Septic emzyme

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
910
Location
Scituate MA
Septic system is 5 years old.
Get it pumped once a year.
Have read most systems do not need additives.
Recently had it pumped and buddy said his company sells Lenzyme and he sees a difference in the tanks that use it. Half sales job.

Any thoughts?
 
Unless you use harsh chemicals that kill the existing enzymes, there's no need. When your buddy says he sees a difference, what it is that he sees?
 
Curious if it is required to get pumped once a year; my size home, with 1 person, septic guy said "15 years"

I don't use any additives in my septic system, but I actively stay away from harsh chemicals, anti-bacterial anything, and i have the benefit of having my laundry grey water go into a dry well.

I think my septic tank is half filled with coffee grounds anyway.
 
Pump out once a year? Something seems a miss. If it's a properly function system with a average size tank you should be able to go years and years without a pump. Mine is 1250 gal and 2 adults 3 kids in the house. I pumped out at 7 year mark IIRC (could have been 6) and it wasn't near needing a pump. My area most 1200-2400 sq ft homes have septics of 500-750gal tanks.

I put mine in with a friend who has machines. 5 rows of 90 foot runs works great. But I always worry because my wife is a neat freak and uses bleach a lot!
 
Originally Posted By: whip
Unless you use harsh chemicals that kill the existing enzymes, there's no need. When your buddy says he sees a difference, what it is that he sees?
The money he makes selling you something you don't need.
We had sepic takes for over 35 years and never had any issues, we usually pumped every 7 to 10 years, and the tanks were never full. The naturally occuring bacterial and enzyme action in the tank breaks down the solid waste into a sludge like material which slowly settles and fills the tank. I would stay away from adding anything to the tank to so call aide in breaking down the solid waste.
 
Last edited:
Hello, I trust questions can add to a thread.

I've heard a package of common dry yeast and 5 lbs. sugar mixed in warm (110℉-120℉) water fosters and/or reestablishes the bacterial action in septic systems.

One fellow at work (a rather bombastic know-it-all) was told to put hamburger meat down the toilet to do the same thing.

Obviously, commercial products like Rid-X, have been sold for years.

Has anyone ever heard of the first two treatments?

It seems something should get the digestion process started. Kira
 
mine lasted.many decades.we were told in the 70's that the tank was rusting out and it was patched then.we got it replaced last year along with the house upgrades.everything goes into it here including the washing machine water.

never added anything to it and it died from rust/natural causes.
 
We add a septic enzyme type product, i.e rid-x, once a year. Never have had to pump our tank. Not sure what a product like rid-x could hurt.
 
How many folks live in your home and what size(gallons) is your septic tank leading you to pump it yearly? Do you have a disposal hooked up?

You don't need to enzymemes. Its akin to taking vitamins.

I have an expired septic designers license.
 
Pumping once a year is excessive- if its needed then something bad is wrong. The house I grew up never got pumped in 20 years, and the last house I had with a septic system got pumped once in 10 years, only because we had a baby in that span and were washing tons of diapers with a gallons of bleach.
 
The pumping schedule is driven by size of tank and amount of people in the home. Eg a family 4 with 500 gallon of tank is a yearly pump.
 
Hmmmm....A pal in New York State (family of 4) had his septic pumped out after 15 years and everything was in such good shape the septic guy said he could've gone 100 years.

NO coffee grounds (no offense intended, but that is stupid and lazy to do).
NO garbage disposals.
NO cleaning of paint brushes.

I wonder how soon the poster above's dry well will gunk-up with grey water residue. Kira (*no septic certification, just lots of neighbors with septic systems)
 
Sounds like that company is trying to hit you from every angle. Yearly pump sounds very excessive. Useless additives.

If this place changed oil they'd recommend super premium oil changed every 1500 miles. To be safe.
 
Our house is just shy of 3500 sq ft with four baths. We run a minimum of four loads of laundry per week. We have ours pumped every five years but could probably easily go 8-10.

We only put what we eat, bath, or clean in ours.....no additives ever. Food scraps get thrown outside for the critters.
 
Quote:
Our house is just shy of 3500 sq ft with four baths. We run a minimum of four loads of laundry per week. We have ours pumped every five years but could probably easily go 8-10.
What is the tank size?
 
I have a 1,250 gallon tank, 4 people (2 adults, two kids). IIRC when I looked it up, online said I could go 5 years. But the service I use seems to want me to pump every 2. Seems often, but with two women in the house (ahem) it seems inevitable. No food goes down our drain either. I tried looking into the tank, last time it was open, but I couldn't see what they go by. $320/pumping, vs what is probably $10k to replace. Kinda hard not to get sucked into frequent pumpings.

Don't quite understand why they use bedrooms online, it's really the # of people, if not simply how much they flush. I barely count in the calculation, since I'm away from home half the time anyhow.

The guy who does the pumping always tells me he has a list of recommended toilet paper. I always demure, as I'm not the one who has a vote on that stuff. Baby wipes should not go down the flush; but they do seem to cut down on the paper going down the drain (just change the bathroom trash more often).
 
1500 gallon tank.

2 Adults
4 Kids

I didn't look in the tank while pumping but he said it is good maintenance to have it done. I don't know. Only 220 or so, good insurance vs. 12K for new one.

Also, for some of those that their tank lasted forever, the previous tank here had been in for 45 years, not sure how often was pumped. They have to replace the tanks when house is sold....(depends on number of things but I think if the house is over 20 years???).

Wonder also if (starting to sound like my father) that if the tank is one of those things seems like everything today....made in overseas and doesn't last. Everything growing up seemed to last...fridge, toilet, washer dryer now they seem to break down more. (Maybe I just notice more because I'm buying).
 
6 people means pumping usually every 2.5 yrs with 1500 gallons. 1 year is a bit often but its your $220.

This chart is very good:

http://inspectapedia.com/septic/Septic_Tank_Pumping_Schedule.htm

For the folks who never pump it, in theory if you put stuff down drain that decomposes okay it will be okay. However once the solids build up enough so the come into the liquid exiting tank your leach field is done and has to typically get rebuilt.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top