Composting your own Septic Sludge

People can compost there own septic sludge to save on pumping there septic tanks. Use a sump pump to pump the water out then get in your tank and shovel the muck out into a wheel barrel or lawn tractor trailer. Mix the sludge with sawdust and dump in your compost bin cover with grass clippings or hay or your garden debris.

Wow Robbie!!! You really need to find a few new hobbies... LOL!!!

On a more serious note...

You really have to be careful about this. Some folks may have an elderly person or relative contributing to that septic sludge or composting toilet. If so, are they on a plethora of meds? Is anyone else contributing poop or pee on meds of any kind? Cus those will concentrate in that septic sludge or in the compost from a composting toilet. And some of those could uptake into plants and leach into water tables. There is a lot of thought that needs to go into grey water and humanure. Some meds can kill plants and soil biology. Sometimes it’s better to hire a septic truck to transport it to a treatment facility equipped with the technology to make it safe.

Now if your poop and pee is as pure and clean as the driven snow, and you like the night life, and like to boogie, and happen to be a thrill seeker willing to brave crawling into a full septic tank... Then by all means, shake yer groove thang and grab a shovel and a cloths pin off the line... But me? I’m gonna go fishin some place that has clean water. I got shit to do that doesn’t involve shit to do... LOL!!!

(I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. I’m all for composting, just wanted to add that safety consideration)

Good luck!

***Time Out: Big Fat Safety Moment***

A septic tank is a confined space, and by definition and design an anaerobic environment. People die in these places, out of ignorance and stupidity. And somebody else will have to risk their safety to pull them out. If that is a safety professional with supplied air, well and good; but usually it's your buddy or partner trying to rescue you. And now there are two fatalities. It happens all the time.

Even if your plan in life is to "compost in place" at the bottom of a poo pit, be advised that you will probably put other people in danger. That is not cool.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:***Time Out: Big Fat Safety Moment***

A septic tank is a confined space, and by definition and design an anaerobic environment. People die in these places, out of ignorance and stupidiy. And somebody else will have to risk their safety to pull them out. If that is a safety professional with supplied air, well and good; but usually it's your buddy or partner trying to rescue you. And now there are two fatalities. It happens all the time.

Even if your plan in life is to "compost in place" at the bottom of a poo pit, be advised that you will probably put other people in danger. That is not cool.

A great big fat AMEN to this public safety announcement from Mr Alpenstock...

Excellent catch on the safety aspect Douglas!!!

Well pumping out your own septic tank and discharging on your property is illegal.  So .... you have to understand what your doing , be careful and sneaky.  First thing septic sludge is not very sludgie or thick.  Yes the solids settled in the first compartment is thicker but pumpable.  The problem is the water and doing it safely.  First thing what type of soil do you have?  What is the value of the perk test.  Fast? very fast .,, very slow??  

I pumped out my second compartment so low that was down to the connection to first last year.  So really pumped out majority of volume, so left about 100 -150 gallon in 1st chamber.  Pump flow rate was greater than anticipated so covered a larger area than I thought so was a bit unprepared.   I have a very fast perk so liquid volume was gone very soon after I stopped the pump.  Left a very thin layer on ground.  Again your not dealing with a lot of solids.  I ended up having a bonfire which quickly got rid of smell and all the solid residue.

This year have prepared an area that will take almost entire volume.  Will check after a couple of minutes to check how fast draining and will turnoff pump if required.  Haven't decide if will burn or just cover with soil with a couple of shovel fulls of composted cow manure that is full of red wigglers .  

Pumping, If you use a solids handling pump I don't think you will have any issues pumping out everything.  Maybe a hose to get the thickest sludge moving and dilute at the bottom of the 1st chamber.  Also to get the bit in the corners.  If want to use conventional pump then could use an educator  but then have a lot more water to deal with.

Overall what are you doing that is different than the septic field ?  I'm putting the fluid right beside the end of my field at almost the same elevation.  My pipes are about 14" -16" below grade.  The difference is that volume is over an hour rather than over 4-5 days.  The solids are going to be trapped by the soil in the first couple of inches.  As long as those solids are disposed of properly ( burn or cover) not really a difference.  The water volume as long as good distance from well or any water course should also be good.

adding - of course never go into tank, wear gloves , wash off pump back into tank, flush out pump and hoses when done to your disposal area.

We "cheat", and intercept the sludge before it gets to the tank and becomes ... sludge, needing pumping out every few years. We humanure the poo ... only the pee makes it into the septic tank and beyond, and then only because I can't get anyone else interested in peeing at various trees and other spots. They love their thrones in heated rooms ...

It may be different for others, but in our household, pee is also a "race" event (no time to go find a tree), whereas poo is more of a "marathon" (grab a book, find a poo bucket ... ponder life). So, pee ends up in the septic system from some household members.

With 40 acres, we planned in advance to have a septic system and humanure/greywater ... but, no reason why you couldn't implement humanure/greywater at any time, and reduce the impact on a septic system, and save on pumping costs.

We have had septic systems since 1985 and have never had the need to have our systems pumped out.  One system was at least 15 years old when we sold our homestead.

The system we have now was not new when we bought the property though I think I can say it was never pumped and has not been pumped since we bought the place in 2013.

There is an inexpensive product that is 100% natural bacteria and enzymes that we use to keep our system running without being pumped.

Take the earlier cautions by Douglas and others as wise advice.

