We hear this question a lot! Our customers who ask this question are asking because of the “wives tales” they’ve heard, the commercial on tv or magazine advertisement. The answer is NOTHING!! Do not add anything into your septic system in addition to what is supposed to be going down the drains or toilets. There is no proven additive for septic systems. Truth is that when additives are used they have created problems or accelerated the need to pump sooner.

Here is your Rule of Thumb…. “If you didn’t eat it or drink it, or wouldn’t eat it or drink it, it doesn’t go down the drain or toilet”. What about soaps, shampoo, conditioners, laundry stuff, etc?? Well, that is the stuff we use in everyday living that gets retained in the septic tank building up into what we call FOG. The buildup of FOG (fats, oils and grease) is what is supposed to stay in the tank and it gets removed every 2 years by a septic pump out. All that FOG keeps building up daily from our use and will never go away until pumped out. Remember the more it builds up the more it cuts off valuable oxygen needed by the bacteria below when they are breaking down the organic material that came from us into the tank.

If you have a disposal in your kitchen sink you should limit its use to only remnants left in the sink after washing dishes. Any food products put straight into the septic system take far too long to breakdown and become a layer blocking vital oxygen getting to the systems bacteria.