Only wastewater should go to your septic system.  Here in Indiana, that includes all gray water (including water from sinks, laundry, etc.)  Some states allow you to use gray water to water your lawn.  Not in Indiana.

Clear water from basement foundation drains is not wastewater and should NOT go to your septic system.   Foundation drain water can add hundreds, even thousands of unnecessary gallons of  necessary water to your septic system every day.  This extra water can  stress your system and cause premature failure. It can also hydraulically overload your septic tank and keep it from properly digesting/settling waste like it was designed to do.

Removing clear foundation water from your septic system can be tricky.  Unfinished basements often have one sump basket with a sump pump.   Pipes from your foundation drain dump clear water from under your foundation to this sump pit. A pump with a float switch then pumps (lifts) the water up and into your gravity (building) sewer that then exists the house.

The problem is,  laundry  wash water is also often discharged to this same sump pit, mixing with clear foundation water before it is sent to your septic system.

Separating this laundry water from the foundation water is a necessity.

The clear foundation water should be re-routed somewhere other than your  septic system.    This water can be surface discharged onto your lawn as long as it does not create a nuisance.  Do not discharge this water on top of your septic absorption field!

Now that the foundation water is taken care of, the laundry water now needs to find it’s way back to the gravity sewer,  but how?   This can easily be done with the help of  a complete Laundry Pump Package (as shown below).  This has everything you will need to get the job done (besides some PVC pipe and glue). Zoeller is a very good pump manufacturer.  This pump should last you many, many years.

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