# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > General Homesteading >  Butter milk instead of Rid-X in septic systems?

## MrFixIt

Recently had to have mine pumped and the guy told me to pour a gallon of buttermilk into the drain.
Said it is cheaper than Rid-X (it is) and that the live bacterial cultures would accomplish the same thing.
He also said you could use yogurt.
Anyone else heard of this?
And how would I know it's working?

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## Rick

Just looking at their web site, Rid-X uses three separate enzymes and a bacteria spore blend although it doesn't say what that consists of. They also use a surfactant to bind the minerals. 

On the other hand, buttermilk and yogurt are made using bacteria (different strains). I'm sure there are enzymes in both buttermilk and yogurt but not at the levels found in Rid-X and maybe not the same kind. I'm not a septic guru but it doesn't appear to me that either buttermilk or yogurt would do the job. 

http://www.rbnainfo.com/productpro/P...PL&template=1#

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## crashdive123

And never.....I repeat NEVER down a tablespoon of RidX thinking it will act as a probiotic.

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## TXyakr

Honestly I don't know jack squat about septic systems except out as a kid a lemon tree planted beside ours produced a lot of fruit but messed up the septic system LOL.

"Common Septic System Myths

1. If I flush yeast, buttermilk, or commercial products into my septic system I will not have to have it pumped.

WRONG, no scientific research has been able to find that these additives are helpful to your septic system.  However, it has been found that these additives will damage your septic system.  The additives agitate the solids in the septic tank instead of allowing them to float to the top or settle at the bottom of the tank.  This agitation suspends the solids.  They are then flushed into the absorption area and clog the pipes and soil pores.  This clogging of the pipes and soil pores can lead to failure of your septic system and costly replacement."

http://completewastemgmt.com/educati...tic-education/

Perhaps both buttermilk and Rid-X could be used excessively with poor results.

I asked a plumber his recommendations on products to clear minor clogs in kitchen and bathroom sinks. (I am always very grateful to these skilled tradesmen/women and stay out of their way etc.) So he told me that very hot water will often work better than most chemicals just be careful not to burn yourself. Also most PVC pipe is rated to handle boiling water, but be careful, steam can burn you worse than boiling water. No duh! kids in HS chemistry and cooking or "skills for living" classes know this or should.

BTW: I also keep some Muriatic Acid around but don't tell the local CSI folks or they will be looking for trace amount for biological remains ha ha ha… THAT is NOT what I use it for!!! And do not pour it down your septic system for the love of Pete. Clean off organic/plant stains from concrete etc. Or REALLY bad toilet clogs if you are freaking crazy!

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## hunter63

My guy says don't bother.......eventually it's gonna have to be pumped as it will only hold so much solid materials.

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## MrFixIt

Thanks guys. I wish I had known this before I poured a gallon down the drain!
Oh well, the septic system at my house is very old and will need replacing sooner than later.
In the meantime, we flush very little paper so hopefully that will prolong the next step.

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## hunter63

Won't hurt anything....and limiting the paper and type of paper helps more than any additive.

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## TXyakr

Hope you don't mind me "Thread Drifting" on you a little in a "dry humor" sorta way. But if some septic service provider or our self with rented equipment were to pump out the tank and compost it, you could theoretically use it to grow some useful crops. However, be warned that if your next door neighbor is an angry lady with field glasses and a sensitive nose she may just call the EPA authorities on you. Read this funny or disturbing story from the Fort Worth, Texas area:

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/lo...le3912310.html

Personally I have purchased Milorganite to use on my lawn because the "poop" of folks from the metropolitan Milwaukee area is better than from the folks in Texas, LOL. ha ha ha Oh so funny, Oops I shipped myself, must get some new undershorts and throw these on the compost pile. Only joking.

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## hunter63

> Hope you don't mind me "Thread Drifting" on you a little in a "dry humor" sorta way. But if some septic service provider or our self with rented equipment were to pump out the tank and compost it, you could theoretically use it to grow some useful crops. However, be warned that if your next door neighbor is an angry lady with field glasses and a sensitive nose she may just call the EPA authorities on you. Read this funny or disturbing story from the Fort Worth, Texas area:
> 
> http://www.star-telegram.com/news/lo...le3912310.html
> 
> Personally I have purchased Milorganite to use on my lawn because the "poop" of folks from the metropolitan Milwaukee area is better than from the folks in Texas, LOL. ha ha ha Oh so funny, Oops I shipped myself, must get some new undershorts and throw these on the compost pile. Only joking.


It's the beer, brats and cheese........and little old ladies LOVE to get their hands in it.

Proof positive that you can "pick up a turd by the clean end".

