Septic Treatment?

[280plus]

Can anybody out there tell me the correct way to introduce the proper bacteria(s) to a new septic system so the solids will break down. We just had our lovely new system pumped after two years and the guy said the tank was packed with solids becasue it probably didn't have the necessary bacterias in it. Talk about a crappy situation. 

 

[Firethorn]

I believe that there's product that comes in a can that you flush down the toilet to do that.

[280plus]

Yea, that's "Rid-X" but the septic guy didn't seem overly thrilled with the product. I'm wondering what else is out there. I once heard you should flush a bit of raw hamburger down there every month but when I mentioned this to him he looked at me funny. 

[Boomhauer]

One type is Rid-X...but I don't know whether it actually works or not. We've had difficulties in the past with our septic since, but none in the last few years (knock on wood)


And while I was doing a google search for Rid-X to verify the name...this little tidbit turned up on a freerepublic.com thread.

However, a few years ago, I wanted to get rid of the flesh from a deer's head so that I would have a nice pretty skull for display. I put the head in a garbage can full of water and Rid-x. The flesh was completely gone (skin, hair, muscle, cartilage, everything) in just a couple of weeks. Rid-x did a much better job than maggots.

Read into that what you want.

[280plus]

Well, the next time I have a job for maggots... 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

talk to the guys at the plumbing supply house i got some kinda industrial strength ridex in a 2 1/2 gallon bucket that has served me well. i have a system i'm very protective of  would be a monster to fix and i'm scared someday i might not be able to permit a fix and have to go high tech,  or bootleg the fix

[Grandpa Shooter]

All you really need is about 2 cups of brewers yeast once a month,  preferably when you will be gone for a couple of days.  Flush it down the toilet, let it set, and you should be good to go.

By the way, using a disposal in the kitchen, too much bleach in the laundry, or dumping any petroleum based products into the system will kill the action needed for decomposition.  A lot of women's hair care products or makeup will slow it down.  Switching to septic system approved paper products will help a lot.  Yes, not all TP is created equal.

[Hawkmoon]

All you really need is about 2 cups of brewers yeast once a month,  preferably when you will be gone for a couple of days.  Flush it down the toilet, let it set, and you should be good to go.

By the way, using a disposal in the kitchen, too much bleach in the laundry, or dumping any petroleum based products into the system will kill the action needed for decomposition.  A lot of women's hair care products or makeup will slow it down.  Switching to septic system approved paper products will help a lot.  Yes, not all TP is created equal.

^^^ What he said.

Use of artificial products like Rid-X is not encouraged. The problem is, if you follow their instructions and "dose" (or "shock") the system, you overload it with bacteria and enzymes. They gobble up ALL the available nutrients ... and then die of starvation. A septic tank naturally develops anaerobic bacteria and it is a self-propagating system. You should just pump it often enough to remove the solids before they start overflowing into the leaching field. How often the tank needs to be pumped is a function of tank size and how much "stuff" you send down the tubes.

[K Frame]

"Use of artificial products like Rid-X is not encouraged."

Nothing artificial about Rid-X.

The main ingredient in it is... yeast.

[Firethorn]

The main ingredient in it is... yeast.

Still runs into the problem that the yeast eats all the available food then dies, leaving a dead system.

Some more browsing says that using yeast is a bad idea - it can cause bubbles/flotsam that prevents solids from settling, allowing them to get into the leech field.

Same deal with most other products.  They said that if you're having problems with the culture - something else is wrong with the septic system, like using bleach, disposer, wrong TP, etc...  Or even more complicated problems.

It also says that you 'reseed' the system every time you take a dump.

[280plus]

Interesting, thanks folks. I know a certain lady that likes to wash her grays away. What can you use if you don't use bleach?

[gregormeister]

Riderex I think is what we used

[gregormeister]

Ahh a little google said Rid-x

[hso]

Ask your septic guy what to use.

Ours had to be pumped after 15 years.  He said that all of the bleach and sanitizing cleaners, antibacterial soaps and post 1900 products we use in our modern lives has reduced the "health" of septic tanks to the point where you have to pump them every 2-5 years.

What did he suggest? Live culture buttermilk and yogurt. If you don't eat yogurt or drink buttermilk, just dump a cup every month down the drain.  Oh, and switch to using vinegar to clean with instead of all the stuff in a can.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i have a mandatory 5 year pump out and have to send thecounty a copy of the bill as proof. a pain but in the long run it'll save drainfield

[mike]

Horse manure is very good for getting one started too. It's all I've ever used!

[The Annoyed Man]

All you really need is about 2 cups of brewers yeast once a month,  preferably when you will be gone for a couple of days.  Flush it down the toilet, let it set, and you should be good to go.