Composting your septic sludge might and very well bring you under the radar of your county's department that regulates septic systems and could result in big fines and other unforseen consequences.

So what I've been told is that septic tanks need to be pumped when the fats/oils that rise to the top and the sludge that sinks to the bottom met in the middle so that there is no space for the water to pass into the leech field, but what are the things that make the sludge? I would think that poo would be eaten by the bacteria as would most organic matter. I've tried googling it to no avail, they just say sludge.

Stacy, by using bacterial enzymes in the septic system the wastes are broken down.  To me, this means no sludge.

Sludge to me is the stuff that goes into your septic system that are not liquids.  Mainly poop, paper, and the contents from a garbage disposal, etc.

I currently have a greywater system in place so only what goes into the toilet goes to my septic system so mine is mostly poop and paper.

I think the bacterial enzymes would work great for eliminating the oils that you spoke of.

To me, the price of the bacterial enzyme is very small compared to the price of having a tank pumped.

I am sure there are DIY recipes for bacterial enzymes on the net. I have also heard that some folks use yeast.  I am thinking that even something like compost tea, made with certain ingredients might also work, though I know nothing about using these.

Some of the sludge will be earth, sand all the little bits that you eat or get washed off your clothes, vegetables or hands. not pumping is not an option here it has to be done once a year by the certified guy it's paid for in your house taxes. They also inspect the tank, any deficiencies are reported and are fineable.

All of my post is heavily premised on the statement that "I believe".    

I believe the layers in a septic are the scum layer on top (foamy floating junk), the poop cool-aid in the middle and the sludge at the bottom.  The sludge is heavier stuff that doesn't get biodegraded (perhaps sand from washing veggies).

In my county we need to have our septics checked every 3 years.  The septic companies and most people have misinterpreted that to mean they have to be pumped every 3 years.  I found an inspector who doesn't own a pump truck.  If mine is ever bad enough to need pumping, I'd have to hire a company with a truck.

My guy says that if we keep doing what we're doing, we'll never need to have it pumped.  If the only thing going into the septic are poop, pee, water, good soaps/shampoos, food bits, toilet paper and the like, the biological activity in the tank will eat all of it.  No bleach or other toxins go into our septic since we want to protect our microbes.  Every time we add volume (flush, shower, etc) it raises the level a tad and the watery stuff overflows (through a filter) to the drain field.

He measures with a stick to see how thick the sludge and scum layers are to make his assessment.  All I need to do is clean off the filter every year (which I'm too lazy to do) and keep flushing good stuff down there.  No special enzymes or other treatments.

Based on everything I've learned from our guy, pumping a septic on a schedule is a racket intended to employ septic pumping companies.  Inspecting on a schedule is a wonderful idea though.

I have used the enzyme packets before but have been told by some that it's not necessary. We are careful with our septic and don't use nasty chemicals, but my kids use various hair products that are probably not the best. Maybe I will go back to using the enzyme packets, at least occasionally. I had assumed that there would be some inorganic matter or other things that the enzymes and bacteria wouldn't be able to break down but it seemed odd to me that that would amount to very much, sounds like I was right. Thank you everyone.

Mike said, "My guy says that if we keep doing what we're doing, we'll never need to have it pumped.  If the only thing going into the septic are poop, pee, water, good soaps/shampoos, food bits, toilet paper and the like, the biological activity in the tank will eat all of it.  No bleach or other toxins go into our septic since we want to protect our microbes.  Every time we add volume (flush, shower, etc) it raises the level a tad and the watery stuff overflows (through a filter) to the drain field.

This!

Great post, Mike! Thanks for the thorough explanation.

Treat your septic system with care and it may never need to be pumped.

When we had a homestead and children, everything had to say "Safe for Septic Systems" or we did not buy it. Laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, dishwasher gel, etc.

Local or county laws might require it like Skandi said, though that is something that has to be done.

Anne Miller wrote:
I am sure there are DIY recipes for bacterial enzymes on the net. I have also heard that some folks use yeast.  I am thinking that even something like compost tea, made with certain ingredients might also work, though I know nothing about using these.

I'm looking for these recipes! See my post: https://permies.com/t/177092#1391345
Emilia

Anne Miller wrote:

There is an inexpensive product that is 100% natural bacteria and enzymes that we use to keep our system running without being pumped.

What is this product of which you speak?
Emilia

Emilia, the product that we have been using is called RidX.  They have a website:

https://www.rid-x.com/

contains billions of 100% natural active septic tank bacteria and enzymes that have been scientifically proven to digest household waste. These bacteria were developed to be more active than the bacteria that naturally occur in your septic tank. By adding RID-X®, you help restore the delicate balance of beneficial septic tank bacteria and enzymes that are needed to help keep your system operating at full efficiency and avoid costly septic maintenance.

Dear hubby recently switched to a product called Green Gobbler which sounds similar to what you have been using.  I feel it may not be as natural as RidX, though I don't know:

https://greengobbler.com/products/septic-saver-enzyme-pacs

I have never tried the DIY treatments though I feel they probably involve using yeast.

That's you use a ladder for to climb down and up with buckets and rubber boots on and have a wheel barrel sitting outside. Once empty you can clean the inside of the tank.

Do this in the summer when the water table is way down to water plants and the grass.

Baron Whitish wrote:adding - of course never go into tank, wear gloves , wash off pump back into tank, flush out pump and hoses when done to your disposal area.