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Water Softener Disinfectant Impact on Septic Do sanitizers hurt the septic system?
POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about Cleaning & Sanitizing Water Softeners & About using a sanitizer in water softeners and the effect of sanitizers on septic systems
Effects of Water Softener Cleaning & Sanitizing on private septic tanks and absorption beds.
This article series provides an owner's guide to water softener cleaning, and sanitizing - two steps in keeping a water conditioner working properly. We discuss the use of various chemicals & cleaners to sanitize or clean out water softeners and their brine tanks, and we comment on the effect of such chemicals on septic systems.
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Cleaning & Sanitizing Water Softeners & Using a sanitizer in water softeners - the effects of sanitizers on septic systems
This article discusses possible harm that using bleach, a disinfectant, or other sanitizers might have on the septic tank or drainfield when cleaning as water softener.
If you need help with actually cleaning or disinfecting a water softener or other water treatment equipment, see WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZING.
Question: Will using BioSafe™ sanitizer in the water softener harm the septic system?
We have been doing business with a company called Biosafe and have not be satisfied with the results.
I am referencing your article on line “Water Softeners – water softener effect on drinking water and on septic systems" [found at SALT OR WATER INTO SEPTIC].
As I understand the fine print on page 1, you are saying you do not recommend this product. My husband read it just the opposite….that biosafe is one of the recommended products. Could you please clarify. - B.R.
Reply: BioSafe's Hydrogen Peroxide and Peroxyacetic acid - based sanitizers
BioSafe's Hydrogen Peroxide and Peroxyacetic acid - based sanitizers, used as directed, should have significantly less impact on the environment (and therefore on a residential septic system) than certain other chemicals used as sanitizers or disinfectants. But be sure you were using the right product for the right application and in the proper manner.
The article you cited, found at SALT OR WATER INTO SEPTIC - does not discuss Biosafe nor any other specific sanitizer or disinfectant, but perhaps you saw a Google-placed a Biosafe ad at the top of our page.
The "fine print" to which you refer may have been our statement affirming our independence from any advertisers, products, or services that I quote here:
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest. We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices, false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at CONTACT InspectApedia.
I took a look at a Biosafe site (www.biosafesystems.com) that may be the source of the product you asked about: BioSafe Systems LLC - but you should confirm that this is the company whose product you are asking about.
BioSafe Systems produces a wide range of sanitizing products used in agriculture, animal health, greenhouses, water and wastewater industries, food safety, turf, pond and lawn care, and general sanitation.
The BioSafe product line, as I read the company's information on general sanitation, is based on activated peroxygen sanitizers marketed as an alternative to chlorine, phenol, and quat-based formulas. Even as a layman not a chemist, it is easy to understand the basis of the company's assertion that their approach is less harsh and less persistent in the environment than some of the alternatives.
Here you can see a list of links to MSDS sheets for BioSafe™ products: http://www.biosafesystems.com/Product-PH-MSDSsheets.asp
Of their products, and not knowing which Biosafe product you're interested in, I looked at SaniDate 5.0 Sanitizer/Disinfectant a sanitizer
described at http://www.biosafesystems.com/MSDS%20Labels/SaniDate5.0MSDS.pdf
The BioSafe MSDS shows that the hazardous components of this product are Hydrogen Peroxide and Peroxyacetic acid - two very common and widely used disinfectants that are less dangerous to the environment than some other chemicals because the products are not cumulative in the environment.
BioSafe says that the product degrades 99% in 20 minutes. That's quite a good argument supporting the assertion of no bioaccumulation. It's worth noting that the product is however in direct contact acutely toxic to fish, crustaceans, and bacteria (bacteria was probably its target in the first place, no?)
Watch out: at BioSafe's website I did not read specific advice addressing use of their products in a residential water softener. I have asked the company for more information and advice.
In Sum:
I am not an expert in the field, but as a general researcher/investigator I interpret the information about the product to indicate that the product, used as directed by its producer, and at normal levels and frequency of household use, is unlikely to damage a septic system drainfield.
Your husband is right in intent (product OK) but wrong in a literal sense (we do not recommend specific products) - the product does not look harmful to the septic system, with how-to guidance from the manufacturer might be fine for sanitizing a water softener, but in particular, we do not recommend specific products or services. To avoid any conflict of interest, we have no relationship whatsoever with products or services advertised or discussed)
Further details needed:
Please tell me what product you were using, why you are not satisfied with the results, and keep me posted on how things progress in your own case, let me know how you were intending to use the product, and send along photos of any equipment (like water softener) involved if you can.
