I moved into a place in the country 6 months ago and it's my first time with a septic system. It's a 15 year old system and I had it pumped the first week I was there just to be sure. So I was told about RID-X and to use it once a month by half the people and not to use it by the other half. I called 3 septic service places and one said always use it, one said never use it, causes problems, and one said either way , no difference good or bad. So what's the verdict ? Good idea ? Bad idea, or no difference ? -Thanks

I don't think there's anyway it could hurt things.
We use a septic tank at our house, a rental we own, and our camp. I guy I know who runs a honey dipper service(pumps septic Tanks) said he thought it was a good idea to use ridX at camp, where we use the septic very little, but it probably does very little or nothing where the septic is used everyday.
Bleech and toilet cleaners are not good for the function of the digestion that allows a septic to work.

Just understand what is going on there. Everything runs to the tank. Solids sink and the top skim liquid seeps out the top end into a pipe into the leach field.

The solids sit, rot, and turn to liquid via bacteria enzymes heat and whatever else and also seep out into the leech field.

Too many people think that its a box that needs pumped out when it fills up with solids. Keep it healthy and let it digest your solids.

(not everyone realizes the outside pressure that can be pushing in on an older box either when you pump it out. It can collapse in on itself when you empty it so its not all roses and fertilizer in pumping it out a bunch either.)

Now figure in that your dishwasher, washing machine, and shower run into it too most likely. i.e. soaps, detergents, bleach, fabric softner, water softner discharge etc... Not the best food for bacteria, enzymes, and whatever else.

Ideally you'd have a dedicated leech lines for those drain items directly and keep them out of your tank and toilet waste solids but 99 out of 100 don't so your no diff than anyone else.

So... depending the ratios what your putting into the tank you may need to feed the bacteria or not. Yeast and etc. That is what Rid-X does.

We never used anything like it and get our tank pumped every few years or so. As a kid on the home place we never even did that.

Didn't really say either way I guess but I hope that helps.

p.s. tell your wife to use the trash can and that you can't be flushing that stuff. It doesn't break down. Or... adjust your pump out schedule accordingly. See, it just depends on what you are putting into it.

Every 6 months or so,mix a few packs of yeast in a glass of warm water and flush.

NO inspecting agency (city, county, state, tribal, or federal) agency that works with septic systems recommends this stuff. But, the law says they can’t condemn it as not working, or as a waste of your money, unless they can prove it doesn’t work. And since none have done any testing to prove it’s a waste of your money or false advertising, they simply don’t.

I’m sure it’s full of enzymes. But the first flush you make puts zillions of bacteria to work in your septic system. And enzymes, and viruses etc. A quart sized box of unproven “stuff” may work just fine. But so does pumping out the solids every year or so. It’s the solids forming a sludge layer on top of the liquid that ends up clogging one’s drainfield if you don’t.

Bottom line: there is no scientific proof one way or another these products actually do what the advertising hype says they do. So it is up to you and your wallet to believe what you think works and act accordingly.

I found this:


How to Remain Additive-Free
So what can you do to keep your septic system working property without the
use of additives while minimizing costs? Here are some tips:
• Use less water! Repair leaks and install new, water efficient toilets, faucets,
and showerheads whenever possible. Run the washer and dishwasher
only with full loads. This saves money on water and energy bills as well as
prolonging the life of the septic system.
• Keep toxic chemicals from going down the drain. Properly dispose of
solvents, paint, varnish, oil, and pesticides at the local garbage transfer
station, or look in the Recycling Directory from Clark County Solid Waste for an appropriate location. (http://www.clark.
wa.gov/recycle/documents/Publications/DirectoryforWeb.pdf)
• Keep solids out. Cigarettes, left over medications, feminine hygiene products, paper towels, tissues, kitty litter, and other
solid items should go into the trash, not your septic system. Left over medications could kill bacteria in your tank.
• Keep grease and fat out of your kitchen drain.
• Limit use of garbage disposal. Using a garbage disposal increases the amount of water and solids into your septic tank,
requiring more frequent pumping.
• Space clothes washing throughout the week. This avoids overloading the system over a short time period.
• Divert runoff and drainage water. Never drain swimming pools or hot tubs onto your septic system or drainfield.
Downspouts and roof runoff should be directed away from your drainfield to limit
water input to the system.
No additive compensates for poor design, regular maintenance and inspection, and
pumping every three to five years. Additives claiming to eliminate the need for
pumping usually re-suspend solids, moving them to the drainfield, thus clogging lines
and leading to system failure. Even well-designed septic systems need to be replaced
eventually, anywhere between 20 and 30 years depending on use. Safe additives will
likely be ineffective, while an effective additive will likely be unsafe to use.
Money spent on additives would better be spent pumping your septic tank every three
to five years. Research and experience demonstrate regular inspection and
maintenance of properly designed and installed septic systems prevent
failure and extend system life.

