FAQ

Drains and traps get clogged up and run slow because material accumulates on the walls of the pipes. Starches and greases provide a sticky coating to which other particles cling. Layer after layer builds up until the pipe diameter is barely the diameter of a pencil. Thus drains are slow, clog easily, and cause costly service calls. This problem has increased in recent years with the various preservatives and antibacterial agents used in our foods, oils, soaps, and cleaners.

By nature a strictly enzyme based drain maintenance product does not have a lasting effect. (See the question below defining enzymes.) The enzyme may break down organic material it comes in contact with, but if there are not microbial cultures.

Our powdered form of Drain Free uses a natural bran product as a carrier for the microbes to adhere to. When you add water to the powdered formula some parts of the formulation dissolve, but the bran carrier will not dissolve. It will breakdown over time. Just stir the mixture vigorously and apply as is.

The activity of the microbes can loosen up build up and create a soft clog. All you need to do is plunge the drain and flush with warm water.

All microbes are not created equal, and comparison of microbial products is not easy. The major variables in microbial products are counts on a per milliliter or per gram basis, number and type of strains, synergy of the strains, and characteristics of the strains including types of substances they are effective at degrading, speed with which the substances are degraded, types of enzymes produced, quantity of enzymes produced, tolerance to environmental conditions (pH, temperature).

The basic function of the tank in a septic system is to serve as a settling basin to prevent solids from reaching and clogging the drainfield tiles. Inside the septic tank microbes are supposed to break down organic solids. Many septic tanks are out of balance and do not contain sufficient numbers of grease digesting and soap digesting bacteria. In addition some household cleaners and laundry bleaches kill microbes in the septic tank.

Grease and sludge can accumulate in the tank and flow into the drainfield tiles clogging the pores in the soil. Sewage may then back up, the commode may become clogged and the tank will require more frequent pumping. The tile field is the most costly and necessary component of the septic system. Repair of the tile field often can cost more than the original installation of the entire septic system.

Household septic tanks can be harsh environments with household antibacterial and other chemical additives going down the drains, temperature variations, pH extremes and the like. You need, therefore, to dose your septic system at prescribed intervals, preferably monthly, to ensure that a large population of hardworking, highly skilled microbes are present at all times to keep the system running trouble free.

The selectively adapted strains in our products are thousands of times more efficient than naturally present microbes at digesting specific kinds of waste, but distant generations begin to lose some of the specificity and skill of the original generation. In addition, selectively adapted microbes are sometimes not as strong as some of the natural bacteria that may be in the waste. If the treatment is stopped the natural bacteria will eventually overpower and replace the adapted microbes. In addition, plumbing lines and septic tanks can be harsh environments with chemical additions, temperature and pH extremes and the like. You need, therefore, to retreat at prescribed intervals to ensure a large population of hardworking, highly skilled microbes at all times.

A product is biodegradable if it is capable of being broken down into harmless products by microbial action. Most biodegradable substances are organic (of or derived from living organisms).

Scientific Certification Systems (Green Cross), an independent scientific certification organization established to independently verify manufacturers' environmental claims has certified the biodegradability claims of the following Heartland Labs products:

• Drain Free
• Build Up Removers (liquid and powder)
• Septi Free Activators (liquid and powder)
• Odor Zyme
• RV Tec 100 Holding Tank Treatment
• Marine Tek Holding Tank Treatment

The surfactant component of these products, like any soap, may cause eye irritation. In addition, live microbes, even non-pathogenic, saprophytic microbes, may cause irritation in skin cuts, sores or abrasions. Thus, all Heartland Labs microbial products contain Caution - Keep Out of Reach of Children language on the labels.

The only product in the Heartland Labs line that technically requires a child-resistant closure is Root Gone, which is an EPA registered pesticide. Heartland Labs, as a matter of corporate policy and consumer protection, packages all consumer products, except spray bottle applicators, in child resistant caps.

