumping Nutrient RunOff into your septic?
- Thread starter RCJR
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- drain to waste runoff septic
How much? Mine goes on the lawn, some do the garden.
rocketdog1989
Member
Some use reverse osmosis system and filter the nutes out of the water before going down the drain. This is the most responsible and expensive way. I just have a drain in my flower room and have been draining it into the septic. I was told the nitrogen and high acidity of the nute run off will eat away at the concrete in the tank and cause the drainfield to plug with biomat(a black, slimy substance that will clog the drain bed). Not to mention the run off going into a watershed or end up in a lake or stream. Your septic does a good job at filtering out any kind of matter and if it dries out and has a proper dosing schedule and with proper aeration, the aerobic bacteria your septic naturally produces from the aerator will consume all of the runoff. Drain to waste systems IMO use less nutrients because you aren't draining a huge reservoir into your septic and if you mix according to the feeding schedule printed on your nutrient containers, then you shouldn't run into any issues. The plants should use up most of your nutes between feedings. If you also change up your schedule(high nitrogen during veg and then cut the nitrogen during flower) your plants should only use up most of the nute anyways.
nxsov180db
Well-Known Member
If you're worried about the testing showing that you have nutrients in your septic you've taken too many bong hits
Budzbuddha
Well-Known Member
Lawn , shrubs , crabgrass , houseplants .
Better than straight down pipes.
Better than straight down pipes.
LowRange
Well-Known Member
Dont know about your country, but here they test for Biochemical Oxygen Demand in mg/L, Suspended Solids in mg/L and Thermotolerant coliforms (also known as faecal coliforms) in cfu/L
So i wouldnt worry about them testing for anything to show you are growing, but ph water and nutes you put down the drain can kill good bacteria needed for the system to stay in balance and work.
So i wouldnt worry about them testing for anything to show you are growing, but ph water and nutes you put down the drain can kill good bacteria needed for the system to stay in balance and work.
Hook Daddy
Well-Known Member
As others have suggested I alway just water other plants and the lawn. I can’t imagine why you would even want to pour it in the septic, just water something else.
Nutrient solutions contain the main Elements (N, P, K, Ca etc.), trace elements (basically heavy metals) and chelating agents. Main elements will be consumed by microbes growing in the tank. They are also present in poop/the breakdown products of poop. The trace elements could be supplied by rust somewhere in your piping. Chelating agents are biodegradeable and are also used in washing agents to reduce water hardness.
In priciple draining it is okay. My main concern is that draining the solution provides too many nutrients and cause some problems, because I don't know that much about septic tanks.
if you overfertilize your garden the nitrates will wash into groundwater and rivers. Especially during autumn and winter plants can't use fertilizers. That's not a nice way to go about your business.
In priciple draining it is okay. My main concern is that draining the solution provides too many nutrients and cause some problems, because I don't know that much about septic tanks.
if you overfertilize your garden the nitrates will wash into groundwater and rivers. Especially during autumn and winter plants can't use fertilizers. That's not a nice way to go about your business.
What would you do in my situation?
Figure out if you can dump it in your septic (depends also on the size of your grow operation relative to the number of people using the bathroom). What I wanted to say was, that the contents of the septic tank wont change with the nutrients.
Alternativly just dump it in your garden (I guess you live in a rural area? Large garden and lots of fields?). If there's intensive agriculture, especially animals, around the groundwater is probably already shit.
Alternativly just dump it in your garden (I guess you live in a rural area? Large garden and lots of fields?). If there's intensive agriculture, especially animals, around the groundwater is probably already shit.
Rurumo
Well-Known Member
I'm in the same situation, no way I'd put all that fluid in my septic tank. Dump it in a slightly different spot in your yard each time. On the lawn, or just move a foot over each day and dump it in your flower garden or on bushes/trees. It won't cause any problems unless you always dump it in the same spot.
Atleast the groundwater is safe.
We don't know your situation, other than you have run off and a septic. You could have a few gallons/liters a week or hundreds. You could be in the desert or next door to BK.
