Hello, I would like to clean out my sump pump pit since there is who- knows-what down there (mold, bacteria, whatever). Some folks recommend pouring a gallon of bleach in there, but I'm not sure about that. Neglecting any safety concerns for humans, what would this do to my septic tank? Would this kill the bacteria in my septic system? Thanks.
All you need is about a 1/4 cup in a gallon of water and that won't harm the septic.
Bleach is nothing more than a solution of sodium hyperchlorite. It frees up oxygen, which destroys the bacteria. Since sodium hyperchlorite is pretty unstable, it eventually ends up as sodium chloride, common table salt. In the quantities you use, it is not going to do any harm at all. Go to it...
A related question is why is your sump pump hooked into your septic system instead of just discharging somewhere above ground? Putting excess ground water into a septic system isn't a good idea.
Agreed. No foundation drainage sump should be pumped into a septic tank. All it will do is flood the tank.
Is what the >> Bleach is nothing more than a solution of sodium hyperchlorite. It
Ah, now I feel just a bit foolish. I really don't have any reason to think that the sump pump is tied into the septic system. It probably is not. I was not thinking too hard on that one. Thanks for the advice and the information.
Your sump should not be going into your septic.
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Do you know where it discharges to?
I do not absolutely know for sure, but it probably goes out to the field tile in the field behind my house.
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