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Old 07-15-2013, 01:55 AM
 
Location: Florida
1,646 posts, read 3,004,546 times
Reputation: 1126

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Travelassie View Post
...........
According to what I've read, and heard from some of the septic tank guys, the jury is out on whether Ridex or other substances do anything for the life and health of septic tanks. .......


Our septic tank is a little over four years old. There is a covered vertical pump-out pipe that sticks out of the ground perhaps 3-4 inches high, that's connected to the line coming from the house into the septic tank. Makes it easy to access the septic tank, and I'd guess that is what they use to pump out the contents. ......

I won't use Ridex, I think it's snakeoil. The more bacteria in your tank the better...the more chemicals you add, the less bacteria will survive.

I think the pipe you are describing is your clean-out. It is there to assist in finding blockages and for snaking the system if needed. It is not meant to be a pump out access. Any company willing to pump out your tank through that 4" pipe would be trying to rip you off.

I don't have a clean-out as my system is 40 years old. We (ok, she) are very hard on the septic. Lots of laundry is done back to back to back, both showers going at the same time for hours, leftovers go down the garbage disposal etc etc. We've never had a problem but because of it's age I never thought it would pass inspection. It did, needing only a $20 patch job around one of the pipes. I think I had Gibson do it. BTW, the tank was very clean.

The best way to test toilet paper is to drop some in the bowl and pee on it . It should disintegrate almost immediately.
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Old 07-15-2013, 05:44 AM
 
1,581 posts, read 3,356,360 times
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As everyone with septic runs to pee on their TP...........
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Old 07-15-2013, 06:27 AM
 
Location: Port Charlotte, FL
3,979 posts, read 10,496,302 times
Reputation: 1939
[quote=HarborRat;30489719]I won't use Ridex, I think it's snakeoil. The more bacteria in your tank the better...the more chemicals you add, the less bacteria will survive.

RID-X is bacteria that you put into your system. See below.


How does RID-X® work?

RID-X® restores the balance in your septic system
RID-X® Septic Tank System Treatment contains billions of 100% natural active bacteria and enzymes that have been scientifically proven to digest household waste. By adding RID-X®, you restore the delicate balance of beneficial bacterial and enzymes that are needed to help keep your system operating at full efficiency.

Web page: All About Septic Systems, Maintenance and Septic Tank Problems | RID-X®
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Old 07-15-2013, 07:15 AM
 
Location: Port Charlotte, FL - Dallas, PA
5,106 posts, read 4,869,171 times
Reputation: 5014
I was told that plain old yeast powder does the same as Rid-X or any other tank additives. Also, use beach sparingly. We used it at a ratio of 1 part bleach to 100 parts water as a disinfectant at work when cleaning up blood, so evidently it's a pretty powerful bacteria killer.
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Old 07-15-2013, 07:51 AM
 
Location: In the realm of possiblities
2,707 posts, read 2,824,827 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikMal View Post
I was told that plain old yeast powder does the same as Rid-X or any other tank additives. Also, use beach sparingly. We used it at a ratio of 1 part bleach to 100 parts water as a disinfectant at work when cleaning up blood, so evidently it's a pretty powerful bacteria killer.
We had a farm house that had the old grease trap/ septic tank system, 500 gallons total between the two, and just put some yeast powder in every month or so, and never had problems with it. As far as " recycled tp" that Travelassie mentioned, the main reason we wouldn't use it is that anything other than something with Aloe in it we compare to 80 grit sandpaper on the texture scale. Comfort ranks high on the list for us.
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Old 07-15-2013, 10:20 AM
 
241 posts, read 477,497 times
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We never had a septic system prior to moving here either. And I guess I just don't "get" it. I have an aerobic system and have only lived here a year and had to have it pumped out this past May at a cost of $250. In Charlotte County it is inspected once a year by the county and you must be signed up with a contract to a company that will inspect and clean or whatever is needed every 6 months. This cost me $400 for 2 years with Martin Septic.

