I agree 100% it is un-real how many people that have never worked in the speic world. think that rid-x stuff. works. You need to do nothing to a good working septic system you dont have to add anything it works good on its own. Just do your pumping on time and you will be ok.

 

Read this link at the bottom they talk about rid-x and how "it doesnt do much"
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/p...mping/tank.htm

We had a lengthy discussion about septic systems. I was curious to find out their opinion about Rid-X and other products that claim to add bacteria to your septic system so the contents will bio-degrade on their own, and not need pumping. He said that those products don't do much, and most people kill them off by dumping chlorine bleach down their drains. Anti-bacterial soaps also can kill off the bacterial action in a septic tank.

He pointed out some numbers: You can spend $8 a month on Rid-X, which would be around $100 a year, for something that might work, or you can get your septic tank pumped every 2 or 3 years as is recommended, for a whopping $130, and you'll know the exact status of your system.

I'm a cheapskate, but I think that $130 for this type of peace of mind is money well spent. Deferring this maintenance too long could result in a ruined drain field, which could cost thousands to remedy.

I'll point out that septic pumping services seem to be doing a booming business, in spite of companies like Rid-X and Miller-Plante that sell bacterial supplements that are supposed to put the septic pumpers out of business.

 

Thanks to all that responded.
The pumper is on the way for preventative maintenance.
Will have them do what was suggested, scraping etc. They said they could snake it all also if needed.
Thanks again everyone.

 

Smart move Try to be home when the pumper shows up and ask him alot of ?'s. You will see there is not a whole lot of scraping. He will blackflash your tank a couple times if it needs it and be on his way. Ask him what he thinks of rid-x. Just be carefull some of these spetic companys try to sell you that stuff. Just to make money. The company i worked for never sold it and we never told any of are coustmers to buy it. Let us know how its turms out. Is your lid to your tank easy to get to. If they have to dig deep they will most likey charge you for it just a heads up.

In that link they say 130 bucks for a pump out i like to know the company that does pump outs for 130. We did them for 215 up to 1250 gallons.

 

I have an aerobic system (i know, not the same). Its pretty cool, you have a cost of having someone out 4 times a year, but every time they come out, you get a little report of exactly how much sludge is in the bottom and when it should be pumped. I have a dispose-all, but food goes in the trash, not the sink.

I have a question regarding these system 'vents'. I remember my parents having three vents...one for every toilet or bathroom it seems. However, my current home has three batrhooms and i only have one vent coming out of the roof. Why?

 

The vent configuration is dependent on the plumbing layout in the house, not on the type of waste disposal system (normal septic, your type, sewer, etc.)...

Got any plumbers here? They would be able to explain the specifics I'm sure...

 

SO you mean I have been flushing my $$$ away buying Rid-X product, That Sucks!
5 + years of money down the Drain

 

Quite frankly, the only time I've used Rid-x or something similar is at my cabin where the septic is used so infrequently I worried that the microbes would die off and I would have to get the septic pumped. Otherwise, I've never used Rid-x and I've never had a septic pumped. I've never seen a properly operating septic tank pumped in my near 50 years of life. I have family with septics that are over 60 years old without being pumped.

Could this be an issue of the location of the septic system? Different parts of the U.S. have different geology which could require different maintenance?

 

Septics have only been out for about 25 years give or take. your thinking of Cesspools. A big cesspool you never really have to get pumped. So if its 60 years it is deff. a cesspool and not a septic.

 

Septic has been around for longer than 25 years - when I was doing this work back in the 70's we were replacing septic systems that were 25 years old then. In our area they used to use metal tanks, which - surprise! - rusted out. Strangest thing to be walking across your yard and the next thing you know - wham, your up to your chest in crap...

Anyway, a cesspool and a septic system are similar in that they both have a area where the digestion takes place, and and area where the liquids are supposed to leach out into the ground. In the case of the septic system you have sealed tank and a leaching area, the cesspool is simply both those in one - the outer wall of the "tank" is porous and is the interface to the leaching area.

Cesspools worked fine when about all that was plumbed into them was the toilet. But when people started hooking up kitchen sinks, washers, disposals, etc, they get overwhelmed pretty easily, as the combined tank leach area doesn't allow much filtering of the liquid to be leached. So that's why they went to a separate tank - it's a much more effective filter. In areas where the leaching area was particularly sensitive, we even installed a couple systems with two tanks in series, i.e. one draining into the another. This forms a very effective filtering system which pretty much assures that no solids at all get to the leach field. Like having two oil filters in your car.

hofuf - there certainly are differences in geology, locally and regionally. That's why they do test holes and perk tests, to see what the characteristics of the soils are where the system will be installed. But that shouldn't affect what happens in the tank. If you've got a septic system (tank and field) that are decades old and are still working fine, it's more likely that you're simply very careful about what you put down the drain! If you've got a cesspool, then it's likely in addition to being careful, your system is installed in a real sweet vein of gravel with some great drainage.

If I was around your area and still had a honey wagon I'd come pump yours out just out of curiosity...

 

Every 4-6 weeks, (during winter season) while flushing the toilet upstairs, I'll hear a gurgle from the bath tub drain. Then I get to experience the aroma of the septic tank. I dump a cup of water into the drain to refill the trap under the tub and then I head down to the front door closet.

I grab my little Cooey semi-automatic with a scope, head out the front door and line the cross hairs on my roof vent. Glistening in the sunlight is an ice crystal bigger than a grapefruit sitting poudly on top. One well placed .22LR blast and my problem has disappeared. I love living out in the country.

Check your roof vent also

 

On average you should pump out every 5 years to protect the drain field. You get a layer seperation in the tank of solids on the bottom and oil/grease on top. If the oil/grease layer gets thick enough it will plug the drain field and you will need a new field. Make sure who ever pumps it out pumps everything, I've seen some operators pump the liquid and leave the rest. Sound like you discribe sounds like a vent problem, birds or squirrels make a nest that is plugging the vent?