Septic tank maintenance

January 28th, 2013:

Will hydrogen peroxide clean cesspools?

This article will briefly touch base on the use of hydrogen peroxide and will hydrogen peroxide clean cesspools? The mystery of cesspools has always captured your imagination. Since you were a child, your grandparents and parents have oriented you about the purpose of this personalized wastewater treatment facility. Since your home is far away from the city or town’s sewage treatment system, it was more practical for your home and other homes in the area to have their own cesspools to take care of the wastewater produced. The cesspool has active bacterial populations that break down the solid waste materials that flow in together with the wastewater.

Since the cesspool is a receptacle of the wastes from your home, it should be expected that regular cleaning be done to it. This valuable component of your house is much like your living room or bedroom. It needs to have its walls cleaned and even sanitized to a point so that it would not house pathogenic bacteria that deliver diseases once you get in contact with them. In cleaning the cesspool, you should avail of products that are safe and economical. In the market these days, you could purchase one such chemical compound that is effective, versatile, and safe to use as well—hydrogen peroxide. But will hydrogen peroxide clean cesspools?

Hydrogen peroxide is also known as agua oxinada. Because it is commonly used in wound cleaning, it is known to be an essential item in first aid kits. The chemical compound is also effective as an antiseptic and as a disinfectant as well. Cesspools could really benefit from hydrogen peroxide. In normal amounts, hydrogen peroxide is safe to use in cleaning cesspools without affecting the resident bacteria that do the major work of breaking down the solid wastes. But aside from cleaning the cesspool, hydrogen peroxide could also be used in various cleaning tasks as well: 

  1. You could use hydrogen peroxide for disinfecting toothbrushes. Just use  three percent hydrogen peroxide and soak your toothbrushes in it to get rid of the bacteria that accumulate in them. This is also used to make sure that your toothbrushes do not transfer bacteria to other toothbrushes in the rack.
  2. Dentures could be soaked overnight or for thirty minutes in three percent hydrogen peroxide then rinsed before usage.
  3. Three percent hydrogen peroxide could be mixed with the same amount of water to clean your bathroom glass doors, bathroom mirrors, sinks, floors, and shower area.
  4. Hydrogen peroxide is also effective in removing wine and blood stains through spot application.
  5. With three percent hydrogen peroxide, you could also clean and disinfect cutting boards, trash cans, dishwasher, refrigerator, kitchen floor, kitchen counter, kitchen sink, and meats before you cook them.
  6. If you mix a pint of this chemical compound with 1 gallon of water, you could effectively clean and disinfect blinds, windows, walls, and humidifiers.
  7. Spot application could be done on carpet stains.
  8. Hydrogen peroxide could also be used in bleaching or lightening your hair, cleansing your face, and rinsing your mouth.

You could question the real safety that hydrogen peroxide has for the bacteria that does all the work in the cesspool. You don’t have to worry about that. It is only used to kill off the pathogens or the disease-causing microorganisms that really pose as health threats. You certainly cannot avoid the accumulation of these kinds of bacteria in your cesspool. If these are not controlled, your household and the surrounding environment could really perish.

What is hydrogen peroxide and will hydrogen peroxide clean cesspools?  Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound that efficiently eliminates septic odors. It could also be used in preventing disease-causing bacteria from proliferating heavily as it gets rid of the stains in the cesspool. This is a very low-priced cleaning compound so you could buy loads of it and safely store them in your home.

When you use hydrogen peroxide, you can be sure that the environment and the organisms in it are safe. Just always remember to wear precautionary clothing, follow proper instructions, and use hydrogen peroxide in normal amounts to make sure that you could achieve its optimal benefits.

How calcium can clog an aerobic system

This article will cover how calcium can clog an aerobic system. A house that is always occupied should always be maintained. It is understood that that a budget and a certain amount of effort should be given to make the home’s components are always in tiptop condition. To care for your walls and roof, you have to keep them coated with good paint and clean them regularly. You could also hire professionals to do a more efficient job for you. The same goes for your septic system. Normally, septic systems are underground systems that are run by anaerobic bacteria. These microorganisms are primitive and tenacious. They break down organic solid waste materials that are in the wastewater produced by your household on a daily basis. An anaerobic system like this can be improved by transforming it into an aerobic system. This is a more efficient way to handle wastewater. The oxygen provided by the aeration system increases the number of aerobic bacteria in the drain field. More aerobic bacteria means the wastewater will be purer and the biomat will be more regulated. Unregulated biomat results to clogging.

Because of several factors, an aerobic system could still be clogged. Here are some of them:

  • Use of harsh chemicals

When you use harsh chemicals in cleaning, the aerobic and anaerobic bacteria are all killed off. Without these bacteria, the wastewater treatment process will never push through. When aerobic bacteria die off, the biomat proliferate uncontrollably. This clogs the system. You should opt for more organic and environment friendly products to make sure that you get the job done while keeping your system safe.

  • Improper waste disposal.

Non-biodegradable materials are usually dumped into drains and toilets. These substances cannot be degraded by bacteria anymore. They just stay in the system to clog the process. Place them in proper waste bins or recycle them. Even if you use your garbage disposal units before you dump them in the septic system, they are still non-biodegradable. They stay the same.

  • Calcium sulfoaluminate formation or ettringite formation

This is caused by the production of hydrogen sulfide by the anaerobic digestion of the thiocillus bacteria. The hydrogen sulfide gas accumulates in the headspace above the water line. Then the gas combines with oxygen. This makes way for sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid then forms ettringite. The ettringite corrodes the cement reinforcement of the septic system. When this happens, the metal components corrode. They are then subjected to sediments, which clog the flow of wastewater.

You should know how calcium can clog an aerobic system. Even with oxygen being produced, ettringite could still form. This could happen if the cement used to make your septic system is highly sensitive to the sulfuric acid that is formed by the anaerobic digestion. Yes, it is true that aerobic systems mostly prevent the interaction of oxygen and hydrogen sulfide to produce sulfuric acid but generally, a small amount of sulfuric acid is still produced. This still corrodes the septic system’s cement reinforcement especially if the cement is not tolerant to the acid at all.

Another reason why an aerobic system could be clogged by ettringite is if the aeration system is not regularly checked and maintained. You should set a schedule with your septic expert so that the septic system can always stay in optimal condition. With regular inspection, the aerobic septic system will not experience clogging or damage that could lead to huge repair and replacement expenses. If the aerobic septic is always maintained, there will be no problems in calcium clogging.

If you are a lucky homeowner who gets to monitor the installation of the septic system, make sure that the cement reinforcement used for your system is highly tolerant of sulfuric acid at any level. It should be able to endure the corrosive acid as it does its job. It may cost a bit more but you can be sure of the results on a long-term basis.