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## edr730

I've cleaned a couple out with just a bucket and tossed it in the trees or bushes. I've know others who did it regularly and put it on flowers. Even if you don't usually use work gloves, it's a good time to use them.

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## Winnie

When I had a (very) old and temperamental septic system, the cleaning guy recommended live natural yoghurt. The system was in a terrible state and the bloom regularly got flushed out by heavy rain. It works.

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## Lamewolf

> And never.....I repeat NEVER down a tablespoon of RidX thinking it will act as a probiotic.


Are you speaking from experience ?????? :Mellow:

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## TXyakr

Funny slightly off topic story of a septic system. When I was fairly young a bunch of us boys were having a sleep over a friend's house that had a fairly old house and septic system (we all did). Late at night (perhaps 3am) I got up to use the toilet, lifted the lid and a rat was in the t-bowl looked at me then turned around and swam back down the toilet drain. Well I'm sure he was more frightened of me than I was of him but the thought of something biting my scrotum had me on edge a bit. So my friend's parents were busy at the dinning room table working on some research and I just told them I needed to go home and had a bit of a stomachache. No need to tell them their plumbing was infested with rats and it freaked me out a bit. Better they just think I was homesick or something. So I walked through the neighborhood at about 3am in the dark, laughing to myself about the rats in the septic tank, swimming through the pipes. Years later some other people were  renting that house and a rat bit a young boy on the toe while he slept at night. Dang sewer rats. Pour some Muriatic Acid on them, LOL

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## MrFixIt

I'll add another story:
This happened around 25 years ago. I knew a fellow who pumped tanks and he came in to have lunch. Told us that he just got done over at #$%^'s place where he had to call the cops. The man that owned the house was with him when he opened the tank up, and Mr. Bobby (the guy that pumped tanks) told him his problem was condoms being flushed. He said there were quite a few floating. The owner turned red in the face and went inside. Bobby gets out the hose and begins when he hears a screaming lady inside the house and a lot of banging. Said he went to the door and shouted "Everything OK?!?" Said the guys wife came tearing out the door with red marks on her face. The man followed her out screaming cuss words and threatening her more. Bobby got him calmed down long enough to get the lady to call the cops. When the cops arrived, they arrested the man for spousal abuse.
The man said that he didn't use condoms and apparently the lady was having a regular male visitor over while he was away at work...

I hope that this isn't viewed as too inappropriate...

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## TXyakr

That is an excellent story and well told MrFixIt. When I started to read it I was concerned it was about contraband items being flushed down the commode. It is funny how many people just do not understand how a septic system works, even the very basics that non-biodegradable materials must all be pumped out and stuff that floats will be on the surface when the lid is opened. Very funny indeed. Hopefully more stories can be posted here.

Sorta more inline with Iskandar's post about stocking up with disposable diapers (as barter items) but once some neighbors of ours returned from spending the summer working with indigenous people. Their toddler girl had been sorta potty trained running around with the primitive children not exactly using an outhouse very often. We looked out our kitchen window and saw their little 3-4 year old squatting down beside our shed with her shorts down pooping or peeing. My mother yelled at her to take it on home. Her house was about 70 yards away. LOL

Bad enough when you need to pooper scoop up after all the neighbors dogs, but their kids as well, that is just toooo much. "Go fill up your own sceptic tank kid." ha ha ha.

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## hunter63

As a young man, my first "real job" was as a city employee of a small city.
One 4 guys......
Title was Assistant to the City Engineer.......or Hey you, kid, go-fer this and go-fer that.

Morning were spent at the city sewer plant, kinda fancy class "B" for the cities size.

Had aerator ponds, 1000's of gal of bubbling crap, a digester, and drying beds.

Had a screen that separated out the condoms, or most of them....and if some one tied theirs in a knot (Boss said they were bragging about their load).
If they made it to the digester, the tied up one would blow up and plug up the outlet pipe.....had to shoot them with a BB gun to let out the "gas".

Boss said I could have as many condoms as I wanted, just wash, dry and powder with talc.... 

$1.25 an hour and all the free rubber I could use.....

Those were the days......

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## Rick

we had a plant like that. Kid magnet. My buddy's dog fell in the drying bed in a fresh load. Hopped out about as fast as he went it and did the shake right in the middle of us. Yeah, it was bad.

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## TXyakr

Free rubbers at the city sewer treatment plant, classic dog shake, great stories!!!