Such added details can help us understand what's happening and often permit some useful further comment.
Also if you were dissatisfied with a BioSafe product you should contact the company to assure that you were using their product for an application that they recommend, and in the manner that they recommend for that use.
What we both learn may help me help someone else.
Question: Using Starsan to sanitize my GE
(Nov 12, 2012) Using Starsan to sanitize my GE said:
I am wondering if it would be alright to use Starsan to sanitize my water softener. Starsan from fivestarchemicals.com, is a phosphoric acid based product. It is promoted as a 'no-rinse' sanitizer and is often used in food preparation environments, most notably in breweries.
I would like to use it instead of bleach, but am concerned with two things. 1- any negative affect to the water softener or drinking water. 2- it has a foaming nature, will this cause damage?
Hambsch, Beate, Clara Sacré, and Ivo Wagner. "Heterotrophic plate count and consumer's health under special consideration of water softeners." International journal of food microbiology 92, no. 3 (2004): 365-373. Abstract:
The phenomenon of bacterial growth in water softeners is well known since years. To upgrade the hygienic safety of water softeners, the German DIN Standard 19636 was developed, to assure that the distribution system could not be contaminated by these devices and that the drinking water to be used in the household still meets the microbiological standards according to the German drinking water guidelines,
i.e. among others heterotrophic plate count (HPC) below 100 CFU/ml. Moreover, the standard for the water softeners includes a test for contamination with Pseudomonas aeruginosa which has to be disinfected during the regeneration phase.
This is possible by sanitizing the resin bed during regeneration by producing chlorine.
The results of the last 10 years of tests of water softeners according to DIN 19636 showed that it is possible to produce water softeners that comply with that standard. Approximately 60% of the tested models were accepted.
P. aeruginosa is used as an indicator for potentially pathogenic bacteria being able to grow also in low nutrient conditions which normally prevail in drinking water. Like other heterotrophs, the numbers of P. aeruginosa increase rapidly as stagnation occurs.
Normally P. aeruginosa is not present in the distributed drinking water. However, under certain conditions, P. aeruginosa can be introduced into the drinking water distribution system, for instance, during construction work. The occurrence of P. aeruginosa is shown in different cases in treatment plants, public drinking water systems and in-house installations.
The compliance with DIN 19636 provides assurance that a water softener will not be a constant source of contamination, even if it is once inoculated with a potentially pathogenic bacterium like P. aeruginosa.
Hébert, Michele, WATER SOFTENERS ANNUAL MAINTENANCE PDF] University of Fairbanks Cooperative Extension] provides more detail about chemicals & processes used to clean water softeners.
KENMORE WATER SOFTENER with Ultra Flow Valve MANUAL, [PDF], (2011), Kenmore Model / Modelo No. 625.384200 Water Softener
with Ultra Flow Valve -
Ablandador de Agua
con válvula de ultra flujo", Sears Roebuck &Co., 1-800-469-4663,
www.sears.com www.sears.ca,
Para pedir servicio de reparación
a domicilio, y para ordenar piezas:
1-888-SU-HOGAR
(1-888-784-6427), retrieved 4/20/14, orginal source: http://c.sears.com/assets/own/896152e.pdf
Rak, Stanley F. "Chlorine generator for water softeners." U.S. Patent 3,627,133, issued December 14, 1971.
Stamm, John M., Warren E. Engelhard, and James E. Parsons. "Microbiological study of water-softener resins." Applied microbiology 18, no. 3 (1969): 376-386. Abstract:
Microbial identification using effluents backflushed from exhausted urban and rural tank resins and cleaned resins containing the sulfonated copolymer of styrene and divinylbenzene (SDB) were completed, along with microbial assessment of the concentrated stock salt brine. Forty-four different bacterial and fungal genera were identified.
Extensive biochemical and animal virulence tests completed on one of the six bacterial salt brine isolates indicated a pathogenic staphylococcal strain. The retention of Staphylococcus aureus, a Flavobacterium sp, and Escherichia coli B bacteriophage was demonstrated both by using the nonexhausted sodium-regenerated resin and by using the same resin exchanged with different mono-, di-, and trivalent cations.
Effluent counts completed after bacterial seepage through the resins indicated the Pb++ exchanged resin removed 55% of the bacteria; Na+, Fe++, and Al+++ removed 31 to 36% and Ca++ and Cu++ removed about 10 to 15%. Seventy per cent or more of the bacteriophage was removed by Fe++, Cu++, and Al+++, whereas the Ca++ and Na++ cations removed 25 to 31%.
