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Do coffee and soda affect my septic system?
Everything that goes down the drain can affect your septic system. Coffee and soda drinkers may need to think twice before pouring a large amount of unused leftovers down the drain. As the saying goes, “moderation is key,” but if you are often discarding a mostly full coffee pot or large bottles of soda, this might have an effect on your system.
A brief study was conducted at The Onsite Sewage Treatment Program (OSTP) at the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center regarding coffee and soda’s effects on a septic system.
The types of products used for the study include:
Black Coffee
Iced Coffee
Coffee with sweetened creamer
Coffee with regular half-and-half
Coke
The effects studied were:
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
Chloride
Total Phosphorus
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN)
pH
I bet you didn’t know that septic systems could be so scientific! All these levels are important to the treatment of a properly functioning septic system.
The results are interesting. In a nutshell, the more sweeteners and creamers added to the system, the higher the strength of the wastewater (which can negatively affect the treatment of your septic system). Check out the results from the Onsite Installer here: On-Site Installer Article.
Just a good rule to remember is that moderation is the key when it comes to what is put into your septic system. Have a question about the property functioning of your septic system requirements? Call us to schedule a design, service, or installation of your septic system.