Do you have a Septic? Questions for ya!

[Mahnahmahnah]

I live in the parsonage of a church. I'm getting a little P.O'd with TPTB in the church who oversee the house. It's a shame, but people don't seem to appreciate the urgency of the situation because it's not the house they have to live in. The typical advice is "Use more RidX; it's be OK." I'm not loving the whiff of poo that the autumn breezes are blowing in these days.

Zip - I would think that might be a health hazard, no? If it's backing up? Maybe you can say your afriad your family might get sick. That may work.

We did live in a home with septic. But, we had a larger family and did pump every 2 years. It was an older home with an older septic. You are correct that a leech field can cost a great deal.

We also never used the anti bacterial stuff and had to be careful of the tp we used. The older septics were made to break down the products of the time it was built. I do know that my parents lived in a house for 20 years with my mom,dad, and 3 sibs and they never pumped and never had a problem. I don't know what the correct answer is, but I do think taking care of septic is 1/2 the battle.

We were also told about not doing to many loads of wash, I never ran the dishwasher on the days I did a few loads of laundry etc. With showers, laundry, dishwasher and the toilet flushing 50 times a day plus rainy season outside, I think the septics just get water overload.

BTW, my parents never wanted my sibs to flush the toilet if all they did was #1, it grossed me out. Sometimes, the place smelled like pee. But, thats what they wanted to do thats what they did. I never went to the bathroom at their house.

Kelly

I'm going to look for non-antibacterial stuff when I go food shopping. And I never though about having too much going on like wash, dishwasher etc. I'm going to try to stagger it. Thanks!

About not flushing on #1-
At my friends lake house they have a sign above the toilet that says:

If its yellow
Let it mellow
If it's brown
Flush it down​

I'm not doing that. They have never pumped because they are only there in the summer time.



Dalton - poo threads are better than more political threads!

 

[agentpleakley]

HONEY! Stop the car! I need to pick up that squished possum. It's that time of year!



Sorry, AP, couldn't help myself.

Don't worry -- if you knew my mother -- you would find it hard to believe that this woman actually picked up a dead animal EEWWWW!

 

[Mahnahmahnah]

Disclaimer:The following is all based upon hearsay and may totally be inaccurate -do not hold against me.

DH's father was a chemical engineer in the waste business. My DH has told me never ever ever to put RidX down the drain. He said it kills the naturally occurring bacteria that breaksdown the waste. Once you start using RidX, you have to use it from then on out. (My friend's husband, a plumber, also confirmed this. Hence, DH does not let me put anything down the drain a la RidX. He, however, has no problem with us putting TP down the toilet. He draws the line at the stuff that colors the water -- bad for me, I like blue toilet water.


I have ALWAYS lived in a house with a septic tank/system. I lived in 2 houses until I was 22. My parents NEVER ever had the septic tank pumped. I do, however, remember my mother opening up the septic lid once a year and throwing a dead animal down there to help the breakdown of the waste. (very old house, septic lid was exposed). Do not ask where she got the dead animal - I really never thought about it until I was typing this out. My mom would not let us put TP in the toilets. In the summer (we were also on a well), my mom had the "if it's yellow, let it mellow rule."

I guess it works though!

OMG. Just her opening the tank I looked at the underside of the lid today, kind of. I was busy trying to focus on a tree in the distance, too.

 

[Michelle67]

Don't worry -- if you knew my mother -- you would find it hard to believe that this woman actually picked up a dead animal EEWWWW!

Maybe that's what I should start doing with the "presents" Booey leaves on the front walkway. They are small (she usually only leaves feet and kidneys) so I could flush them down rather than opening the septic up. Haha...Eeeeeeew.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I can't use antibacterial soaps (excema). I never have an issue buying them.
I use Softsoap or a Moisturizing Hand soap.
Palmolive dish soap is not antibacterial.

Good Luck with your septic.

 

[DVC-Don]

Table I. Septic Tank Pumping Frequency in Years
. Household size - Number of Occupants
. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Tank-Gallons Septic Tank Pumping Frequency in Years
500* 5.8 2.6 1.5 1.0 0.7 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 --
750* 9.1 4.2 2.6 1.8 1.3 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.3
900 11.0 5.2 3.3 2.3 1.7 1.3 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.5
1000 12.4 5.9 3.7 2.6 2.0 1.5 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.7
1250 15.6 7.5 4.8 3.4 2.6 2.0 1.7 1.4 1.2 1.0
1500 18.9 9.1 5.9 4.2 3.3 2.6 2.1 1.8 1.5 1.3
1750 22.1 10.7 6.9 5.0 3.9 3.1 2.6 2.2 1.9 1.6
2000 25.4 12.4 8.0 5.9 4.5 3.7 3.1 2.6 2.2 2.0
2250 28.6 14.0 9.1 6.7 5.2 4.2 3.5 3.0 2.6 2.3
2500 30.9 15.6 10.2 7.5 5.9 4.8 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.6

I have a 1,000 gal tank with 4 people using it. I get the tank pumped every other year. The table above says I should pump every 2.6 years.

 

[Michelle67]

I can't use antibacterial soaps (excema). I never have an issue buying them.
I use Softsoap or a Moisturizing Hand soap.
Palmolive dish soap is not antibacterial.

Good Luck with your septic.

Thanks for that, MM. The ultra cheap FMV brand at Fred Meyer isn't either, but I swear it takes half a cup of it to make bubbles. I get a little overwhelmed standing in front of store displays, so now I know to go straight for the Palmolive. Madge will be proud of me.

 

[pyrxtc]

I have a septic that was just replaced this summer. My neighbor, who has never had hers pumped, told me to put yeast down the sink. Wash it down good with water and it will help it all wokr better. That's what she has always done. We're talking 50 plus yrs here.

 

[Dalton5]

Dalton - poo threads are better than more political threads!

Amen!! But, I guess you could say alot of them are filled with poo

 

[C.Ann]

Brewers yeast - in the refrigerated aisle of the supermarket.. Cubes are better than the packets.. Drop them down the toilet every 6 months or so.. My dad did this with our septic system for years and years and years - never any problems..

Laundry detergent/bleach/wash water is very bad for your septic.. If your town allows it, have it bypass to the dry well..

Sheet rock gunk, paint, etc., are all BIG no no's!! Right along with any other harsh chemicals..

Even though "feminine" products and certain baby wipes say they are safe for septics, they'll clog them up in no time..