Roger, sludge builds up in the bottom of the tank and needs to be pumped out on a schedule which varies with tank size and the pressure on the system (# people in the home, their habits, garbage disposer, etc.)
I couldn’t get your link to work. What product do you have that does away with the necessity for pumping out the sludge? Bacterial action in the tank may reduce the volume of sludge some, but doesn’t make it disappear. It still accumulates. When was the last time you opened your tank and checked its condition?
Ooops! got it to work. I’m skeptical. I took the NAWT training this year and their advice, and the advice of every knowledgable source I’ve heard from who wasn’t trying to sell me a product, was “Don’t use additives… a properly-sized system, used reasonably, won’t need them.”
If one insists on using additives , bleach is a bad, very bad thing to use. Bleach will kill the bacteria which break down sludge, but killing bacteria won’t turn sludge into a liquid.
If they’re smelling sewer gas in the home, they’ve got an open sewer in the home… unless they’ve got an open window in the home and it’s blowing in from the yard. In that case they’ve got a tank or leach field problem.
Sounds like it’s time for a qualified, experienced septic system inspector to step in.
I agree with kenton regular pump outs as defined by design, additives especially bleach not required as the breakdown of materials produce enough bacteria to do the job definitely time for the septic company to come
In my area a good rule of thumb is pump it out every two years, cheap insurance! also do not use powdered laundry/dishwasher soap, it has to many compounds in it that do not breakdown in the drain line, tank and field, garbage disposals not a good idea as well as back washing your water softening system.