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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 396
 
| Last year we had a pipe problem because the soap scum had built up and clogged the pipes and backed up the house. We attributed it to a very old house, the septic had probably never been emptied, it's not even on file because it's the original and so old. We cleansed it out and went on. So already a year and a half later our pipe out of our house has a build up of soap scum again, although this time we caught it before it totally backed up.
Soooo, how annoying right? But I'm wondering if the house/pipes have settled causing the pipe out to not drain and the soap and stuff sits there and builds up?
The other thing that is driving me crazy, there is 2 of us, one bathroom, I do 4-5 loads of laundry a week, run the dishwasher every 3 days so why is the soap scum building up so fast? I do use oxygen-clean powder in my laundry, All free and clear, cascade in the dishwasher and a plether of stuff for hands, hair and body for the shower.
Any suggestions? Could I put vinegar down the sink every night? Were not ready to re-plumb the house yet.
Edited by oranges 2017-09-16 11:57 AM
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 Saint Stacey
 
| Use RidX in the septic. To get rid of clogs, The Works toilet bowl cleaner in your drains works awesome and it's cheap. That stuff will eat away hair, calcium build up and soap scum.
Also toilet paper...if you use Charmin, switch. Charmin (unless it's the Charmin Basic) swells and clogs everything. You might hire a Roto Rooter to snake the pipes to get them cleaned. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| I have the soap scum problem and found 10 MINUTE DRAIN CLEANER at Lowes. It seems to work the best of the products that I have tried. I use it in the sink and shower. RID X adds bacteria to your septic system to break down the waste. That soap scum problem is a pain. My house is not that old by the way. |
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7551
Location: In The Land of Cotton | Unless you just like paying more for RidX, plain old baking yeast works just as well. One pack a month.
There is a product called liquid fire that works wonders on older pipes. Red jug at the Hardware store. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| My septic company hates Rid-X, they think it causes more problems. M daughter had the same problem and she uses a product called Liquid Lightning Buffered Sulfuric Acid Drain Cleaner. We get it at Walmart. It is very caustic and stinks but it works. |
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Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| You need to understand how a septic system works. It is a closed system that does not let air in. Bacteria breaks down the solids so that they can basically rot. These have to be ANEROBIC bacteria. That means they live without oxygen or air. RID X has an aerobic bacteria in it. Yeast is a fungus and actually produces carbon dioxide gas to make bread rise, not exactly what you need in a septic system. You have to keep those bacteria alive and healthy so be careful about what you put down your drain that can kill it, very much like antibiotics kill stomach bacteria.
Soap scum is a completely different problem. Personally, I think that these liquid soaps and shower gels are the problem. It never clogged when I used Dial soap. Well, I am no going back to Dial so I have learned to deal with the clogged drain. Like I said I have tried several things and found that 10 minute drain cleaner works best for me without upsetting the rest of my septic system. I try to use it once every week or two as a prophylactic instead of waiting til it stops up. It is mainly my shower. I have had septic systems all my life and they have worked fine. Never have them pumped so something must be right. |
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
Location: LaBelle, Florida | I use poor about 1 cup of baking soda in the drain, then some vinegar. Wait a 5 minutes or so and then pour boiling water flush it down. |
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