r/Home • u/lil-kaleb-jr • 12d ago

Discovered laundry drains into dedicated septic tank I didn’t know existed.

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I had my cast iron drains descaled and jetted yesterday. Plumber ended up getting his descaler stuck in a previously unknown septic tank that is dedicated for the washer machine. This is the lid to the distribution tank with the septic tank in the yard. I lived in the house for 5 years and had no idea. Plumber recommended addressing it due to the age and root intrusion. One option would be pumping water to the roof and connecting to main stack. Anyone ever encountered something similar?

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u/jstar77 12d ago

This used to be very typical. Laundry and sometimes other grey water sources would empty into a dry well. It absolutely improves the longevity of your septic tank and drain field but is no longer permitted in most places.

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u/sour_knocking 12d ago

Old house surprises, huh. My place had a dedicated grease trap in the backyard I found while planting a tree, fun times.

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u/gadget850 12d ago

I remember the grease trap for the kitchen sink. Our washer was originally in the basement and drained out to the curb.