How do I de-grease and de-gunk and de-sludge my clogged drain field. 10 Boxes of Rid-X did not do the job!?
Question:I also tried a bacterial formulation from BioZyme which did not work.
It was caused because someone (I won't tell you who) stupidly poured several gallons of grease from a deepfryer down the drain into the septic tank two years ago. This grease has now turned into a black petroleum jelly like substance (soap does not wash it from your hands) and , ALAS, plugged up my drainfield. I cannot afford to dig a new drainfield.
this waxy black jelly /sudge needs to be somehow digested, naturally, (not through solvents) because I have rare tree plantings in my yard and I don't want to kill them or destroy the delicate biology of bacterial exosystems in my septic tank.
No, the roots are not plugging the drainfield.
Answers:
The only product I know of that works is called BAC-HO . The biology in the septic tank has been compromised from the grease anyways. This is the dreaded times. This is times when people up and move rather than deal with it.
The fact of the matter is.the trees will have to come up and the backyard dug up at a fair expense. 10G or more.
If the obstruction is in the lateral field/drain field the only choice you have is to have it professionally cleaned out or, I know you don't want to hear this but, dig up the drain line and replace it. Don't put any chemicals down the drain as it could make the situation worse. Over the last several years, I have spent thousands of $$ on my system and I feel as though I'm an expert now.
You might be able to use high pressure water ( preferably hot ) to blast the grease away. The black stuff you referred to ( yes! Indelible almost- like Indian Ink! ) is called bacterial sludge. Unless your drainfield is very deep--do not be intimidated by rebuilding it-unless,of course,there is some city ordinances barring you from rebuilding.Some areas will let you build " grey water" drainfields so you can segregate/separate the drains which fight Mother Earth`s natural decomposition. Read up to learn more about the moratoriums and local plumbing codes and standards for your area. Go to the city permits/inspections office -- if you have to. Have a digging party over and excavate the area of the drainfield ( hopefully shallow drainfield--48 inches or less). Clean out the distribution box and perforated drain pipes or replace as necessary. Place drainage material ( rock and gravel ) under the drain legs and on top. The amount will differ depending on your soil composition. If in clay--of course you will have to have 2-4 feet of drain material ( gravel preferably ) under and over the drainfield. Because so many bacteria killing substances ( bleach,sulfites,phosphates,etc... ) go into the tank,bacterial agents should be added to augment the NATURAL breakdown of the bacterium. Also,fish parts and cabbage are 2 natural supplements to help bacterial breakdown. Remember---only ##%% and toilet paper really belong in a septic tank / cesspool. Good luck!!
More details are needed for an accurate evaluation of your system. Is the effluent surfacing i.e. standing water over the leach system. If so your leach field is working properly however it is saturated. The only way to cure that is for your septic tank to be pumped, once that is accomplishe you can determine how saturated your leach fields are by watching the backflow of the leach system into your septic tank. The best course of action is not to add any chemicals to your septic system whatsoever. Maybe a handful of raisins every month or so flushed down the toilet or even one packet of yeast will give you the bacteria needed to break down the solids in the tank. If you like I can give you further advice....
You will need an industrial degreaser and a waterweenie.. the waterweenie is a black rubber fitting about the size of a brass sprayer nozzels (garden hose type) you stick that on the end of your steam line then stick it down the drain. Once you've done that crank up the pressure. The waterweenie will expand to the diameter of the pipe forcing the hot water down the drain. This seldom fails. If that doesn't work and you might do this first. Snake it. You can get a 75' snake a home dillweeds.. OH and the waterweenie comes in different sizes so get one that will fit the size of the pipe you are using.
First, the septic tank should be pumped out (if it hasn't already been). Next, call your local health department. They can suggest what you will need to do next.
A few comments on some of the other answers...
Septic additives (raisins? that's a new one!) in general are a waste of time, effort and money. There are plenty of good bacteria in the very first flush you provide.
Here's some good info on additives http://www.inspect-ny.com/septic/septadd...
"The view that chemical and other additives are not necessary, and in some jurisdictions are illegal, was held by information we collected from every U.S. state as well as Canadian sources."
From what you've said, your problem is bigger than one specific drain line. You will likely need permits to replace or modify your system (call your health department)
Blasting the lines only works if you're blasting the grease to someplace outside of the system. What will wind up happening is you'll blast the grease deeper into the soils, further compromising an already problematic situation (call your health department).
An industrial degreaser in your septic system will spell certain death for the entire system (call your health department).
There's one repeating thing here in my answer - call your health department. They are your local experts, their advice is free, and they're not trying to sell you something. If you need a new system, they can tell you what will work best in your situation.
Use "Ram Out" even if you have a septic tank. Or if that dose not do the trick you can use a rotor rooter and chop up any thing that is stopping up your pipes. Even if it is tree roots. Tree root killers work really slow. Not good. You will need to revive your septic tank after you undo your stoppage, if you use ram out. And if you have a septic tank. But it is not hard fix. Your can find these things at your local hardware store.
More Related Questions & Answers...