Osmosis filters and septic systems

[Pete C.]

Water in a septic system aids the bacteria in digesting the solids. If there is "excess" water going into a septic system it simply flows out to the leach field. The water flowing out does no carry solids into the leach field, solids only go into the leach field if the system is undersized or the bacterial action fails for some reason (rare).

The amount of reject water added to a septic system be an under counter RO filter system is minuscule under any normal usage, comparable to an extra shower or load of laundry. It will not in any way harm a septic system that is in normal operational condition.

[Sheldon]

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The very *best* a typical residential RO filter can do is produce one quart of filtered water per hour or 6 gallons per day, which means under the most extreme usage the most grey water produced is 18 gallons per 24 hours (which never happens - the most any typical family of four will consume is like 2-3 gallons of filtered water which produces less than 10 gallons of grey water [slowly] over 24 hours). Any septic system that is tipped over into not functioning zone with the addition of only 18 gallons of water per 24 hours is seriously broken to begin with. No under sink style RO is capable of overloading any functioning septic system, no way, no how... in fact if the septic system is so marginal then 18 gallons of grey water dribbled in over 24 hours can only help to improve the system (RO grey water dribbles out slowly, no greater rate than 3 quarts per hour or 1 quart in 20 minutes - on a good beer night I can piss at that rate). Only solids can harm a leaching field... if the field can't handle 18 additional gallons of water over a day then it was very seriously broken prior to installing the RO and needed to be remediated... that means no one in your residence bathed or flushed and your neighbors knew you by your stench.