Over a 77-day period, nonsterile tap water was passed through bacterial seeded and uninoculated SDB (Na) resin columns. Effluent and resin elution counts demonstrated the growth and survival of 2 different bacteria per column. Increased bacterial retention, survival, and multiplication occurred concomitantly with accumulation of organic and inorganic materials and the Ca++ and Mg++ cations from the tap water.
Furthermore, microbial elution from resin particles taken from column depths of 1, 8, and 16 cm indicated a bacterial diminution with increasing depths.
Wolkoff, Peder, Thomas Schneider, Jan Kildesø, Ritva Degerth, Margarethe Jaroszewski, and Hannelore Schunk. "Risk in cleaning: chemical and physical exposure." Science of the total environment 215, no. 1-2 (1998): 135-156. Abstract excerpt:
Cleaning is a large enterprise involving a large fraction of the workforce worldwide. A broad spectrum of cleaning agents has been developed to facilitate dust and dirt removal, for disinfection and surface maintenance. The cleaning agents are used in large quantities throughout the world. Although a complex pattern of exposure to cleaning agents and resulting health problems, such as allergies and asthma, are reported among cleaners, only a few surveys of this type of product have been performed.
This paper gives a broad introduction to cleaning agents and the impact of cleaning on cleaners, occupants of indoor environments, and the quality of cleaning. Cleaning agents are usually grouped into different product categories according to their technical functions and the purpose of their use (e.g. disinfectants and surface care products).
The paper also indicates the adverse health and comfort effects associated with the use of these agents in connection with the cleaning process. The paper identifies disinfectants as the most hazardous group of cleaning agents. Cleaning agents contain evaporative and non-evaporative substances.
The major toxicologically significant constituents of the former are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), defined as substances with boiling points in the range of 0°C to about 400°C.
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In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
[1] North Dakota Standards for Water Softeners, North Dakota General Authority Law, Chapter 62-04-08, Water Softener Units http://www.legis.nd.gov/information/acdata/pdf/62-04-08.pdf. "The objective of this chapter is to provide a standard of quality, capacity,
and performance for water softener units. Water softener performance
is to be based upon referee tests procedures described in section
62-04-08-09."
[2] Nitto Denko, Hydronautics, Hydranautics
401 Jones Rd.
Oceanside, CA 92058
Tel: (760) 901-2500
Fax: (760) 901-2664
e-mail: info@Hydranautics.com Technical Service Bulletin TSB107.20, July 2010, web search 08/29/11, original source: /www.membranes.com/docs/tsb/tsb107.pdf Quoting: This is a lower pH cleaning solution (natural pH is between pH 4 and 6. No pH adjustment is required) 1.0% (w) of Na2S2O4 (sodium hydrosulfite). It is useful in the removal of metal oxides and hydroxides (especially iron fouling), and to a lesser extent calcium sulfate, barium sulfate and strontium sulfate. Sodium hydrosulfite is strong reducing agent and is also known as sodium dithionite. The solution will have a very strong odor so proper ventilation is required.
[3] Pro Products, LLC, 502 Incentive Dr., Fort Wayne IN 46825, tel: 800-285-9176, website: www.proproducts.com- web search 08/29/2011, adapted from original source: www.proproducts.com/Libraries/MSDS/Rust_Out.sflb.ashx
[4] "Chemical tests for sodium hydrosulfite & sodium metabisulfite", web search 08.29/2011, wikipedia.
[10] Culligan Mark 10 Water Softener 1994-1998 Installation and Operating Instructions (covering models manufactured after 1995) (1-96) 01881948.pdf available from www.culligan.com
[10] "Non electric water softener,
Installation and Operating Instructions", IBC Filtration & Water Treatment Products (Australia), op.cit.
[12] North Dakota Standards for Water Softeners, North Dakota General Authority Law, Chapter 62-04-08, Water Softener Units http://www.legis.nd.gov/information/acdata/pdf/62-04-08.pdf. "The objective of this chapter is to provide a standard of quality, capacity,
and performance for water softener units. Water softener performance
is to be based upon referee tests procedures described in section
62-04-08-09."
[14] "Water Softener Twin Tank Installation and Operating Instructions", IBC Filtration & Water Treatment Products (Australia), op.cit.
[15] Water Softeners, CMHC, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/wawa/wawa_005.cfm - October 2008. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation acknowledges the contribution of Health Canada to the development of this document. For further questions regarding water treatment and water quality, contact Health Canada at watereau@hc-sc.gc.ca or call 613-957-2991 or 1-866-225-0709.
