I'm looking for a safe-for-septic-tanks drain cleaner. I have a slow drain in the bathroom basin that will not stay clear. I use a plunger and it clears for a few uses, than slows up again.
Suggestions? Preferably something you tried and which cleaned drain and didn't harm septic tank. I'd prefer this over package assurances of safety; ink is cheap, pumping septic tanks is expensive.
Too old to tear drain trap apart.
TIA
I don't think anything short of mechanical cleaning will work. Chemical drain cleaners are pretty useless.
I don't have a septic tank but do have one drain that gets clogged occasionally and I just put in Liquid Plumr (or equivalent) and it usually clears it completely. Sometimes it takes two tries.
About every ten years I do have to call a plummer to snake things out. I do not want to deal with that myself. I heard of a guy taking a drain pipe apart and got cut and sustained a life-threatening infection.
The label states that it is septic tank safe.
The ingredients are simply lye and bleach.
Septic will handle normal use of any drain cleaner. Mine is nearly 40 years old and has not had problems other than a couple of minor repairs. Pump out schedule depends on number of users. With only 2 of us in the house now, I go 4-5 years whereas when 3 sons were home it was every other year.
On 01/03/2014 08:32 AM, Frank wrote: X
I go 4-5 years whereas when 3 sons were home it was every
If you "go" only every 4 or five years, I bet your septic tank only needs cleaning once a millennium.
I was going to comment that his sons were "full of it".
Drano makes a cleaner for septic tank drains.
I have had good luck with a short plastic snake that has barbs. It is especially good at removing hair.
I never got results that were as good using a chemical drain cleaner.
Fred
Rubbush. Chemical drain cleaners work well, depending on the blockage. Some, I've never had luck with but others I've used quite successfully. In a previous house our master shower drain would always block (hair/soap). We had a crystal drain cleaner that would clear it every time (Draino was useless). It did take overnight but it cleaned it well. Not sure I'd use them with a septic tank (haven't had to).
Hmm, my septic tank doesn't have a drain.
(as long as Philo was picking on grammar ;-)
They are not very expensive at the local stores, but I have been using the same one for a couple of years. I clean the hair off after use, but it is not exactly sterile.
I suggest anyone be careful not to get stuck by one of the barbs!
Fred
I have had very good results with enzymes.
here is some info:
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