Rid-X

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Yes I think it's worth it, certainly cheaper than the alternative. I used it or similar Sept-O-bac back at the old place and in 12 years never once had to have the tank pumped. I never used any bleach containing products either. All the while our neighbors on both sides had the honey wagon in yearly and both used bleaches regularly. I used it monthly. Forget the old tricks about throwing a dead rat or cat in LOL
 
The only problem is when you don't have your tank pumped out at least once every 2 years is that the solids start going out to your leach fields. Once those get plugged up then you are in for big expenses, digging up and replacing. The tank can only hold so many solids before it starts pushing them out.
Jon
 
...and never ever ever use fabric softener with a septic tank and or cesspool.
It coats the sides and kills bacterial action.

Perhaps a large dinner party with lots of guests and lots of fiber is in order. Your guests will be sure to charge-up the septic system with necessary and helpul (to the spetic tank, *LOL*) bacteria carried on/in solids. My understanding is that those solids are are about 1/3 bacteria.

Athough illegal in most areas, my understanding is that many on the far east end/tip of Long Island (and elsewhere) let their top-loading washer drain into the rear yard rather than into the spetic system, Strangely hot water and bleach don't nessariliy burn the grass.
 
Thanks, petek, that makes me feel better.

If two years is the limit, retro-man, I've long passed it! I though that the purpose of the Rid-X was to lessen the amount of solids -- at least, that's what they imply with the drawing on their box.

Toggle, the story about letting the washer drain on the lawn reminds me of my late uncle, who did that thinking the phosphates in the detergent would fertilize his grass. (This was when nearly all detergents DID have phosphate). My aunt used All, however, which clearly said on the box that it had no phosphates. I didn't have the heart to tell him. ;) It seemed to do no harm.
 
Then there are the products sold by phone salespeople for big $$. Rich's grandfather bought some years ago, and we swear it was just sawdust and yeast.

We have ours pumped about every two years as well, just to be safe. I remember sometime about 10 years ago when the tank was obviously pretty full, and we had a little burp of the system in the lowest drain. Since then, every two years.

A packet of yeast a month down the drain is supposedly all that's needed. I usually put some down a few days after the odd times we've used Drano or similar products.

Chuck
 
Letting one's washer drain onto the lawn or into a ditch is almost common practice in rural WI. We have some of the greenest ditches in summer. lol
 
I was recommending every two years as a maintenace program for your system. It's not to say that you can't go well past that time period, but by now you are pushing solids into your leach field. You will have problems in the near future unfortunately. My last house had septic and it was always backing up, kept having to have it pumped out every couple of months. Finally the service sent a guy down after the pump out and he discovered with a flashlight that when the system was installed they never punched out the plugs to the leach field. Was just acting as a holding tank. The new owners had to have a new field put in about 5 years ago, so I guess it lasted about 20 years. Don't know what the maintenace was on the system after we moved. Good luck with yours and as they say shit rolls down hill. "Tank" care.
Jon
 
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