Pumping septic systems every three to five years is highly recommended by companies that make money pumping septic systems. Good systems working properly should not need to be pumped.

Septic systems as a general rule, last 5-8 years. If you’re lucky and take care of them, it could be a LOT longer. My next (cabin) septic system will need to be a mound system. The cost of pumping every other year is $250. The cost of the mound is estimated at $13,000. Pumping is cheaper!!!

Agreed. County zoning here requires pumping and inspection every 3 years regardless of usage.

Or, you could just put in a vault with no drainfield and pump it every time it is full.
If your systems are only lasting 5-8 years you need to find a new installer.

This is incorrect. Lighter-than-water organic solid materials float on the surface and form a layer of what is commonly called “scum”. Bacteria in the septic tank biologically convert this material to liquid. Inorganic or inert solid materials and the by-products of bacterial digestion sink to the bottom of the tank and form a layer commonly known as “sludge”.

The layer in the middle; the effluent, is what drains out via gravity to a distribution box (in ground system) or pump tank (elevated system).

Nearly all septic tanks installed over the last fifty years have baffles in them, either ABS or PVC piping as illustrated in the diagram below or precast into the concrete tank. These baffles prevent the scum layer from leaving the tank.

The only time anything other than effluent leaves the tank is when the sludge layer gets too high. That is why tanks need pumped every so often. How often depends on the volume of sewage that goes into the tank and the health of the bacterial community inside the tank.



My opinion on Rid-X is that it's a waste of money. If you avoid putting harsh chemicals into your septic system you should have a healthy bacterial community in the tank and drain field. If you're introducing chemicals that are killing the bacteria, Rid-X isn't going to help, the bacteria and enzymes contained in that product will also be killed.

I agree with this.

I completely disagree with this. A properly installed in-ground system should last indefinitely.




I agree that additives are a waste of money but disagree with that pumping schedule.

I took the 3-day installer’s class about 10 years ago in MN. (Did it for the continuing educational credits but not to become an installer). Our instructor said 5-8 years was the average.

A lot will depend on soils, load, keeping the kid’s friends from driving over the drain field and so on.

That house in the country that housed the elderly couple for 20 years is probably going to experience a failure within a couple months of the new family with 3 teenagers moving in. Loading makes a difference. Onsite systems aren’t designed to last indefinitely.

Beer or two a month will help bateria growth..... So an old fella told me. I still don't do it as it's not something I think about

I was having to pump my system every two years but three years ago I collapsed the dry well and put a new 300 gallon dry well in with a small drain field past it. Havnt had any issues since but it's only been a few years

This may not be completely true? In Rock county, which I used to live. You did not have to pump. only inspection by certified master plumber and licensed septic installer (every 3 years) is required. Although you’re not doing yourself any favors by not having the pumping included.

throw a dead mouse in once in a while. yeast will work also. they do need pumped once in a while. depends on how much it is used. mine went 15 years until it filled up with the sludge.

Well I guess if you took a three-day course ten years ago you must know what you're talking about...

Do you have any idea how many homes have simple two-line systems that were installed fifty or sixty years ago and are still operating fine? Hundreds of thousands would be a good estimate. Like I said above, as long as the system was properly installed; drain lines level from end to end in a 12" crushed stone bed, lines leaving the D-box at the same elevation so an equal amount of effluent flows into each line/drain field, etc., there is no reason why your system shouldn't last indefinitely.

My own two-line system was installed in 1969. It was used by an elderly couple until 1989 when I bought the place. I raised three girls since then and had the tank pumped once in that time. Everything is still working as designed.

