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whaletacochamp t1_j37yywy wrote

Reply to comment by ReadBonny in Back-up Generator for Entire House by ReadBonny

Water is only an issue if you're on a well (which it sounds like you probably are) and septic is only an issue if you have some sort of ejector pump or macerator or something along those lines. Many many septic systems are gravity fed (you just need water to flush the toilet)

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ReadBonny OP t1_j380s1v wrote

Yes we are on a well and we have a mound septic system. We need electricity to run the pump chamber so it won't back-up. But this is all fairly new to me so I might be wrong. Lived in Montpelier before this and always had municipal plumbing.

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whaletacochamp t1_j38346h wrote

It’s definitely a big change moving from municipal to rural.

If you have any question call out the septic company (the folks who would pump your tank) and they’ll be happy to tell you all about it.

What part of the state are you in now? I highly recommend Working Dog Septic if you’re in Franklin county or norther Chittenden.

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ReadBonny OP t1_j385atf wrote

We're in Washington County. Pooping outside in the snow was rough and we would prefer to poop inside :)

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whaletacochamp t1_j386yp5 wrote

Chat with whoever is your go to septic crew. There’s pretty likely a period of time where you’re safe to use your system without power.

In that case all you need is to fill a few buckets (or your tub) with water before a possible power outage. Then you go poop and dump a bunch of water into the toilet and it will flush just like normal.

I absolutely blew my wife’s mind with this tidbit the first time we lost power at our house. Luckily we have a pond so unlimited flush water lol

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IndigoHG t1_j3aa36i wrote

This! You can always fill your tub with water pre-storm, to flush the toilet.

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-_Stove_- t1_j38864s wrote

I would say that your septic pump is the highest priority there, aside from heat. You can always dump 2.5gal of water in a toilet to flush it...as long as it has somewhere to go. There are a number of roadside springs all over Vermont, they can be a lifesaver when the power is out.

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ReadBonny OP t1_j38cfmv wrote

We know about the water in the toilet trick and we usually fill our tub with water before a storm. We also have a stream that runs through our property. Just concerned about our pump tank backing up because it won't be able to empty without power. We will contact the company that pumps our septic and ask what the capacity is when we don't have electricity.

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EscapedAlcatraz t1_j39wxa4 wrote

Typically these systems are designed to have one days worth of capacity remaining even after the high level alarm sounds. This is the alarm that warns the homeowner that the pump isn't operating. You could probably flush toilets as you normally do for 2-3 days without a worry during an outage, even longer if you are skipping showers due to a lack of hot water.

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