Do You Need Septic Tank Additives?

One question people with septic tanks ask a lot is whether they need to use additives or system cleaners to their septic tanks. The truth is that while there are many such products on the market, they rarely make a positive impact on the operation of your septic system. There’s no clear evidence that they’re harmful as a rule, but there’s no clear evidence that they’re useful either.

Septic tank additives don’t produce results

Septic tank additives usually come in two varieties – those that deliver biological action, and those that offer some chemical action. The biological septic tank additives include bacteria, yeast and enzymes, which your septic tank is typically loaded with. Adding more of these critters isn’t going to hurt anything, but it’s probably not going to help.

The thought is that this approach speeds up the biological action of the tank, but there isn’t really any convincing evidence to show that’s what actually happens. There’s also not a lot of evidence to suggest that speeding up the biological activity in a septic system is either good or desirable. At best, you’re not going to hurt anything (except maybe your wallet) by adding these to your tank.

Chemical septic tank additives are a different story. Depending upon what you’re putting in the tank, chemicals can create problems for the surrounding soil and/or groundwater as the chemicals make their way to the water table. The worst-case scenario here is that chemical additives can contaminate the groundwater. Since the results of this can be devastating, the risk isn’t worth the benefit – which is minimal to begin with.

Adding chemicals of any sort to your septic tank can pose long-term problems for you, your septic system, your drain field and your water. Generally speaking, if you wouldn’t pour it directly onto the soil, don’t put it in your septic tank because eventually, it’s going to end up in your soil!

If you’re considering septic tank additives to “help” your tank, they probably won’t help much! If you’re hoping additives can correct a problem with drainage, you could end up doing more damage than good. If you’re having drainage problems, or you suspect you’re having drainage problems, give us a call instead. We can definitely help you out without fouling your drain field or your groundwater!

To schedule service or drain cleaning, please contact us at Clear Drain Cleaning at (330) 343-7146 for all of your drain cleaning and drain maintenance needs.