[16] Watts Industries of North Andover, Mass., provides its ZRO-4 under counter system intended to target the independent water dealer market.
[17] Thanks to reader M.P. for discussing the requirement to adjust the float level in water softener brine tanks - January 2011
[18] Thanks to reader M.P.
for discussing using an "iron out" chemical to remove iron sediment that was clogging a water softener resin tank and causing poor water pressure - January 2011
[19] Kenmore Water Softener Use & Care Guide, Model 635.383000 (with a high flow valve), retrieved 2/14/2013, original source: http://c.sears.com/assets/own/896150e.pdf [ copy on file as Kenmore_Softener_No.625.383_Manual.pdf ]
Advanced Onsite Wastewater Systems Technologies, Anish R. Jantrania, Mark A. Gross. Anish Jantrania, Ph.D., P.E., M.B.A., is a Consulting Engineer, in Mechanicsville VA, 804-550-0389 (2006). Outstanding technical reference especially on alternative septic system design alternatives. Written for designers and engineers, this book is not at all easy going for homeowners but is a text I recommend for professionals--DF.
Country Plumbing: Living with a Septic System, Hartigan, Gerry: $ 9.95; ALAN C HOOD & TP;
Quoting an Amazon reviewer's comment, with which we agree--DF
"International Private Sewage Disposal Code," 1995, BOCA-708-799-2300, ICBO-310-699-0541, SBCCI 205-591-1853, available from those code associations.
"Manual of Policy, Procedures, and Guidelines for Onsite Sewage Systems," Ontario Reg. 374/81, Part VII of the Environmental
Protection Act (Canada), ISBN 0-7743-7303-2, Ministry of the Environment,135 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto Ontario M4V 1P5 Canada $24. CDN.
Manual of Septic Tank Practice, US Public Health Service's 1959.
Greywater System Books
The New Create an Oasis With Greywater, Art Ludwig; Buy New: $14.25. Ludwig is one of the most thoughtful, prolific, and sometimes controversial writers on gray water systems and alternative designs. We recommend his book as clear, easy-to-understand writing aimed at property owners who want or need to consider a graywater installation to conserve water, recycle water, reduce water use, or to reduce the load on their septic system. This is the latest edition of this Art Ludwig's greywater design book classic.
Builder's Greywater Guide, Art Ludwig; Buy New: $10.17. Installation of Greywater Systems in New Construction & Remodeling; A Supplement to the Book "Create an Oasis With Greywater" (Paperback).
Quoting a review from Amazon: I recommend that you get the 3 companion books on greywater treatment "Create an Oasis", "Branched Drain Greywater Systems" and "Builder's Greywater Guide". The information in these volumes will keep most of us far more informed than most of the regulators, the system builders, and the experts-in-theory. These volumes are real-world gems. Art Ludwig has cut to the core of wastewater issues. He's obviously done all of his homework, mulled-over the variables, and come up with a common sense, economically reasonable, environmentally responsible approach to wastewater. I expect to save money that I would have spent on a post-septic tank, aerobic unit that would seemingly have been ecologically responsible; but because of the technological overkill, ultimately that system would have defeated my altruistic environmental concerns. ... These books talk the talk and walk the walk better than anything else that I've seen. Buy a set for yourself, a set for your neighbors, and a set for the regulators.
Branched Drain Greywater Systems [superseded by "The New Create an Oasis with Greywater"], Art Ludwig. If you already have this book but are in the process of installing new gray water systems you should take a look at the newer
edition listed first above in this section of our Greywater book recommendations.
You may prefer the newest edition, but there is great information in this older version, perhaps all you need, and these copies are
sold at very low prices - an aid to people of limited means.
Create an Oasis With Greywater: Your Complete Guide to Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems, Art Ludwig, [superseded by new edition] (Paperback) You may prefer the newest edition, but as I said above, there is great information in this older version, perhaps all you need, and these copies are
sold at very low prices - an aid to people of limited means.
Rainwater Catchment Systems for Domestic Supply: Design, Construction and Implementation,
Erik Nissen-Petersen, John Gould. (Mr. Ludwig, while much appreciated, is not the only author providing really useful design guides for graywater systems--DF)
Quoting from an Amazon review: This book reviews the art of roof and ground catchment systems for rainwater. The water collected can be used for household or other purposes. The designs are aimed for individuals with limited access to electricity and/or civic water utilities. The text includes drawings, photographs and step-by-step instructions. One might say the book is really written for the 'aid worker' since it also considers ethnic and gender issues that would be 'obvious' to the future owners of the the systems.