Enzymes are biochemical catalysts manufactured by living things to act as chemical "food processors" to break up complex molecules into smaller forms, which can be digested directly. Contrary to popular belief, enzymes are not alive, nor can they grow or reproduce.

Also present in the product, no waste digestion factories are set up inside your drain.

Enzymes are classified according to the substances they act on. A specific enzyme will work on only one type of molecule. For example, an enzyme that breaks down proteins is called a "protease," and it will have no effect on fats, grease, starches, etc. Similarly, a lipase enzyme will break down animal fats and grease but will have no effect on proteins, paper, starch, etc. Many microbial drain and septic products available in the marketplace today feature only protease and amylase enzyme types.

Enzymes may be added to microbial consumer products to help them to work faster by quickly breaking down waste which feed the microbes, which produce more enzymes, creating a continuing cycle of enzyme production. Most Heartland Labs products feature microbial cultures that are hyper producers of enzymes within the system.

The microbes we deal with are primarily bacteria and fungi. Bacteria are small single-celled forms of life. The fungi we deal with are primarily single cell plants.

No. Only a small portion of bacteria are disease-producing. Disease causing bacteria are called pathogenic. Most bacteria are harmless to humans. These types of bacteria are called non-pathogenic. Non-pathogenic bacteria are responsible for beer, wine, cheese, and yogurt. Without friendly bacteria in our digestive system we could not sustain life.

No, Saprophytic microbes live only on dead or decaying organic matter.

Organic odors from pet and human urine, feces, vomit, garbage and the like are some of the most difficult types of odors to combat. If a masking agent is applied to such odors, they quickly return and frequently grow more noxious with age. Microbial based products such as OdorzymeTM digest the source of the odor.

Clog Gone™, contains no bacteria or enzymes. It is the only clog remover on the market that does not contain caustics or acids. It works as fast as Drano granules but is safe for all types of plumbing and is not poisonous.

Clog Gone™ embodies leading edge chemical technology and contains a safe oxidizer that degrades completely into carbonate, oxygen, and water. When Clog GoneTM is added to a drain, organic wastes such as hair, grease, oils, and soaps are literally oxidized to clear the blockage. Clog GoneTM liberates oxygen as soon as it is mixed in hot water and will fizz when it is added to the drain. Clog GoneTM was reformulated in 1996 to increase its solubility and activity level.

When Drain Free powder or liquid is added to drain lines, the specific function microbial cultures establish colonies in the solid, particulate matter that is adhering to the pipes and traps obstructing the flow of water. The cultures reproduce, digest the solids, and substantially reduce the blockage. We literally build a little sewage treatment plant in every drain line.

When water flows through the pipes the next day, some of the microbes will be washed away from their initial location and establish new colonies further down the pipe.

When Septi Free powder or liquid is added to the septic tank, we introduce billions of the precise types of cultures needed to liquefy and digest the wastes that flow to the tank. The strains we use are capable of digesting wastes thousands of times faster than the naturally present microbes. In addition, the strains we use do not produce foul odors as they work.

When water flows through the tank the following day substantial numbers of the cultures will flow into the drainfield tiles and establish new colonies there. Cultures that are washed through the tile field will establish new colonies in the soil and enhance percolation.

Drain Free Build-Up Remover (liquid, professional strength, and granular), Septi-Free (both liquid and granular), Odor Zyme, RVTec 100 Holding Tank Treatment, MarineTek Holding Tank Treatment.

The nature of the product is such that it will sometimes clump. Clumping does not affect the performance of the product, in fact it seems to inhance the performance because of the concentration of the product caused by the clumping. So go ahead and use it according to label directions without attempting to break apart the clumps.

Although we formulate with an anti-clumping agent, certain conditions will cause clumping anyway. The clumps do not affect the performance of the product, and they will most often separate easily when the hot water is added. If they do not completely separate in the hot water, it is not necessary to break them apart.