Posted: 9/21/2008 4:56:10 AM EDT
| My new house has a septic tank. It was pumped for me right before I moved in. I have heard of people flushing yeast down the toilet once a month instead of Ridex. Does anyone do this. How do you maintain your septic system. |
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Have a septic and pumped it down after only four years of usage. Seems the wife wanted to get the kids whites "whiter" and was very liberal with the bleach. Asked the operator what he recommended and stated forget Ridex and just put a pound of raw hamburger every other month or so. He also left about 4" of "stuff" in the first chamber to get the little critters going again. Quite the process! Much Luck |
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Your tank is more sensitive to the bad stuff you add; laundry soap, bleach, and so on. In a perfect setup, a dry well recieves the gray water, and only the waste from toilets goes into the septic tank. This allows the tank enough time to do its job of treating the effluent. After it's full, every gallon added causes a gallon to flow out into the drain field and you want that water to leave as clear as feasible. |
Not true. My septic system has a drain field filter. (really a fine tubular screen). It gets clogged with debris and paper every so often. Ridex will disolve the debris overnight. There are only 2 choices, A 3 dollar shot of Ridex or a 200 dollar service call to remove and clean the filter. Also, I do not have my washing machine dumping into the septic system. I have a grey water system for the washer, that way, laundry bleach does not kill the septic process. |
Some septic systems in Illinois have filters that are serviced once a month to keep them clear. It's fairly expensive, and I think it's required by code, although I'm not certain about that detail. |
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OP- Get yourself a copy of THE SEPTIC SYSTEM OWNER'S MANUAL. Read it and follow the recommendations. |
This is the truth. All you need to do is poop, and get it pumped every couple of years. A septic will last 20-25 years before needing anything if you take care of it. Its not a question of what you have to do to it, it is rather what not to do to it that determines the longevity. Things not to do: Don't use alot of chemicals like bathroom duck. Don't dump grease because it saturates the leechbed and prevents proper drainage to the field. Don't let hair get in there. Wifes hairs, shaving, ball hairs, dog hairs ect. You can install a hair filter in-line with the tank to help extend the life. Also don't over use the septic. If you have a two bedroom septic, don't try to use it as a 4 bedroom septic would be used. If you think your septic is too small, install a white knight system. This will double the capacity. The number one thing to remember about septics when purchasing a home is: how old is it? A septic lasts 25 years on average. If, and I repeat IF you get any more than that it is a bonus. Treat any septics older than 15 years with suspect. Next, when buying any home, pay attention to what the number of bedrooms claimed and check that at the town with the code enforcement file. For example. if the home you are buying is listed as a 4 bedroom, go to the town and pull the file at the code enforcement office and look at the septic design to make sure that the septic design is listed on file as 4 bedrooms. If it says 3 bedrooms, you have a problem. While you are poking around in the code enforcement file pay attention to any other permits for decks, pools, additions, etc. Most of the time the realtor is too stupid to do this for you. |
That is worse than doing nothing. Copper sulfate not only kills roots, it also kills bacteria, molds and fungi. |
Our 8 year old home has a FAST system. State law requires us to maintain an inspection contract with a company that tests/samples the system several times a year and reports results to the state EPA. In addtion we pump every other year to be safe. I would hate to spend 30k to replace a failed system.  www.biomicrobics.com/Products/MicroFAST/about_MCF.html |