There are only 2 people living here. I do have a garbage disposer but am careful to clean off plates and food waste into trash. Only things that go down there are maybe tiny bits left on the plate. They also said no grease or oil. I put all grease or oil into a can and then into trash. Also said to wipe plates and pans out with a paper towel before rinsing to get off excess grease. I tried that for a bit. That gets to be insane after awhile. You start looking for oil and grease everywhere. Should I not throw the leftover coffee down the drain, because coffee beans can have some oilyness to them, should I not put this or that, etc etc. Actually my excess coffee usually goes to my plants. And the not having a washer and dishwasher or shower going at the same time or showers in a row. Really? For awhile there I was feeling guilty if I put a wash on and went to take a shower.No bleach and no chemicals down the drain, got it. No fabric softner or any type of petroleum products. Powder detergent for both the washer and the dishwasher. No cleaning of latex paint brushes at the utility sink. Got it, got it, got.

I questioned over and over as to why I needed a pumpout so soon as it was apparently fine when they checked it when I moved in. I cannot imagine if there was a whole family living here! I guess I will wait and see what happens next year and be prepared with my $250 for a pumpout!
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Old 07-15-2013, 11:45 AM
 
Location: Port Charlotte, FL - Dallas, PA
5,106 posts, read 4,869,171 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trbl39 View Post
...There are only 2 people living here. I do have a garbage disposer but am careful to clean off plates and food waste into trash. Only things that go down there are maybe tiny bits left on the plate. They also said no grease or oil. I put all grease or oil into a can and then into trash. Also said to wipe plates and pans out with a paper towel before rinsing to get off excess grease. I tried that for a bit. That gets to be insane after awhile. You start looking for oil and grease everywhere. Should I not throw the leftover coffee down the drain, because coffee beans can have some oilyness to them, should I not put this or that, etc etc. Actually my excess coffee usually goes to my plants. And the not having a washer and dishwasher or shower going at the same time or showers in a row. Really? For awhile there I was feeling guilty if I put a wash on and went to take a shower.No bleach and no chemicals down the drain, got it. No fabric softner or any type of petroleum products. Powder detergent for both the washer and the dishwasher. No cleaning of latex paint brushes at the utility sink. Got it, got it, got.

I questioned over and over as to why I needed a pumpout so soon as it was apparently fine when they checked it when I moved in. I cannot imagine if there was a whole family living here! I guess I will wait and see what happens next year and be prepared with my $250 for a pumpout!
I don't think that running a washing machine and taking showers at the same time is harmful to the septic system. As long as your plumbing drain system can handle the water flow, then there is no issue. When it becomes an issue is when the filter that leads to the drain field starts to clog up. In a partially clogged state, it may only allow, for example, 5 gallons per minute (GPM) to flow through. Take a shower (2.5 GPM); no problem. Take 2 showers at the same time (10 GPM) plus washing machine emptying (just an uneducated guess of 10 GPM) and you have 20 GPM flowing into the septic tank but only 5 GPM flowing out of the tank to the drain field. The remaining water then backs up into the house.
As for detergents, I've heard that liquids are better than powders.
I'm no expert on septics...just passing along info that I've heard. Old wives tales?? Your guess is as good as mine. BTW, I do agree that the county's pumpout and inspection policy is a bit excessive, not taking into account how many people live there or for how long (2 snowbirds there for 4 months = less poop than a family of 6 living there 12 months a year). Seems like just another way to get some of our money.
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Old 07-15-2013, 12:03 PM
 
Location: SW Florida
14,824 posts, read 11,962,538 times
Reputation: 24594
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarborRat View Post
I won't use Ridex, I think it's snakeoil. The more bacteria in your tank the better...the more chemicals you add, the less bacteria will survive.

I think the pipe you are describing is your clean-out. It is there to assist in finding blockages and for snaking the system if needed. It is not meant to be a pump out access. Any company willing to pump out your tank through that 4" pipe would be trying to rip you off.

I don't have a clean-out as my system is 40 years old. We (ok, she) are very hard on the septic. Lots of laundry is done back to back to back, both showers going at the same time for hours, leftovers go down the garbage disposal etc etc. We've never had a problem but because of it's age I never thought it would pass inspection. It did, needing only a $20 patch job around one of the pipes. I think I had Gibson do it. BTW, the tank was very clean.

