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Disposals and septic tanks · Davie, FL

Can a Garbage Disposal Go on a Septic Tank in Davie?

Can a garbage disposal go on a septic tank in Davie? Yes: Florida's rule for sizing a septic tank counts bedrooms and floor area, and it has no line for a garbage disposal. The state's own owner guide still says to skip the disposal or use it less. If you keep one, the tank gets checked and pumped more often than the usual 3 to 5 years.

A 3-bedroom home is sized at
300 gal/day
· up to 2,250 sq ft, Rule 62-6.008
Minimum tank for that flow
900 gallons
· with a disposal or without one
Can a garbage disposal go on a septic tank in Davie: a finished kitchen with an undermount stainless steel sink in a white quartz counter, a pull-down faucet, a window above the sink and light oak flat-panel cabinets below it
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What Florida's Septic Rule Counts

A septic system in Florida is sized under Rule 62-6.008 of the Florida Administrative Code, and the rule starts from the house, not the kitchen. It sets a daily flow by bedrooms and building area. A home with 3 bedrooms and up to 2,250 square feet counts as 300 gallons a day. Each extra bedroom, or each extra 750 square feet, adds 60 gallons. When the bedrooms and the floor area point to different flows, the larger one wins.

That flow sets the tank. From 201 to 300 gallons a day, the minimum is a 900-gallon tank. The rule also requires an approved outlet filter, set in or after the last tank and before the drainfield.

Read the whole rule and the garbage disposal never comes up. There are no added gallons and no bigger tank for one. The companion rule on how tanks are built, 62-6.013, does not name it either, and it says a residence does not need a grease interceptor.

So the sizing rule does not decide this for you. The state's owner guide does take a side.

What the State's Owner Guide Says

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection runs the state's septic program and prints a short guide for owners. On disposals it is plain: the DEP's Septic System Owner's Guide says not to use a garbage disposal, or at least to limit it, and to have the tank checked more often if you do.

The reason is what the tank does. It separates and stores the solids, greases and oils that come down the drains, so only the liquid moves on to the drainfield. Whatever a disposal grinds goes into that same tank.

The guide also sets the baseline: have the tank inspected and pumped every 3 to 5 years by a state-licensed septage disposal service. It warns that excess solids, or a clogged or damaged filter, can make the system fail. That filter is the one the sizing rule requires.

Two of its habits apply at the kitchen sink with or without a disposal. Keep cooking oil and grease out of the drain, since they can clog the drainfield. And repair a leaking faucet promptly.

A finished kitchen with white shaker cabinets, the two doors of the sink base open to show a pull-out trash bin beside the white drain pipe, under a stainless steel sink

Deciding With the Sink Cabinet Open

In a remodel, the disposal question comes up when the sink comes out. The sink and its plumbing are disconnected and reconnected in the new cabinet, and that is when we install a new disposal, replace the old one or leave it out. What we need from you is the answer before the sink cabinet is drawn.

The EPA's page on caring for a septic system explains the trade. Food waste breaks down slowly in the tank and builds up as scum and sludge. If you must use a disposal, the EPA says, the tank will need pumping more often. Its advice is to cut the disposal out or limit it.

Leaving it out also frees the space under the sink. Without the unit, the base cabinet can hold a pull-out trash bin next to the drain, and the scraps go to the bin instead of the tank.

Either way, the new faucet can carry an aerator. The EPA counts faucet aerators among the ways to send less water into a septic system.

Which Davie Homes Are on Septic

Davie does not run on one sewer system. The Town's Utility Service Area page says several water and sewer providers serve Davie, and its map lets you look up an address. The state's Florida Water Management Inventory, completed in 2016 and updated in 2017, lists about 2,400 residential parcels with a Davie address as known, likely or somewhat likely septic. Most of the parcels on that list sit in the 33325, 33314 and 33330 zip codes. A Davie address can fall outside the Town line, so read that count as a guide. Our office is at 4491 S State Road 7, Ste PH19, Davie, FL 33314.

A finished kitchen with light gray shaker cabinets and a white quartz island, and a sliding glass door at the back that opens onto a green backyard lawn

The sink is one stop in a whole kitchen project, and how the rest of that project runs is on our Davie kitchen remodeling page.

Common Questions

Can you have a dishwasher with a septic tank?

Yes. Neither Florida's sizing rule nor its tank construction rule names the dishwasher. The EPA's point is the water: everything a household sends down its pipes ends up in the septic system, and using less of it helps the system work.

How do I know if my Davie house is on septic?

Start with the Town's utility map and your address. The county health department may have a copy of the septic permit. Outside, the state guide says to find the cleanout of the building sewer and follow that pipe, and to call 811 before you probe the soil.

How often does a septic tank in Davie need pumping if you keep the disposal?

The state guide's baseline is every 3 to 5 years, and both it and the EPA say more often with a disposal, without giving a number. The EPA says a tank is due when the bottom of the scum is within 6 inches of the outlet, the top of the sludge within 12 inches, or the two fill over 25 percent of the liquid depth.

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Settle the disposal before the sink base is ordered. Find out first whether the house drains to a sewer line or to a tank, from the Town's map or the county permit. If it is a tank, decide whether you can live without the disposal. If not, plan on checking the tank sooner than the 3 to 5 years the state guide uses as its baseline. Then the cabinet under the sink is built around the answer: a disposal, a pull-out bin, or both.

Septic tank, sewer, or not sure?

Tell us whether the house is on septic or sewer, and what you want under the sink. We plan the sink cabinet around that answer, with a disposal or without one. Our office is at 4491 S State Road 7, Ste PH19, Davie, FL 33314.

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