I check the sludge level every year and it remains at one to two feet thick. I attribute that to the fact that we don't flush any harsh chemicals.

I installed septic systems exclusively for about ten years and now only do them occasionally. But what do I know...

IMO - avoid messing with the balance in there and don't dump in the chemicals. About the only time I'd recommend different is if you have a root problem due to location.
Pump that bad boy every 3-5yrs depending on use, keep your field tidy, murder any guests who flush weird stuff and she'll last ya.

I agree lugnut. If a system only lasted 5-8 years, I would be calling the installation company and having a few words. Sounds like this 3 day class was put on by someone in the business of installing and pumping septic systems.

Will it mess with the system if you flush their bodies?



Mike

Not if you cut them up small enough.

Good septic system won't need dug-up for decades.

In the fall when you shoot a deer, flush down some of its liver to keep your bacteria working.

And like someone else said, keeep you dish washer junk outta it.

I sprinkle some in the basement of my cabin outhouse, and it seems to help.

Lugnut is right on what he says. I spent 30 years inspecting and trouble shooting failing septic systems for the state.
Another point I will add on top of lugnut is not all soils are created equal as sand, silt and clay based soils all differ in the amount of water they will hold and how fast they can absorb or percolate the water through the soil profile. High clay content very slow high sand content very fast.
Take water usage as number 1 factor and soil texture as your number 2 factor and then what landscape or topography position your on a ridge , valley, side slope, toe slope , iee...
Also your climate in south Florida or desert Arizona all figure in. There is no predetermined time a septic tank or field bed will last.
As far as pumping tanks the faster you fill up the sludge layer as lugnut said the sooner you need to pump it out. If you have 3ft of sludge in a 1000 gallon tank you should consider pumping soon if it’s a foot you got a ways to go. Take a section of pvc and run it down to the bottom of the tank and measure the sludge layer.
Two old people may never have to pump one out WHILE a man with a flush happy wife and three daughters may need to pump one every few years but dog gone it check the tank before the solids flush into the field bed or leach lines.

I don't understand how a septic system would need replaced after 20 years unless it was installed wrong or abused. I almost bought a house (sellers jacked me around to much) that was 40 years old with original septic and the septic guy had to probe to find the buried cap. They lived there 22 year with kids and never knew where the tank was. I had it inspected by the septic pros and they said all was good. So again I have to wonder why people say they have a 20 year life ?

What is the reasoning behind this mandatory pumping ?

Regulators want to regulate and no offense but most people raised in the city sewer district uses toilet as a garbage disposal and all that crap they flush won’t break down in a septic. The faster you fill up the solids or sludge layer and flush solids deep into the field bed clogging it up that’s when most have trouble backing up and clogging everything and thus mandating the pump outs. It is trying to safe guard the systems from the current owners. As system abuse leads to faster failures. We have found tanks full of plastics and heavy grease and all matters of non organics that will not break down In The anaroebic environment inside a tank.
Best advice is nothing in the tank except water, urine and “dung”. Limited toilet paper and fix the darn leaking toilets many folks never realize their toilets leak and literally run thousands of gallons of water a year through the system. All systems need time to drain out and dry out and not stay saturated.

NEVER USE RID-X!!! That is an enzyme similar to yeast. What that will do is start to aggressively attack the solids. In doing so, it will stir the solids up and they will make it to the leach field and clog it. (for lack of a better analogy), it's like fermenting wine or beer. When you first start the process and the yeast isn't dead, you can see the solids going up and down in the liquid. Same with a septic tank but those solids will make it to the leach field since it will make it to and through the baffle. Your waste has plenty of the correct bacteria in it to digest waste in a septic tank. One gram of human waste has over 1 million bacteria in it. As long as you keep pooping, your septic tank will do fine. It will even recover from harsh chemicals such as toilet bowl cleaner. The most important thing to do with a septic system is to have the tank pumped every few years, (depending on the size of your tank and family) and keep the pipes free of tree roots if you have an old system with terracotta pipe.

How far away should trees be with modern plastic pipes ? I just planted some spruce and white pine about 50 to 75 yardfs from drain field ?

They should be plenty far away from your field. Typically a tree has roots as long as the tree is tall. Roots won't get into modern ABS/PVC pipe so it's not an issue. You don't really want trees close to the leach field though.

