InspectAPedia TM
Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice Home
Conditioning
Inspection
Ventilate
Inspect/Test
Water
Septic
Directory of Professionals to Inspect or Test a Building
InspectAPedia TM Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| InspectAPedia Home |
| | Air Conditioning |
| | Electrical | | | Environment | | | Exteriors | | | Heating | | | Home Inspection |
| | Insulate Ventilate |
| | Interiors | | | Mold Inspect/Test |
| | Plumbing Water Septic |
| | Roofing | | | Structure | | | Contact Us |
| Directory of Professionals to Inspect or Test a Building |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
SEPTIC SYSTEMS HOME SEPTIC INFO ARTICLES HOME BUYERSGUIDE SEPTIC SYSTEMS ONLINE BOOK SEPTIC PUMPING REPAIR SEPTIC TREATMENTS SEPTIC CONSULTANTS SEPTIC AUTHORITIES BOOKS REFS CODES SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS DESIGN ALTERNATIVES TOILET ALTERNATIVES General Categories of Waterless Chemical Toilets Composting Toilets Greywater Septic Systems Holding Tank Septic Systems Incinerator Toilet Systems List Your Service/Product More Information InspectAPedia TM Home & Site Map Air Conditioning InspectAPedia Bookstore Electrical Environment Exteriors Heating Home Inspection Insulate Ventilate Interiors Mold Inspect/Test Roofing Plumbing Water Septic Structure Accuracy & Bias Pledge Contact Us |
This web page describes use of chemical toilets, how they work, and how they reduce wastewater consumption. The photograph at page top is of the Thetford PortaPotti, a portable toilet which uses chemicals. Other common portable toilets include models from Sears, the Coleman, and Reliance toilets who provide a hassock model portable chemical toilet. Chemical toilets with larger waste reservoirs are used in RV's and campers as well as for full-sized portable toilets or Porta-Johns used at construction sites and at outdoor festivals. Citation of this article by reference to this website and brief quotation for the sole purpose of review are permitted. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. Technical reviewers welcomed and are listed at Reviewers. © Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website. Chemical Toilets: use a chemically treated reservoir located directly below the toilet seat. The chemicals reduce odors and perform partial (incomplete) disinfection of the waste. Chemical toilets have limited storage capacity and must be pumped and periodically cleaned by a septic company. Similar to simple chemical toilets but more sophisticated in design are recirculating toilets which separate the waste from the chemical and then recirculate the fluid through the toilet tank. The following is from: New York State Appendix 75-A.10 Other systems (i) Chemical toilets provide a toilet seat located directly above a vault containing a chemical to disinfect and remove odors from the wastewater. Recirculating toilets use chemicals as the toilet flush fluid. The wastes are separated from the fluid, wastes discharged to an internal holding tank, and the fluid reused. (ii) The liquids used in these types of toilets do not completely disinfect the wastes; therefore, waste products from these units shall not be discharged to surface waters or to the ground surface. (iii) The reduced volume wastewater from recirculating toilets may be discharged to a larger holding tank but not to a subsurface absorption system. So are chemical toilets useful as a septic system design alternative or not?While at least some manufacturers of the chemicals used in chemical toilets (to deodorize and to stop bacterial action in order to prevent dangerous production of potentially explosive methane gas inside the toilet) inform us that their products are environmentally friendly, New York State, as an example, does not want homeowners discharging chemical toilets into the environment. Further, as we have advised elsewhere about dumping RV toilets into the septic system, there is some risk that discharging these chemicals into a conventional septic system could cause it to stop working, depending on the frequency and volume of chemical waste to be disposed-of. With this in mind, we use chemical toilets where there is no onsite waste disposal system at all such as in a weekend cabin without plumbing, or in RV's, but not as a permanent toilet facility in a permanently occupied building. Chemical toilets are suitable for the "pack it in, pack it out" environment in which waste is removed from the site and dumped at an approved RV dumping facility. Is it acceptable to ever dump an RV toilet into a home septic system tank?I would not hesitate to occasionally dump a portajohn or small, portable, chemical toilet into a home septic tank - the volumes are so low, typically two gallons or so total, that the deodorants or disinfectants in that small container would be so dilute as not to harm the tank bacteria. But not only in view of the typical state standard on dumping chemical toilets into the environment, but further and more serious, an RV is a different matter as the holding tank is much bigger. It depends on what chemicals you're using in