Re: septic tanks

On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:56:44 -0000, bud hufstetler
<bud.hufstetler@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

<snip>
You can count me among the numbers that don't use Rid-X. It's kind of
like a teddy bear, go ahead and use it if it makes you sleep better at
night, but don't expect it to provide any real benefit other than a
little comfort.

Back in 1968, as a fledgling sub-adult, one of my first real jobs was
with a plumbing company in central Florida. Being the ignorant newbie
I was assigned to the "Turd Knocker" crew, basically dealing with
drain stoppages, indoor and outdoor, septic systems were the norm.

I was paired up with an older gentleman, probably in his early 50s,
been a plumber since forever. He always tried to sell an enzyme
product to the customers, Roebic was the brand I believe.

After a while, I asked him if the product was neccessary. His answer
was "No, but it's an easy, high margin sale. In a typical septic tank
there is so much bacteria you'd have to try real hard to kill it off
enough to make a difference."

This last Fall when I had my tank pumped, I also asked the guy what he
thought of the enzyme products, he pretty much said the same thing I
heard 39 years ago. "It won't hurt the system, but don't expect it to
do any good either."

As a side note, one of the worst problems we had to deal with on sink
clogs was when the homeowner tried to fix the drain with Drano or
similar products. Of course the Drano did nothing and we'd be faced
with a sink full of caustic chemicals to deal with before we could
even begin to clear the drain.

Side note #2, my parents bought their house (Orlando) in 1962, still
living in it, they put all sorts of stuff down the disposer, never
have had a problem with the tank or drain fields, never been pumped.

Bud

DJ
.