Most homeowners have dealt with a clogged drain at some point in time. If you own a septic system, you may wonder what drain cleaner is safe for septic tanks. Acme shares some tips that will help you decide.
If properly cared for, septic systems can last for up to 50 years. Knowing what types of chemicals are septic-safe is an incredibly helpful aspect of keeping your septic system operating well for decades. Let’s take a closer look at this part of septic care and how homeowners can determine what constitutes a septic-safe drain cleaner and what does not.
Commonly Used Drain Cleaners
When you first notice that you’re standing in an inch (or more) of water when taking a shower, or fighting a sink full of water, opting to use a well-known cleaning product, such as Drano, may be your first thought. However, in the interest of your septic system’s health, you may want to think twice before pouring this product down the drain.
Products such as Drano contain chemicals like sodium hydroxide, sodium nitrate, and bleach. These chemicals can negatively affect your septic tank’s operation by disrupting bacteria that break down waste. There is also a risk that Drano and similar drain cleaners can harm the pipes and other components in your septic system.
Septic-Safe Drain Cleaners
Thankfully, there are other options for clearing those frustrating masses of hair, soap scum, and other debris that build up in the drains in your home. These include:
Natural enzyme-based cleaners use natural bacteria and enzymes that will not harm the bacteria in your septic tank. Common brands include Bio-Clean, Green Gobbler, and Earthworm.
Baking soda and vinegar are all-natural products that are easily digested by septic systems and will not harm the natural bacteria populations within your septic tank.
Homeowners can pour ½ a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by ½ a cup of vinegar. Allow the combination to sit for 15-30 minutes, flush with hot water, and observe to see if your drain begins to clear.
This process may be repeated as many times as necessary. If your drain still has not cleared after following these steps, you may need to contact a plumber, but it’s always a good idea to test this safe, non-toxic method for drain cleaning before spending the extra cash on plumbing services.
Boiling water is another completely natural, non-toxic method for drain cleaning. It’s possible that your drains may not be clearing well due to built-up soap, food, or other material that may be cleared by simply flushing your drain with a pot of boiling water.
Manual drain cleaners such as drain snakes or plungers can often clear seemingly hopelessly clogged drains. Even if your shower has reached the point where it is more of a foot bath than anything else, using one of these tools can often provide enough suction to clear hair and other materials from drains.
Other Ways To Keep Your Septic System Healthy
Most of the time, a clogged drain can be resolved by using one or more of these septic-safe methods. However, some clogs may be related to other issues, such as a septic tank that is due for a pump-out. Scheduling regular septic pump-outs, inspections, and watching what you flush, are all ways to avoid further problems down the road.
Septic pumping and cleaning – Septic pumping is one of the most important services for keeping your septic system healthy and in good repair. Recommended at least once every 3-5 years, septic pumping removes waste that naturally builds up in septic tanks. Without this service, septic tanks can suffer from frequent clogs, backups, and overflow. Septic pump-outs also include cleaning the interior of your septic tank, which prevents waste from building back up as quickly and keeps your septic system functioning well until your next pump-out appointment. 
Inspection – Septic systems require inspections at least once every 1-3 years. Inspections are performed by certified septic technicians who examine the interior of your septic tank for signs of wear, damage, and other elements of its functionality. During a septic inspection, technicians will perform various tests to ensure that your system is properly treating household waste and that harmful pathogens and bacteria are not entering the environment.
Only flush septic-safe materials – Beyond knowing how to distinguish between septic-safe drain cleaners and harmful chemicals, you can prevent drain problems by watching everything that goes down the drains in your home. One important point to remember is that only human waste and toilet paper should be flushed down the toilet.
If non-septic safe materials are flushed or washed down drains, you may have to contact a professional septic company for emergency septic services, which can be costly depending on the extent of the problem.
Contact Acme For Quality Septic Care
The next time you have to deal with a clogged drain, remember that there are septic-safe drain cleaners and other service options that will not harm the beneficial bacteria in your septic tank. If your drains are still not working properly, call Acme! Our certified septic technicians can help answer any other questions you may have.
Contact us today for septic pump-outs, answers to septic-care questions, and more.