Bacteria for pit latrines

Most of the dachas have “birdhouse” type toilets with cesspools. Only recently they began to make septic tanks instead of them or put VOCs. The inconvenience of the cesspool is that it quickly fills up, its contents must be pumped out – a sewage truck should be called. Another unpleasant moment is insects and a rather strong smell. Bacterial agents (bacteria) for cesspools can solve all problems at the same time. They process waste to the state of slurry. At the same time, insects and smell disappear, and the contents of the container can be pumped into compost or buried on the site – this slurry is not dangerous, but is an excellent nutrient medium. 

Forms of biopreparations for urinary tract infections

Cesspool bacteria are cultured cultures that feed on organic matter. Depending on the form of the preparation, they are dried (powders and tablet preparations) or an aqueous solution is made. In the preparation, the bacteria are in a dormant state; certain actions are required to activate them. They depend on the form of release and are written in detail on the packaging. Accurate execution of the instructions is very important to obtain the result.

Regardless of the form of release, most of the drugs can be used to enhance processing in septic tanks. Dosages change (septic tanks usually have a larger volume than a pit) and the method of “delivery” to the destination. In the case of house sewers, bacteria can also unclog the drain. To do this, the drug is poured into the sewer and not used for at least 24 hours. During this time, microorganisms dissolve fats and stuck waste and water begins to drain better. This is a good replacement for chemicals, especially for septic tanks or for VOCs, because after cleaning with chemicals, the quality of processing is noticeably reduced. And so you just add another batch of bacteria from which the drains will only become cleaner.

They produce bacteria for cesspools in preparations of three types:

• dosed powders;
• liquid solutions;
• in the form of tablets.
  

In principle, the form of release does not matter. The number of microorganisms, their condition and the degree of “freshness” are important. All drugs have a limited shelf life. When buying, be sure to check the dates. The later the date is, the worse – the bacteria could die.

Storage conditions are also standardized by manufacturers. Usually this is the temperature – the drug should not freeze (even cool below + 10 ° C, in theory, should not). It is impossible to know whether the storage conditions were observed. It will only be possible to believe empirically – if the drug does not work, the reason may be that the bacteria died as a result of improper storage.

What to do with bacteria in powder form

Cesspool products in powder form occupy a large part of the market. It is convenient: they are packaged in small bags. It is usually necessary to pour out one bag at a time, more is required only at the start (first) load. Inside there may be a powder, or there may be granules – different manufacturers have different ways.

As a rule, the powder must be diluted in water, left for a while, and then pour the “sourdough” into the cesspool.

Liquid cesspool cleaner

It is a concentrated solution of bacteria. As well as dry preparations, concentrates must be “fresh” and stored at positive temperatures. Overheating is also not allowed – the upper limit of the viability of most bacteria is 40-45 ° C.

Using septic tank fluid is even easier. All that is needed is to measure the required volume (set in milliliters or caps) and pour it into the pit. Sometimes it is required to dilute the drug in water, then pour it. Everything is clearly spelled out in the instructions.

toilet tablets

This type of cesspool bacteria is molded into small, tablet-like discs, only much larger in diameter. There is a certain amount of them in a package or tube. Each of the tablets is packed in a polyethylene film. Before adding a cesspool, the shell is removed, the product is thrown inside.

If the home sewer is made on the basis of a septic tank, the tablet is thrown into the toilet, waiting for it to dissolve, after which the water is drained.

What effect should be expected

According to the advertising of some preparations for processing waste in sewage pits, it will contain hardly half the volume of waste, there will be no smell at all, and the lawn can be watered with liquid. Reality is very different from promises. What you can really get:

• Significant reduction in faecal odor one to two weeks after the first load. If the treatment is carried out regularly, the smell really disappears.
• The volume of effluents may decrease, but not drastically. Everything that was in the hole remains in it. The level is reduced due to the fact that the solid components of the waste are processed – they turn into liquid, and the air contained in them is released.
  

• There will be fewer flies and midges. This is true – bacteria process their larvae too.
• During the normal operation of bacteria, the substrate obtained after processing is not toxic or dangerous to the environment. On the contrary, after “ripening” it makes an excellent fertilizer. The resulting slurry can be pumped out with a fecal pump onto a compost heap and used for its intended purpose in two or three years.