The best way to test toilet paper is to drop some in the bowl and pee on it . It should disintegrate almost immediately.
Ok, shows what I know (or not), LOL. I assumed the septic company used the clean-out to pump out the tank, but I didn't watch them do it,and now that you mention it they did access the top of the tank, as it was obvious the ground above it was disturbed, so that's where they pumped, I'm sure. I just know they told us to check out the clean-out when we were troubleshooting with the plumber beforehand, and it's handy, I guess, to be able to check out and possible clear blockages in the pipes from the house to the tank. And that's all I know, it's my husband that does all the dealing with plumbing!

I don't know if it's county septic code to provide an accessible clean-out pipe for new systems now- we didn't have one either for the septic tank at the house we lived in in Miami ( sold in January '13 so we could move to this paradise!). It was the original septic tank, the house was built in 1958, and considering the age of the system we had very few problems with it over the 27 yrs we lived there. We had a couple issues related to a construction company parking a bobcat,and a truck with roofing shingles on it, over the septic tank while they were rebuildling the house after Hurricane Andrew- a broken septic tank cover which allowed dirt to fall into the tank, effectively reducing its capacity. But that was replaced,and any other issues we had later were related to blockage in the T-lines from the house to the tank ( thank you teenage girls, mother-in-law). but not the tank. It had been a few years since those issues since the teenage girls grew up and moved out, and the MIL decided she wanted her own place. I did most of the laundry and always tried to space it out enough so as to not overwhelm the septic tank with all that water, soap,etc.

When we put the house in Miami on the market, while there were no issues with the septic tank, ( last checked in 2009), we cringed a bit at the thought that a septic inspection might show some issues with either the drainfield, or the tank, requiring us to put in a new system. But the septic inspection came up with only a malfunctioning (?broken) solids deflector, and we replaced that. They subsequently checked the drain field, and declared it just fine. Whew!

And interestingly enough, we never had any of the same problems in Miami thatwe saw here with the Charmin Basic toilet paper,and we used it there,too. We weren't home there much of the time, and there was just two of us, but the tank was smaller too. I think I saw records showing it was maybe a 750 gallon tank-no more than 1000 gallons max, and I think the septic tank for the house here is maybe 1500 gallons (not sure, but I know it's bigger than the Miami tank was).. We sold that house to an all-female household- a young woman with two little girls, and "grandma", so I can't say that septic tank will continue with its light use.

As for the toilet paper, we embarked on a regular search to find the most "disintigrateable" paper, and had something like six or seven brands all lined up on the counter to check. I'd read somewhere that putting a few squares in a jar of water, and shaking it would show you those results. When we tried the Charmin we had been using, it looked like that paper held up well- very little dissolved in the water even after we let it sit overnight. I think if I recall the Scott's brands did ok, but it was the recycled brands that dissolved the fastest. Of course, your suggestion would work well too-but in the event you didn't want the paper flushed into the tank you'd have to fish it out!

Here's an interesting site- covers about anything you ever wanted to know and were afraid to ask about septic tanks ( and a lot of other home care items as well).

Toilet Paper choices - what kind of toilet tissue is best in a septic system
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Old 07-15-2013, 12:11 PM
 
Location: SW Florida
14,824 posts, read 11,962,538 times
Reputation: 24594
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikMal View Post
I was told that plain old yeast powder does the same as Rid-X or any other tank additives. Also, use beach sparingly. We used it at a ratio of 1 part bleach to 100 parts water as a disinfectant at work when cleaning up blood, so evidently it's a pretty powerful bacteria killer.
I think I recall a plumber or septic company employee telling us a long time ago that he used Brewers Yeast- flushed a cake of it down the toilet periodically.

I'd guess the Rid-Ex is a proprietary blend of bacteria and as they claim,enzymes, which don't hurt the system, but I've found a number of septic folks who say it's not necessary either. You put a whole lot of microorganisms in the tank every time someone flushes a #2 down into the tank!
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Old 07-15-2013, 12:12 PM
 
Location: SW Florida
14,824 posts, read 11,962,538 times
Reputation: 24594
Quote:
Originally Posted by nphomeowner View Post
As everyone with septic runs to pee on their TP...........
LOL, and then depending on the gender, some of them get up to look at it!
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