That dog shake reminds me of one I heard from some neighbors who had a mishap with their outhouse at their village home in a primitive location. After some heavy rains had softened the soil a cow came over to their outhouse and rubbed up against the wall (like livestock do) and the ground gave way, it fell in collapsing the outhouse floor around it. So they had to get a bunch of villagers to hoist the cow out with ropes and harnesses. The cow need a wash off down by the river, but survived; however they needed to dig a new outhouse pit etc. So "word to the wise" if you have any livestock around your "survival cabin" in the woods don't trust your fencing and just rap the exterior walls of your outhouse with barb wire in case they take a liking to it.

Unfortunately or fortunately I was not there to take any pictures or jump in the pit and wrap the ropes around the cow struggling in the sludge but am only telling this story second hand as best I can remember it. LOL

BTW never leave the hatch to your sceptic tank open, a cow may not fit in but a small dog or child might.
Wife: "Hey why are you hosing off my child and WHAT is that smell?"

Reminds me of one time when as a toddler I fell into a small shallow garbage pit in the backyard. My older sister went screaming to my mother that I had fallen into a "BIG HOLE". She imagined I had somehow removed the lid to an old abandoned well out back and fallen into it. But no, I was just in the garbage. Been getting into garbage ever since. LOL

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## hunter63

> .....................BTW never leave the hatch to your sceptic tank open, a cow may not fit in but a small dog or child might.


The installer put a padlock and hold down chains on mine when it was put in........
That's the reason....it a law.

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## MrFixIt

I really opened up a "shippy" thread...


 :Wink:

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## TXyakr

> The installer put a padlock and hold down chains on mine when it was put in........
> That's the reason....it a law.


Years ago I was at a United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) campground (which are very good BTW) with my young daughters and they were very grossed out by the "pit toilets" which they had never seen or smelled before. So your padlock comment got me to wondering how many kids have accidentally fallen or been thrown down these as a not so practical joke. "help I've fallen in, its very dark in here and smells very bad." "Please don't sit down and make it any darker or SMELLIER!!!"

But seriously the USACE does a great job and not all have pit toilets which are just fine, and you would have to really need to try hard or be very small to fall into a pit toilet.

http://www.recreation.gov/campground...agencyID=70902

Now a camper's rat sized dog that barked all night long I might just be tempted to take it for a long walk that ended some place dark and stinky… NO not really, I would never do that it would result in jail time.

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## Rick

I don't know about kids but my dad dropped his wallet in one once. Took two coat hangers to get it back. Nasty. Today, I'm pretty paranoid about my wallet when I enter one. Just one of the many things that warped me as a child.

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## TXyakr

My father told me that back in the 1920-30 ' on their farm in Alberta, Canada in the winter time the "stuff" would pileup and freeze so they would need to put a pole in there and break the top off in the outhouse.  Also whip seat off so moisture would not melt refreeze and get you stuck on it.

Worst I had with outhouses as a kid was dung flies going in and out leaning over because they are persistent, and the occasional snake, constrictor in the palm leaf roof but these were good because they kept the rat population down. No real problems actually.

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## tundrabadger

> My father told me that back in the 1920-30 ' on their farm in Alberta, Canada in the winter time the "stuff" would pileup and freeze so they would need to put a pole in there and break the top off in the outhouse.  Also whip seat off so moisture would not melt refreeze and get you stuck on it.
> 
> Worst I had with outhouses as a kid was dung flies going in and out leaning over because they are persistent, and the occasional snake, constrictor in the palm leaf roof but these were good because they kept the rat population down. No real problems actually.



When I was a kid and we first moved to Nunavut, the first community we lived in mostly had sewage tanks...think  a septic tank above ground with no field,  pumped out by a municipal truck every few days,  with the waste being taken out of town and put in a man-made lagoon (which, as an aside, is a smell you don't forget).  There were, however,  a few homes that still used honeybuckets.   Now,  January or February, I cannot remember which exactly  of the first year, there was a big conference out of town that my mother had to go to.  My stepfather hadn't moved north yet,  I was too young to leave alone for a week,  so I went to stay with a friend of my mother who lived in an older house that didn't have all the modern conveniences.  Three small rooms,  and a long cold porch.  For sanitary reasons, the honey bucket was kept in the cold porch.  In the middle of winter.  North of 69.   

On the upside,  there wasn't much smell.   That being said.....if you ever want to wake up really, really quickly,   try sitting on a toilet seat that's  been stored at -40 or colder for the past few months.    I'm shivering now remembering it.

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## MrFixIt

Had a new 1000 gallon tank and 200' of drain line installed Saturday.
Waiting for the code inspection sometime this morning so everything can be covered over.
The old tank was roughly 700 gallons but the most surprising thing was how thin the walls were.
Only about 2" thick.
The guy doing the work said that tank was around 50-60 years old.

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