These are the results of bacteria for cesspools can provide. They are not able to completely process wastewater to a state of pure or almost pure water.

Why bacteria don’t work

We have already named several reasons – storage conditions are violated or the drug is “old”. In this case, there were simply no viable microorganisms or there were too few of them. But there are other reasons too:

• You bought a fake. Popular expensive imported drugs are especially often counterfeited. So it turns out that for some the same tool works, for others it does not.
• There is too little water in the pit. For normal life, bacteria for a country toilet needs a sufficient amount of water. If you have a pit without a bottom, waste has been stored in it for many years, and the liquid has gone into the ground. Even if the entire surface is covered with bacteria, they will not work. In order for them to process organic matter, the medium must be liquid.
• The temperature was too low or too high. Biological preparations for toilets are efficient only at positive temperatures. The lower limit is different for different products, it is usually + 5-10 ° C. Also, bacteria do not like overheating – the upper limit of their “performance” is + 40-45 ° C. The air in our country rarely warms up to such temperatures, but it must be taken into account that the decomposition of organic matter occurs with the release of heat, so the slurry may well heat up to such degrees. The conclusion is simple: it is necessary to fill in bacteria for cesspools in the spring, with a steel “plus” on the thermometer – so that there are no more night frosts.
  

• There is a large amount of active chemicals in the drains – bleach, detergents, etc. Such an environment is detrimental to bacteria, they simply die.
• A crust has formed in the hole. All bacteria that are in the preparations for sewage pits are anaerobic – they require oxygen to live. The crust does not allow oxygen to penetrate into the drains, which is why microorganisms die. If drains from a cesspool fall from a height, they break this crust. At least partially. If the level of waste is already such that the exit of the sewer is below the crust, you will have to break it manually. The easiest way is to pour a bucket of water, breaking this crust itself. In industrial septic tanks, there are aerators for this, you can think of something similar for yourself – throw a hose with holes made in it into the pit and connect a compressor to it from time to time.
• Preparations for country toilets work at a certain acidity. The environment can be neutral or acidic, but in an alkaline environment, bacteria are practically inactive. If the cesspool is more than 3 years old and before that time the waste has not been processed, the environment in it is alkaline. In order for the bacteria in the cesspool to work, it is necessary to make the environment neutral or acidic. The easiest way is to pour a bottle or two of vinegar. After a week, you can fall asleep bacteria. But this option only works for sealed pits (in which the liquid does not leave). With a dry residue, such a trick will not work. It can only be taken out by hand.

As you can see, there are many conditions that affect the final result. To make it easier to deal with odors from the toilet and to successfully decompose the waste, it is better to start processing almost immediately after the pit is used for its intended purpose. If a large amount of waste has already accumulated in it, it is more difficult to recycle it.

What bacteria is best for cesspools

No one can unequivocally say “buy this drug and everything will work”. Some of the same tools work perfectly well for others, averagely for others, and almost do not work for others. Possible reasons are described above, but it may still depend on the type of waste that falls into the pit. In the country there will be a little chemistry, but, most likely, a lot of organic matter and bacteria will be more active. There are more chemicals in household drains, as a result, the same drug may no longer be as effective, but another one will work very well.

In general, what can I advise – try different drugs, starting with cheap ones. One of them will help you. By the way, there is one trick that will help activate the recycling processes. Periodically pour expired kefir or sour milk into the sewer, you can pour out a bag or two of semolina. Bacteria love protein, and there is not much of it in the waste. By feeding them, you stimulate the development of the colony, the decomposition process will go faster.

There are a couple of comments about the means for country toilets “Doctor Robik”. These are products of an American company, but they have a factory in Russia. Russian-made drugs are called Roebik, American Roetech. The price difference is quite significant. Previously, the domestic Robik worked perfectly, so there was no point in overpaying, but in the last year the situation has worsened, so it’s worth thinking about.

Any of the list of drugs has good reviews. It is impossible to say that all of them are positive, but most of them speak of good results. So that bacteria for cesspools and country toilets do not disappoint, you need to buy them not in the market, but in the store. There are more chances that the rules of storage will be observed. And in order not to buy a fake, it is advisable to buy from the official representatives of the campaign. Information about this can be found on the manufacturer’s website in the “Where to buy” section.