Can I Do Laundry if Septic Tank is Full? A Definitive Guide!

Most houses in rural areas/countryside are still equipped with septic tanks instead of public drains. Replacing these tanks can be pretty expensive. So if a septic tank is almost due, you might want to use the tank for as long as possible. This quest might leave you thinking, can I do laundry if my septic tank is full?

Avoid doing laundry if your septic tank is full, as it may cause overflows and damage the system. Full tanks cannot treat wastewater properly, leading to backups or system failure. Address the issue by having your tank pumped by a professional, and maintain your septic system regularly for smooth operation.

You must handle septic tanks with care, or the aftereffects might not be pleasant. So, if you want to learn more about doing laundry on a full septic tank and how to get through this situation, keep reading.

Is it Safe to Do Laundry if the Septic Tank is Full?

Although doing laundry when the tank is jammed is advised against, you’ll be glad to learn that it is safe to do so. If your tank is full and you need to get it cleaned/replaced, you should do it as soon as possible.

As far as doing laundry is concerned, it is generally considered safe to do laundry one more time on the almost full septic tank. However, if you do so, you should be prepared to deal with the consequences.

Laundry machines use a lot of water for washing clothes, and once the clothes are washed, all the water is disposed to the septic tank. This much water might even cause an empty tank to overflow. So, an almost full/full septic tank will overflow.

If the tank overflows, the water might pool on your lawn where the tank is buried. The septic system will refine the water from the tank, but it won’t be clean, so it might smell terrible. And you’ll have to deal with the sewerage smell until the water doesn’t evaporate or get absorbed.

Another thing is that the overflowed water around the tank might damage the septic tank and field and cause you to pay for a hefty replacement.

How to Keep the Tank from Overflowing When Doing Laundry?

You can keep your septic tank from overflowing while doing laundry with a few simple but effective tips. These methods include:

Avoid Doing All the Laundry on the Same Day

The best way to keep your septic tank from overflowing is by avoiding flushing too much water into the tank in little time. If you wash several loads of clothes on the same day, the septic tank and field will be flooded with water. And since most septic tanks cannot contain much water, they might release even the unpurified water into the lawn.

The unpurified water might start pooling on the lawn. Any vegetation that comes in contact with the water released from the tank will not remain safe for consumption.

You can do laundry every day or on alternate days. This way, the effluent released from your washer would not be extravagant, and the septic system will have sufficient time to disperse it.

Use the Right Detergent

People might sometimes overdo the quantity of detergent, thinking it might clean the clothes better. However, this step might prove highly disastrous if your laundry machine is connected to a septic system.

Using excessive powder detergent might lead to lump formation in the septic tank. The formed lumps will disturb the effluent flow within the septic lines and lead to blockages. These blockages might cause the tank to overflow.

Moreover, most powdered detergents contain anti-bacterial chemicals in a very high quantity. So, when these chemicals accumulate in the tank, they can kill the bacteria in the septic tank, which is responsible for breaking down the waste material.

A much better alternative to powdered detergent is liquid detergent. These are much milder and are free of the anti-bacterial chemicals that might destroy the beneficial bacteria in the tank.

Avoid Doing Laundry While Others are also Using water

Another thing you can do is do laundry when others are not doing dishes, showering, bathing, etc. If you start doing the laundry while someone else is using water in a surplus amount, the tank might not be able to handle all the water and downpour.

On the other hand, doing laundry while the house members are away/asleep will help the tank process the laundry water faster because there will be lesser water for the tank to process.

Regularly Clean Lint Filters

Washing machines make your work easier by spinning the clothes at a very high speed and removing some of the lint that may have formed on your clothes. However, if you do not regularly maintain/clean these filters, they might become blocked due to the lint trapped inside.

When this happens, the lint might start flowing into the septic system. Lint in the septic system will combine with the solid waste in the tank and keep it from breaking down. It will result in major blockages/clogs.

So, to keep it from happening, you should regularly clean and maintain your washer’s lint filters.

You can buy and install a lint filter if you are using an old washer without any lint filters. This small investment will save you from splurging a ton of money getting the septic system repaired.

Remove Extra Mud by Hand

The excessive layers of filth on the clothes might also clog the septic pipes. To keep this from happening, we recommend you first scrape off the dirt and other residues from the clothes using a laundry brush. A laundry brush will scrape off the mud and break it into small pieces, so it’s easier for the tank to break down.

Once you have removed the excessive residue, the mashing machine easily washes the clothes, and there won’t be any blockage in the pipes.

Consider Buying a New Washer

The latest washers are much more effective at cleaning clothes. These washing machines consume lesser energy. Moreover, the water consumption by these newer models is also lower compared to the older ones.

Older washers used 40-45 gallons of water per round, which is a lot for the septic tanks to process. On the other hand, the latest washing machines consume less than 40 gallons of water which is still quite a lot but significantly lesser than the amount consumed by the older variants.

So, investing in a newer washer will make the septic tank’s job easier by putting less strain.

Conclusion

Septic tanks and laundry machines do not usually get along well. Because the septic systems are not designed to handle so much water in such a short time space, a septic tank that is already full will have an even harder time processing all the effluent. Getting a full septic tank cleaned/repaired as soon as possible is best. Or the tank might overflow and cause serious trouble.

However, with some care and the techniques mentioned above, you can keep a septic tank from overflowing while doing laundry. To learn the details, make sure to go through the steps mentioned above.