Drain Openers, Root Killer, Septic Treatment and Water Softener Salt

Plumbing chemicals work when they match the problem and go wrong when they don’t. A lye opener that eats a hair clog in minutes does nothing for a toy in the trap, and the wrong product in a septic system can do more harm than the clog. Start with what’s in the pipe.

What’s clogging it?

• Hair in a shower or bathroom sink drain.
• Grease, soap and food in a kitchen sink.
• Roots in a sewer or septic line, usually an older clay or cast-iron line near trees.
• Something solid, a toy, a bottle cap, a cotton swab. No chemical dissolves that; it has to come out.

For hair: start with the Flex Stick

The Flex Stick drain opener is a thin, barbed plastic strip you push down the drain and pull back up. It hooks the hair and soap that clogs most bathroom drains, with no chemicals at all. Try it first; often it’s the whole fix.

If it won’t clear, the hair drain openers, 1 liter and 2 liter, are liquid openers made for hair clogs.

For grease, soap and organic clogs: liquids and lye

• Zep drain opener, 1 quart, liquid.
• Zep Heat Max clog remover, 32 ounces, a formula that heats up in the drain to cut through grease and soap.
• Lye crystals: Instant Power 1-pound crystal lye, a 1-pound lye crystal opener, and 1- and 2-pound drain cleaner crystals. Lye (sodium hydroxide) is a strong alkali that breaks down grease, hair and food. Each label says how to use it, including what to do about standing water in the drain.
• Main line drain cleaner, 1 quart, for the main sewer line rather than a single fixture.

Read the label for which pipes and which drains each one is made for, and the dose and wait time.

Using drain openers safely

These are serious chemicals. Lye and strong openers can burn skin and eyes, and some heat up or boil in the pipe.

• Goggles and rubber gloves, every time.
• Never mix openers, and never follow one with another. Mixed drain chemicals can react violently or release toxic gas. If one didn’t work, follow that product’s label for what to do next, and remember the drain may still hold chemical when you open it up or snake it.
• Keep your face away from the drain when you pour, and cover the opening if the label says to.
• Use the water the label says. Some lye openers specifically call for cold water, never hot.
• Don’t plunge a drain that has opener in it; it can splash back.
• If you’re on septic, read the label. Strong lye and acid openers can disrupt the bacteria a septic tank depends on, so use them sparingly and only as directed.

Roots in the sewer line: K-77 root killer

Tree and shrub roots work into old sewer and septic lines through the joints, catch everything that flows past, and the line backs up. K-77 root killer, 2 pounds, is flushed down a toilet into the line to kill the roots inside the pipe. Follow the label exactly for the amount and for how long to hold off running water afterward. It treats the roots in the pipe; a broken or crushed line still needs repair.

Septic tanks: treatment and pumping

A septic tank works on bacteria that ordinary use puts there. Research by Washington State University Extension found that septic systems don’t need added bacteria, and a study of 48 tanks found no difference in sludge levels from bacterial additives. Some solids in the tank can’t be broken down by any bacteria; they settle and build up until the tank is pumped.

Rid-X septic treatment (19.6-ounce powder) is a monthly treatment many owners use as part of routine septic care. Use it alongside regular pumping, not instead of it: plan on pumping every three to five years, since no additive removes the solids that settle in the tank, and solids that get pushed out to the drainfield damage the most expensive part of the system.

What helps a septic system more than any additive: keep grease out of the kitchen drain, spread laundry through the week instead of doing it all in one day, and go easy on the garbage disposal. Across rural Montana, where a lot of homes outside town are on septic, that’s what keeps a drainfield working.

Water softener salt or potassium

A water softener uses salt or potassium chloride to regenerate the resin that pulls hardness minerals out of your water. WBC carries:

• Water softener salt, 40 pounds, in a yellow bag.
• Water softener salt, coarse crystals, 40 pounds, in a blue bag.
• Water softener potassium chloride, 40 pounds.

Salt or potassium? Both work, and you can switch or even mix them. Salt (sodium chloride) softens more water per pound. Potassium chloride is the choice if you want to keep sodium out of your drinking water, though it costs more, and you may need to turn up the softener’s salt setting about 10 percent when you switch to it.

Purity matters. Higher-purity salt leaves less insoluble gunk in the bottom of the brine tank and is less likely to bridge, forming a hard crust over an empty space. Check the bag’s purity.

Keep it topped up. Check the brine tank at least monthly and keep it at least a quarter full.

The Pick

For a bathroom hair clog, the Flex Stick first, then a hair drain opener. For grease and soap, Zep or lye crystals, used one at a time and by the label. For roots, K-77. For septic, pump on schedule and treat what goes down the drain; Rid-X is optional. For the softener, salt, or potassium if you want the sodium out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use drain opener if I have a septic system?

Some, used sparingly and as the label directs. Strong lye and acid openers can upset the bacteria in the tank. Try a mechanical fix like the Flex Stick first.

Can I mix two drain cleaners?

No. Mixed drain chemicals can react violently or give off toxic gas. Use one product and follow its label, including its directions for what to do if the clog doesn’t clear.

Do septic tanks need additives?

Ordinary use supplies the bacteria a septic tank needs, and research hasn’t shown that additives reduce sludge. Regular pumping, every three to five years, is what keeps a system working.

Should I use salt or potassium in my water softener?

Either works. Salt softens more water per pound; potassium keeps sodium out of the water but costs more and may need a slightly higher setting.