Powdered detergents clogging septic lines?

[launderess]

YMMV

But the thing does occur in enough homeowners to be dismissed as an old wives tale.

Wonder if water pressure has anything to with powdered detergents clogging up plumbing and or septic tanks.

Know persons that live in an apartment complex on Staten Island and their laundry room is "liquids" only. Know this because was going to donate some of my powdered detergent stash and it was politely refused for that reason.

IIRC back in the days when soap was wash day queen, it caused all sorts of problems with plumbing.

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, I could see soap scum causing plumbing issues.

Also lime scale from powders that rely only on washing soda as a water softener in hard water areas.

But I still can't figure how powders would have any effect on a septic yank.

 

[launderess]

Everything one reads keeps coming back to undissloved solids

In laundry powders as possible culprits in mucked up septic systems.

The following makes reference to "clay" in laundry detergent powders which one can only assume are Zeolites.

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/plumb/top-ten-tips.htm

 

[donprohel]

"Clay" in laundry detergents

A few years ago, if I remember correctly, in Italy a detergent (I cannot remember whether it was liquid or powder) was advertised as "2 in 1 with fabric conditioner" and the advertising stated that it contained "sweet clay" ("argilla dolce", don't ask me what on earth it might ever be) which was described as a fabric softener.

Maybe some other Italian member remembers that detergent

 

[mrboilwash]

Bentonite is sometimes used in 2in1 detergents, sweet clay might be a marketing term for it.
But I doubt that this was the culprit.

Why would someone switch from Tide to Xtra ?
I wonder if there might be just a smallish chance that the Tide HE box was only used for "display" purposes and maybe got frequently refilled with Sun powder or something similar BOL that relys only on washing soda as a water softener.
Tide should have a whole bunch of chemicals to deal with water hardness and even if it "could" cause problems in a septic tank I can`t imagine a clogged drain pipe because of the use of powered Tide.

Never heard of powders causing those problems on this side of the pond, but BOL detergents with only washing soda for water softening have dissapeared decades ago when phosphates became popular.[this post was last edited: 10/29/2013-14:25]

 

[launderess]

Tide Powder And For That Matter The Cheer One Has Used

Both seem to leave a chalky residue in the SS sink one drains washers into. Indeed the Cheer powder badly dulled/discolored the aluminum tub of my minty Hoover TT. Was not well pleased.

 

[mrboilwash]

Launderess, do you mean a residue that could not be removed by flushing the tub with water ?
Sounds like you`re not talking about zeolites.

 

[launderess]

Dulling/discoloration cannot be removed by flushing, wiping, polishing thus far.

Not sure what chemicals in P&G's powder detergents caused the dulling but the Zeolites probably did not. However am sure their over use in such products along with soda ash and god only knows what else, is the reason why wash water from said powders is rather "chalky" and leaves a powder reside on the SS wash sink. Can wipe away that mess or scrub the sink with Bon Ami, but does make one wonder what is left in the wash.

 

[mrboilwash]

I could imagine dulling/discoloration of aluminium when a product`s pH is way too high, but don`t know for sure.

I don`t like Zeolites as well, they are one of the reasons why I finally switched to liquids. Did not want to inhale that nasty dust anymore when cleaning the dryer`s lint screen. In particular compact (concentated) powders like Megaperls are still loaded (up to 30%) with the stuff.

However I have read somewhere (Henkel I think) that there have been concerns about clogging sewer lines before phosphate free detergents went on the market in late 1980`s. Apparently extensive tests have ruled that out.

I think it`s not the Zeolites to blame for clogged pipes but the super lowgrade powders sometimes still found in the States that only rely on one cheap precipitaing water softener.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I can see it

The Zeolite (clay particles) don't do alot of expansion while in the washer doing their job in the the limited environment and lesser water levels, but once they hit the septic environment I can imagine they will swell to their full capacity and reek havoc where they land.

 

[abcomatic]

question about dryer vents

Some of you have dryers that vent through the roof? Really? What's wrong with through the wall or the window in the basement?

 

[mark_wpduet]

Kind of OFF topic

but mine vents through the roof!! and I HATE it!

The laundry room is in the center of the house so it's not possible to vent anywhere but the roof.

Over the years, I've cleaned the vent routinely with an electric leaf blower and even a brush running from the laundry room UP to the vent that exits the roof. It would only take a few months for quite a bit of lint to accumulate in the run before it would need to be cleaned. I could always tell by drying times.

About 8 months ago, I cleaned the vent line really well....My dryer is very easy for me to get behind, so I've been using a mesh paint strainer put into the vent behind the dryer that connects to the wall (sort of like lining the vent with a trash bag, only it's a paint strainer), then connecting it to the back of the dryer - and I clean it about every two weeks. It has kept ALL lint from getting into the vent line and the clothes are drying fast.

I got this idea from a lady and her husband who had been doing this for years in their condo on Gardenweb laundry forum and she said it kept their run really clean.... and at first I was so afraid of it being a fire hazard..I even mentioned that to her....but the clothes dry really fast and the entire run is completely lint free after 8 months.....so having to get behind the dryer every 2 weeks is kind of a pain.. it takes be about 10 minutes to clean and put it back on...........but it's much better than cleaning the entire vent run......It's just good to know I won't ever have to do that again....It's amazing how much lint escapes the dryer lint screen

When the dryer is running the back of the dryer doesn't feel over heated, I've examined everything and don't see it as an issue as long as I regularly clean it. No one else does laundry but me.

 

[sudsmaster]

Unlike real clay minerals, zeolites have a rigid three dimensional structure and do not swell in the presence of water or shrink in its absence.

 

[sudsmaster]

Once lived in a two story rental house, built in the 20's. The kitchen on the 1st floor had a vent by the stove. I wanted a dryer, so I moved the stove over (which being modern had no vent) and ran a metal duct from the dryer to the stove vent. It worked great. Never seemed to clog the chimney, either, but that may be because the chimney was at least 8" diameter. I would check the clean out at the bottom of the chimney tube from time to time, but never got much lint down there, either. I would also check with a mirror and flashlight to look up the chimney pipe, and never saw much lint stuck to the walls.

After 12 years I moved out to a mid century (well, '41) home with a standard horizontal 4" diameter steel duct running about 15 feet from dryer to outside wall down in the crawl. It does require brushing out every couple of years. I keep an eye on the dryer vent louvers... when they don't seem to be as horizontal as usual, and/or the dryer itself seems to take longer and its cabinet gets warmer than usual, I know it's time to brush out the lint buildup. One of these days I'm gonna insulate the outside of the duct in the crawl to reduce condensation inside it, which in turn will reduce lint buildup. The kitchen vent in the previous house ran in the middle of the structure, so it probably didn't have that kind of condensation issue.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I just looked at my box of Tide He Powder. It says "Safe for septic Tanks".