Guidelines on rainwater catchment systems for Hawaii, (CTAHR resource management publication)
Patricia S. H Macomber. This more technical document may be especially helpful for rainwater collection and recycling systems for climates
where there is heavy rainfall such as demonstrated for Hawaii.
Design for Water: Rainwater Harvesting, Stormwater Catchment, and Alternate Water Reuse, Heather Kinkade-Levario. Quoting from Amazon's review: Design for Water is an accessible and clearly written guide to alternate water collection, with a focus on rainwater harvesting in the urban environment. The book: Outlines the process of water collection from multiple sources-landscape, residential, commercial, industrial, school, park, and municipal systems
Provides numerous case studies, Details the assembly and actual application of equipment, Includes specific details, schematics, and references. All aspects of rainwater harvesting are outlined, including passive and active system setup, storage, storm water reuse, distribution, purification, analysis, and filtration. There is even a section on rainwater harvesting for wildlife. In addition to rainwater, there are several affordable and accessible alternate sources, including cooling tower bleed-off water, air conditioning condensate, gray water, and fog collection. Design for Water is geared to providing those making development decisions and guidelines with the information they need to set up passive harvesting techniques. The book will especially appeal to engineers, landscape architects, municipal decision-makers, developers, and landowners. Heather Kinkade-Levario is a land-use planner in Arizona and the author of the award-winning Forgotten Rain. She is president of Forgotten Rain L.L.C., a rainwater harvesting and stormwater reuse company.
The Toilet Papers: Designs to Recycle Human Waste and Water : Dry Toilets, Greywater Systems and Urban Sewage (Paperback) Sim Van Der Ryn, Wendell Berry; Quoting from an Amazon review: With a title like "Toilet Papers" and from a distinguished eco-architect like Sim Van der Ryn, I needed no intro or review to buy a copy of this little, but well researched historical over-view of effluent mitigation and current eco-friendly toilet design. This book is filled with good line drawings and photographs to depict everything from the historical perspective to the current dry toilets and their construction..
Rainwater Reservoirs Above Ground Structures for Roof Catchment: Most Common Rainwater Tanks in Comparison and Construction Manua, (Paperback) Rolf Hasse. [I have not reviewed this book --DF, but it may be helpful to people constructing rainwater collection and reservoir systems for use in arid climates such as Mexico and the U.S. Southwest.
Quality issues in harvested rainwater in arid and semi-arid Loess Plateau of northern China,
K. Zhu, L. Zhang, W. Hart, M. Liu, H. Chen (out of print, find by search and deferred order).
Amazon's description may be helpful: Loess soils cover vast areas in the arid and semi-arid regions of northern China. Due to the lack of reliable surface water and ground-water, rainwater harvesting has played a prominent role in farmers' domestic usage and agricultural irrigation. An economical and valid type of water storage cistern with optimum design of components has been introduced to rural areas in the Loess Plateau. Different collection alternatives showed apparent variations in rainwater quality. By using different catchments, such as mortar roofs and cement-paved courtyards, compacted land or road surfaces, rainwater can be effectively collected for storage in cisterns. This study focused mainly on the quality of rainwater harvested from the different catchment systems and stored for different periods of time. By analysis of the water samples stored in these cisterns, it was evident that rainwater quality could be improved significantly by self-purification during the storage. With emphasis on rainwater quality affected by the
different catchment systems, it was found that the measured inorganic compounds in the rainwater harvested from roof-yard catchment systems generally matched the WHO standards for drinking water, while the concentrations of some inorganic compounds in the rainwater collected from land and road surfaces appeared to be higher than the guideline values for drinking water, but generally not beyond the maximum permissible concentrations. However, Fecal Coliform, which is an important bacteriological parameter for the three catchment systems, exceeded the limits of drinking water to a greater extend. Trace amounts of 55 organic pollutants were identified, including aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds and phthalate esters, etc. The analytical results indicated that roof-yard catchments that included the ''first flush'' usually provided safe drinking water with low organic contents, even for rainwater collected immediately after rainfall. In contrast, rainwater harvested from road surfaces had poor quality
with respect to the organic constituents, regardless of stored time.
City eying home water-recycling technology; uses bath and washer water for irrigation., (ReWater Systems' equipment for greywater irrigation):
This is an article from: San Diego Business Journal [HTML] (Digital) available online in digital format. I have not (yet) reviewed it -- DF
In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.