By the way, using a disposal in the kitchen, too much bleach in the laundry, or dumping any petroleum based products into the system will kill the action needed for decomposition.  A lot of women's hair care products or makeup will slow it down.  Switching to septic system approved paper products will help a lot.  Yes, not all TP is created equal.

GS is on the money here. Laundry water and any water that has chemicals in it should not go into your septic system. Use a dry well located away from your leach field and your well pump. Distance should be more than 25 feet if possible in areas with porous bed rock such as limestone. In more dense bedrock areas the distance can be shorter but I would not chance it.

In my system. Kitchen water, laundry water, shower water all goes to the dry well. But you do need to make sure you are putting enough water into the septic tank to prevent it drying out. So no low flush toilets.  Or you can put the kitchen water down the septic as long as you make positively sure you don't put any chemicals other  than detergent that is septic safe down the drain.

Jim

[280plus]

Gee, you would think the guy who took our $25,000 for the new system might have mentioned some of this. The pumper guy said about Rid-X, "The state says it doesn't work, I say it does." So we'll treat monthly for now and see what we have in a year. I've started breaking the news to Mrs 280 but she's a tough one.

"Where am I supposed to put the water after do my hair?"

Me, "Anywhere but the septic system." 

Then I ran and hid of course. 

[The Annoyed Man]

You think these guys can stay in business just putting in septic systems? They make a ton of money repairing systems but the big money is in replacement. It don't pay if the dang thing lasts for more than 15 years. Need that turn over man!

Jim

[Larry Ashcraft]

I'm hardly an expert, but I do have some experience having been on one septic system or another for over 50 years.  We used to make wine, also (yes, that is related).

You don't really have to add bacteria to a properly maintained septic system.  You do that automatically by "using" the system.  If there aren't enough bacteria, its because you're killing them with bleach or anti-bacterial products or caustic drain cleaners or paint or any number of things that shouldn't go down the drain.

We run our laundry water out into a flower garden, which is illegal in this county, but we do it anyway.  I treat our drains about once a month with a product called "Digest Plus", made by Quest Chemical Corporation out of Houston Texas.  I buy it by the case from an industrial supply company.  It is composed of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and is designed to digest organic matter in your drains and take the odor out of garbage disposals.  I use about one ounce in each drain in the house when we are not going to be using them for at least ten hours.  When I leave for work is the best.  It keeps the drains open and de-odorized with the added benefit of flushing bacteria down the drain.

Now, the reason wine-making is related:  I learned a lot about yeast while making wine.  This applies only to wine yeast, but I would think all strains are similar.

Yeast is a one-celled organism that digests sugars, from simple to complex.  The byproducts are alcohol and carbon dioxide.  Yeast won't digest anything but sugar and starch, so its utility in a septic system is pretty limited.  Also, below about 60 degrees F, yeast goes dormant.  Above about 80 degrees, and it dies.  It certainly won't hurt a septic system, and may actually do a little good, but anaerobic bacteria is what does the real work in a septic system.

[cfabe]

On another forum I frequent there is a well-qualified member who claims Rid-X is bad news for your septic system. It works by keeping solids suspended and passing them through the tank to the drain field rather than letting them settle in the tank where the bacteria can work on them. Yes, it keeps the tank empty, but at the detriment of the drain field. Don't have any first hand knowledge as I've only lived on a septic system a few months now but i am planning to set up a greywater system to hook the laundry and showers into. I'll leave sinks going to the septic I think.

[K Frame]

"Above about 80 degrees, and it dies."

Virtually all strains of yeast absolutely thrive between 80 and 105 to 110 deg. F.

It's like a little yeast orgy.

[Larry Ashcraft]

Mike, like I said, I'm hardly an expert.  But once, I added yeast to the must when it was just above 80 degrees.  The yeast died, and I had to start over again.

Nothing.  Nada.  No fermentation until I added more yeast.

Again, I'm not an expert.  Just personal observation.

[K Frame]

Which strain of yeast did you use?

I should have thought about this a bit more, but yes, wine yeasts are different critters. I was thinking more along the lines of beer yeasts, which are generally heartier and which will ferment at higher temperatures.

Wine yeasts do have lower optimum temperatures, but unless you were well above 95 deg. F, you shouldn't have had a quick die off. I would be more suspect of a bad batch of yeast.

[grampster]

Flush some cheap hamburger.  Your own body waste provides the necessary critters.  Larry is right about keeping other stuff out of the septic like paints and chemicals if at all possible.  Best to pump the tanks every 5 years if you have a two or more 1000 gal tanks, more often if you have one 1000 gal tank or have a large family.