Washing Machine Lint

Plumbing Forums

Help Support Plumbing Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Jujubee22

New Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2019
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Upstate New York
We were having a septic issue, and while researching online, I came across a site that sold a Washing Machine Lint Collector that mounts onto the laundry room wall. I made the purchase. Before it came in the mail, I had the septic tank pumped. I told the service guy what I had purchased, and he laughed. He said it was a waste of money, and I should send it back. What are all of your thoughts on this type of product? Is it necessary? It was not cheap, so if I don't need it, I will send it back. My tank does have an effluent filter.
 
Home depot sells a lint filter for like $4.... how much did you pay?
 
I'm almost embarrassed...........I paid $140.00!! It's a Filtrol 160 I do not have a laundry tub in my laundry room, just the straight pipe that goes into the basement and to the septic system, so I was advised not to attach a lint bag to that, in the event it detached and went down the pipe - so, when I saw this wall mounted unit, I thought that was the answer.
 
Don't be embarrassed I have a septic and I use no filter. It is what it is.
 
Is this a lint filter for the washing machine drain to keep lint from getting into the septic tank, or for the dryer vent?
 
This is a lint filter for the washing machine to prevent lint from getting into the septic tank. I do have an effluent filter in the septic tank............so, do I need to have a lint filter on the washing machine too?
 
Most washing machines have a built in lint filter.

But even if it didn't, I would venture a guess that a filter in addition to the one you have on the septic tank effluent is overkill.
 
Some would argue that you should have a lint filter on the washer output if on a septic system.
I sort of agree with this but not sure how big a deal it is. The theory is that synthetic (non biodegradable) fibers from clothes can end up in your drain field and cause it to fail prematurely. I suspect that only a small percentage of these fibers make it past the septic tank however. If the theory is correct, it would still take many years for enough lint to make its way into the drainfield to cause a problem.
If you are worried about it and you have a wash tub to drain into, you can get lint traps really cheap. They are like a sock made out of loosely woven metal fibers that you tie onto the end of the washer outlet hose. If you use them you will see that they will get full of lint after a month or two.
I just looked on Amazon and found a 12 pack for $8.
 
"Some would argue that you should have a lint filter on the washer output if on a septic system."
I don't feel that's something to argue about. I know people who wear a belt and suspenders and I wouldn't argue about the chances of their pants falling down if they omitted one or the other.

I have had good luck(knock on wood) with my 60 year old septic system with never a problem. Although about half of that time the washing machine was treated as gray water and went to a dry well. I think we may slowly get back to separate systems again.
 
We were having a septic issue, and while researching online, I came across a site that sold a Washing Machine Lint Collector that mounts onto the laundry room wall. I made the purchase. Before it came in the mail, I had the septic tank pumped. I told the service guy what I had purchased, and he laughed. He said it was a waste of money, and I should send it back. What are all of your thoughts on this type of product? Is it necessary? It was not cheap, so if I don't need it, I will send it back. My tank does have an effluent filter.


you need to feed your septic tank ever month for it to stay healthy
a simple bread yeast packet from you local grocery store will be sufficient

you need to use septic safe toilet paper

you need to avoid washing harsh chemicals down the drains

send it back it is useless
 
Comment about a dry well reminded me of when I lived in south florida (in the 70'). Almost everyone ran a pipe straight outside and dumped the water on the ground. Sandy soil soaked it up in minutes. I suppose that's a code violation now?
 
Comment about a dry well reminded me of when I lived in south florida (in the 70'). Almost everyone ran a pipe straight outside and dumped the water on the ground. Sandy soil soaked it up in minutes. I suppose that's a code violation now?
Sure sounds that way. Here's an article I found on it.

"There are several requirements for gray water systems for flushing toilets (water closets) and urinals in Florida. Distribution piping must be clearly identified as containing non-potable water by pipe color or with metal tags. Gray water must be filtered, disinfected, and dyed. Gray water storage reservoirs must be appropriately sized and must have a make-up potable water supply. Storage reservoirs must also have drains and overflow pipes which must be indirectly connected to the sanitary drainage system."
 
We were having a septic issue, and while researching online, I came across a site that sold a Washing Machine Lint Collector that mounts onto the laundry room wall. I made the purchase. Before it came in the mail, I had the septic tank pumped. I told the service guy what I had purchased, and he laughed. He said it was a waste of money, and I should send it back. What are all of your thoughts on this type of product? Is it necessary? It was not cheap, so if I don't need it, I will send it back. My tank does have an effluent filter.


I have lint in my belly button,
 

Latest posts

Back
Top