Alternatives to Ridx

By

Beth

I also was told NOT to use Rid-X by the man who pumped our tank. He says lots of times it doesn't dissolve and you end up with a big chunk of it at the bottom doing nothing. Of course, that could be our northern climate. He also said to limit anti-bacterial cleaners as they will kill the good bacteria too. And to use liquid soaps when possible.

By

Beth

I make up a septic tank cocktail using yeast and sugar dissolved in warm water. I think it helps to get it started before flushing. I don't know if it would multiply as well down there if I just flushed it dry.

By

Cindy in Texas

I have also heard that buttermilk is is good for the septic system. I use the last of a carton or when it starts to get old it goes into the sink. Food scraps go into the compost pile instead of the garbage disposal. We do not put toilet paper in the toilets. Into a trash can just for that purpose. Then it is burned in the burn barrel. Try to use more natural cleaning supplies like vinegar and baking soda. Commercial chemicals are hard on the septic tanks.

By

thriftmeg

If u use the yeast idea, which works very well, try adding some brown sugar(2-3 tbsp) with the yeast as it will "feed" the yeast and start it working.

By

badwater

We, too, use baking yeast. We don't use it every month & not as much as the other person said. We just use one packet of a 3 package strip the major brands sell it by in grocery stores, every 2-3 months. We've never had any problems. This is more cost effective for us. The last time we priced the Rid-X, it was $7.99 a box, verses $1.25 for a 3 strip of yeast.

By

Bar2M

Last time ours was pumped out, the guy told us to flush a carton of cottage cheese. He said that would get everything started back up. I have a friend that swears by using yeast (baking yeast) -- she buys the pound bag at Sam's and flushes 1/4 cup once every month or so.
We've lived with septic systems for years and never had any problems. Just watch how much bleach we use (not too much at any time) and moderate the amount of stuff we put in our sink garbage disposal.