your RV holding tank. I'd contact the manufacturer and ask for their literature on this point - if you get something from the manufacturer of your product, pass it on to me. Here's one example of one manufacturer's comment about dumping RV chemicals into a septic:: "Yes [you can empty your RV holding tank into your septic system], as long as your septic system is fully functioning, adequately sized and properly maintained. If you do, it's important to use only the recommended amount of deodorant in your holding tank and only empty when the tank is full. Also, because holding tank waste is very concentrated and breakdown takes longer, we recommend you dump only one RV holding tank in a home septic system per week." --Copyright � 2007 Thetford Corporation. Comment-DF: What's missing from this is a more scholarly explanation that includes real data such as:
The concern with dumping RV disinfectants or any chemical into a septic system is that high concentrations of a disinfectant may not only harm the natural bacterial and other actions that occur in the septic tank, worse, it could harm the biomat which forms under and is essential for proper functioning of the drainfield. With some chemicals there is also the risk that the chemical itself is an environmental contaminant. You can understand why New York State and perhaps other states have taken the position quoted just above. Considering that the chemical manufacturer says they are confident that their chemical won't harm the system if we follow their instructions, then if you want to develop some real test data, after checking with your local health department to discuss doing a mini-study of this kind: Go ahead and empty your RV tank into the septic system, Once only, making a note of the volume dumped and the other information listed above. If you don't already have one, install a riser port at the septic tank pumping opening so that you can use the same riser port as a dumping station. You'll just pull the cap off of the riser pipe and connect your RV dumping hose to it. What else? - DO NOT drive your RV over the septic fields or tank - you can damage or even ruin them - CHECK your septic tank pumping schedule. I provide a pumping schedule at Septic System Maintenance - Septic Tank Pumping Table which shows when to clean out the septic tank, and I describe the septic tank pumping procedure at Septic Tank Pumping Procedure - A Detailed Guide to Pumping and Cleaning Septic Tanks. NOW: since you're putting sewage along with deodorant (which probably retards sewage breakdown) into the septic tank, and since we don't have any quantitative data from the manufacturer about how many RV gallons can go how often into a septic tank of any given size (I doubt they know), I would respond by moving up my septic tank pumping schedule to an earlier date. The below is ARBITRARY to use as a starting point - RV gallons put into Next septic tank Move your tank tank in one year pumpout was due up sooner by 250 gals 1 year 2 months 500 gals 1 year 4 months 250 gals 2 years 0 months 500 gals 2 years 2 months 250 gals 3 years 0 months 500 gals 3 years 0 months 1000 gals 3 years 4 months FOLLOWUP: IF, when you pump the septic tank+RV-waste and your pumper says that there was no unusually thick floating scum or settled sludge or suspended solid waste, you can begin to push the septic tank pumping schedule back out to the frequency given in my table. If I can get some more accurate data I will amend this current table (which is completely made-up and speculative) and post it online. More ReadingProducts - for Alternative Septic System Designs aerobic system pumps, media filters, gravelless systems, other advanced wastewater treatment products including waterless, low water, chemical, and incinerating toilets. Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or websiteTOILET ALTERNATIVES Technical ReviewersParticular thanks are due to experts and also consumers who read these articles and suggest corrections, changes, and additions to the material. Content suggestions, technical corrections and content critique are invited for any of the content at our website.
More expert information on this topic | |
|
SEPTIC SYSTEMS HOME SEPTIC INFO ARTICLES HOME BUYERSGUIDE SEPTIC SYSTEMS ONLINE BOOK SEPTIC PUMPING REPAIR SEPTIC TREATMENTS SEPTIC CONSULTANTS SEPTIC AUTHORITIES BOOKS REFS CODES SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS DESIGN ALTERNATIVES List Your Service/Product More Information InspectAPedia TM Home & Site Map Air Conditioning InspectAPedia Bookstore Electrical Environment Exteriors Heating Home Inspection Insulate Ventilate Interiors Mold Inspect/Test Roofing Plumbing Water Septic Structure Accuracy & Bias Pledge Contact Us |
More Information on Septic System Diagnosis, Maintenance, & Repair
Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to domestic wastewater treatment systems include
|
07/13/2008 - 1/1/1995 www.inspect-ny.com/septic/altchemical.htm © Copyright 2008-1995 Daniel Friedman - all rights reserved
InspectAPedia TM Home & Site Map
Home Inspection Construction Consulting Services
Contact Daniel Friedman