Will Bleach Hurt My Woodbridge VA Septic System?

A common question we get is, “will bleach hurt my Woodbridge VA septic system?”  It’s not hard to see why.  While few people would pour a gallon of bleach or more straight down the sink, it’s commonly found in kitchen or bathroom cleaning products, and people often use it straight, or diluted with water to get rid of troublesome stain spots when nothing else will work.

There’s just one problem:  Bleach kills bacteria.  Your septic tank needs bacteria to do its job.  Thus the question.

The short answer to the question “will bleach hurt my Woodbridge VA septic system?” is no.  Small to moderate amounts won’t be sufficient to interfere with the normal functioning of your system.  Studies of shown that it would take upwards of two gallons, poured directly down the drain to cause serious damage to the bacteria the tank needs to work well.  Unless you do something like that, you’re fine.

The problem with asking the question “will bleach hurt my Woodbridge VA septic system?” is that it misdirects you.  While you’re worried about that, you may be letting materials much more harmful to your system slip down the drain.  While you’re watching one thing (and a thing that really isn’t that big of a threat to begin with), you’re taking your eye off real dangers.

Take grease or cooking oil for example.  While it takes upwards of two gallons of bleach to do serious damage to the bacteria living in the tank, half that amount of grease (or less) will do considerably more harm.

If you do allow grease down the drain, you might be tempted to buy some fancy, expensive product that promises to dissolve it.  Most of the time, that only makes matters worse.  Not only do most of these products not work as advertised, but many contain chemical agents that will harm the bacteria your septic system needs to function.

Chemical drain cleaning agents are even worse.  In some cases, depending on which product you choose, as little as a teaspoon can devastate the bacteria your tank relies on.  The lesson here is simple:  Just say no.  If you have a septic system, don’t use chemical drain cleaners.

The biggest and best thing you can do to ensure that your system serves you well and reliably for years on end is to make sure it’s properly maintained, but that’s not something you can do on your own.

You need the help of a trusted expert in the industry, and in Woodbridge and surrounding areas, the company to call is Advantage.  We’ve been in the business since 1977, and at this point, there’s not much our skilled technicians haven’t seen.  We can handle everything from routine maintenance to tank pump outs, and any repairs your system may require.

Don’t wait until there’s a problem.  Proper maintenance is the key to keep your home’s septic system functioning with a minimum of hassles and headaches, although if a problem does arise, we’ll be standing by to help with that too!