Graphic of septic system - why Rid-x is bad for your septic

More 21 million households in the United States rely on septic systems to remove and treat household wastewater. Touted equally the eco-friendly alternative to the chemically-laden waste treatment facilities used past many cities, septic systems piece of work to naturally purify wastewater. And while a properly functioning system requires lilliputian more than routine cleanings every 2-4 years, some homeowners strive to make their septic systems more efficient by using additives, like Rid-X, to give the leaner in their tanks a piffling boost. But beware! Those expensive additives not merely interfere with your system's handling process, just they likewise put your entire septic system at risk of catastrophic failure.

Septic Systems 101

Earlier we tin tackle the reasons why additives, like Rid-X, are bad for your septic organization, we demand to first more often than not understand how septic systems piece of work. In a properly functioning septic system, wastewater from your house empties into the septic tank, where solids settle to the bottom, assuasive liquids to rising to the top before exiting through the outlet baffle and filtering through the drain field to be purified and reabsorbed into the water table. The leaner plant in human being waste works to decompose the solids in your septic tank, allowing them to settle into a layer of sludge. This layer of sludge needs to exist pumped out of your system every two-4 years. The leaner in your septic system efficiently breaks down solids and slows the accumulation of sludge and so long every bit a properly balanced environment is maintained.

How additives, like Rid-10, interfere with your septic organization'due south eco-organisation

As well much of a good thing tin be bad. In that location are a lot of tips and products for homeowners looking to enhance the bacteria in their septic systems, from commercial additives similar Rid-X to more outlandish ideas that include packets of yeast and raw liver! But in a properly functioning bacterial environment, these additives have little positive effect and can actually cause enough damage to ruin your entire septic system.

So what'south the problem with additives like Rid-X? According to the EPA and the Ohio Department of Health, not merely are additives like Rid-X not recommended, but they actually have a detrimental and potentially hazardous event on your septic organization's waste treatment process. Rid-Ten contains a much stronger form of enzymes than the natural bacteria found in a healthy septic system and, as a result, solids are broken down farther than they usually would be. Yous might recollect a more than effective breakdown of these solids would be a good affair, that information technology would permit yous more time betwixt septic cleanings. However, these particles are and so small they don't settle to the bottom of your septic tank and instead make their way through the outlet bamboozle and into your bleed field. Presently thereafter, the bleed field volition get chock-full and need to exist replaced. And when the boilerplate price to supersede a septic system is $13,000 simply can range upwards of $25,000, you lot may desire to think twice before dumping potentially system-killing additives into your septic system.

Amend methods for maintaining bacteria in your septic system

The all-time affair you can do to make sure your septic system is working the best it can is to keep a shut eye on what you pour down the drain. Never treat your toilet or your sinks like a garbage tin!

  • Avert putting harsh chemicals – bleach, paint thinners, pesticides, gasoline, antifreeze, etc. – into your system equally they can destroy the bacteria that works to keep your system functioning properly.
  • Garbage disposals are non recommended for a home that has a septic arrangement because they alluvion the system with organic solids that the bacteria in the septic tank is not equipped to tackle.
  • Never flush inorganic materials, like feminine hygiene products, kitty litter, cigarette butts, or newspaper towels. They clog your septic tank with non-biodegradable solids.
  • Exist aware of how much water y'all're putting into your system and conserve wherever y'all maybe tin. Combine loads of laundry when you tin can and simply run your dishwasher when information technology'southward full. Flooding your septic organization with grey h2o (water from the washing car, dishwasher, bathtubs, and showers) will interfere with the bacterial limerick in your septic tank and saturate your bleed field to the point of exhaustion.