Some good info on here, some bad too. Thumbs up to lugnut. I won't go into the bad but I'll just add a couple things.
For quite a few years all the septic systems we have installed or repaired get a filter on the outlet. Kind of an insurance policy against solids getting in the drainfield. If you are pumping your tank I might suggest it would be a good addition. Not something you have to replace when plugged, just wash it out with the garden hose but it saves your field when you let pumping go too long.
Also we never put in pipe for a drainfield anymore except with a pump system. We use infiltrators. I cannot imagine them ever needing replaced even if a little solids got in.
Worst thing we see is cheap laundry soap (granulated). That causes more problems then anything else.
Finster covered tree roots pretty good but I will add I work on our small towns water system and tree roots cause us many headaches and broken lines. I cannot count how many water pipes they have broke for us. If possible any pipes in the ground should be away from trees, farther the better.

I wrote that I took a class on septic system installation, inspection and monitoring because I wanted to give the impression I had some education along with owning a septic system. It is abundantly apparent education in the field is not as important on Tman as experience. That being said, I’ve witnessed countless septic systems that were failing but located away from homes. It was usually the case of “out of sight meant out of mind” and people had no idea that their systems were failing cuz they couldn’t see or smell them. Several years ago, I reviewed a study of a sanitary district where septic systems were dyed. As I recall, close to 40% were failing because the dye was seeping out near the lakeshore. And most of these property owners didn’t have a clue their systems were failing.

Then there were the little subdivisions where houses were situated on small, city sized lots. Well in the front yard, septic system in the back. All went well until septic systems started failing. The setback (from neighboring wells) didn’t allow new septic systems to be installed. And when it came time to sell those houses, banks wouldn’t approve loans because of the failing systems. Today in Minnesota, housing lots not served by municipal sewage systems have a minimum size, which I believe is over an acre. I do recall some counties/townships requiring more. Most of this is so you have somewhere to put replacement septic systems when yours fails.

LOL you self proclaimed "turdnators" crack me up.( not all that posted ) First of all I have to take a class EVERY year on wastewater treatment for package plants and septic systems. So let me add what "LIFETIME" operators (not college kids) have proven over the years. A healthy septic will not even be noticed. RID-X works. It just adds more bacteria and enzymes that boost the natural bacteria that comes from human waste. The bacteria will feed on ANY food scraps or BOD's added to the tank from the house or building. BOD (biological oxygen demand basically feed the bac. A septic system because it is not normally aerated has a different breakdown than waste water plants. Anaerobic bacteria (not requiring free oxygen) processes the waste. The key is to keep a healthy balance of bac in the system. BLEACH KILLS !!! Drano kills!! Rid -x helps with replenishing after a shock hits the tank. Anything sweet helps the bac to grow but sometimes it will need a boost. An even better product can be bought on-line the is a small gelatin pack with over a billion bacteria that become active after it is flushed.
We used it for years in the school system I retired from. They also make one that eats grease !!!!
As for pumping if you have no flooding, toxic kill inside the tank ,or some knuckle head driving over and collapsing the pipes, pumping every 10-15 years is quite common.
The screen on the end of the pipe leaving the tank is a problem waiting to happen. Baffles are installed now to stop that.

Can you say snake oil?

Been selling real estate for 40+ years. Talked to many installers and pumpers. All say "Do not put RID-X into your septic" as it will eat up the tank and baffles. If you can not sleep at night with out putting something in one a month, put yeast.

TrapperKent

Tell'n ya'll, Chunk of deer liver once in awhile.

LOL really break down a septic tank? The old metal ones will fail because of the biological process going on inside of them and the ammonia from urine. Not to mention just plain ole rust after 20- 30 years. MOST tanks around here are concrete so that won't happen. Rid -X does contain beneficial enzymes .. PERIOD. Can you have a healthy septic with out it . Absolutely. Will it boost your efficiency ? You bet. It is designed to help break down todays products AS WELL as the human waste. Face it people use drain opener. Women bleach whites. Pour bleach down the smelly drain. It does what it is designed to do . Like I mentioned just google septic additives there are several and they work !!!


http://www.rid-x.com/why-rid-x/septic-system-maintenance-with-rid-x/