Category: BioOne

If you have a septic system, you understand the importance of maintaining it. Though regular pumpings and inspections are an essential part of maintaining your system, they aren’t the only solutions available. Two popular products, BioOne and Green Gobbler Septic Saver, can be used regularly to maintain the natural balance inside your tank. While both contain bacteria, their processes differ. We’ll breakdown the differences of these 2 popular products.

What is BioOne?

BioOne is a bacteria-based product used for maintaining septic systems, grease traps, drains and RV holding tanks. When added to your tank, the bacteria in BioOne begin to completely digest waste, including fats, oils, and greases, or FOG. It can be used in emergency applications and is also recommended for regular use to avoid emergencies before they occur. The product comes in both liquid and powder forms.

BioOne contains no added enzymes and instead relies on live, vegetative microbes to degrade FOG in septic tanks and grease traps. It’s environmentally friendly and safe to use around pets and children. Though it isn’t a food product, it’s been manufactured to food standards to ensure its safety.

What is Green Gobbler?

Green Gobbler is a company that sells a wide range of cleaners, openers, weed killers, and more. They carry a line of drain cleaners that provide similar solutions to BioOne, including the Green Gobbler Septic Saver. This product is designed to help break down organic material that builds up in a septic tank over time. Septic Saver comes in both liquid and pods, and it’s designed for regular use.

While it’s a bacteria-based product, as well, Green Gobbler Septic Saver relies on the enzymes produced by the bacteria to break down waste. The product is environmentally safe, though the packaging recommends storing it away from children and pets.

Differences Between BioOne and Green Gobbler

Ingredients

BioOne contains all natural ingredients that are safe to use on a regular basis in drains, septic tanks, grease traps, and RV holding tanks. It’s made of 100 percent vegetative microbes. The product, both liquid and powder, is free of hazardous and toxic chemicals, as defined by OSHA. While the active ingredient is vegetative microbes, the inactive ingredient in the liquid product is water. There are no added perfumes, and BioOne has a natural, earthy scent.

The ingredients in Green Gobbler Septic Saver Pacs is a wheat-bran based powder containing dye and naturally occurring viable bacterial cultures. The liquid ingredients are stated as 100% natural bacteria & enzymes. OSHA states that the product can be corrosive to metals, and may cause skin irritation and eye damage.

Effectiveness

Both BioOne and Green Gobbler Septic Saver are bacteria-based products. Once bacteria are introduced to a septic tank, they get to work immediately breaking down organic material. The enzymes utilized in Green Gobbler will quickly liquify fats, oils, and greases, while BioOne is designed to fully digest FOG.

Liquifying FOG is an effective, short term fix, as liquid grease and fats will likely solidify again. This could happen inside the tank, which would require more product to be added or a septic tank pumping. It could also occur within the leach field, resulting in potential septic backups and possible damage.

A product that relies on bacteria alone may be a more effective solution in the long term. That’s because the bacteria completely digests FOG, rather than liquifies it. When FOG is digested fully, the concern for clogs is reduced. It also helps maintain the natural balance of the tank, and could result in longer time periods between each pumping.

Choosing an Effective Product to Maintain your Septic System

When it comes to septic maintenance, you have many options to choose from. Both BioOne and Green Gobbler Septic Saver will work fast to break down organic matter in your tank. The enzymes in Green Gobbler’s product will liquify FOG, while BioOne utilizes bacteria that fully digest it. Read product labels to learn the ingredients, and follow safety guidelines while using any cleaning product. Prioritizing septic maintenance and choosing the right product will help your tank work effectively well into the future.

     An effective drain cleaner is a necessary part of any drain or septic maintenance routine. If you’ve been using a chemical cleaner, you may be wondering if there’s a more environmentally friendly product, and more importantly, if it’s as effective as your current brand. Fortunately, a variety of biological drain cleaners are now widely available, but which one is right for your home or business?

Using Biological Cleaners

     There’s no shortage of chemical drain cleaners on the market today, but biological cleaners are gaining popularity and with good reason. Once thought to be less powerful than their caustic counterparts, biological cleaners have been shown to clear drains—and keep them clear—just as effectively. Some even cost less than brands made with harsh chemicals.

     Chemical cleaners, on the other hand, have been known to cause cracks in pipes that eventually lead to large leaks. Because they are made of natural products, biological drain cleaners won’t damage your pipes, even after repeated use. In restaurants and other settings where fats, oils, and greases (or FOG) is present in drain pipes, these all-natural cleaners are safe to use as often as needed to maintain a clear drain line. Biological drain cleaners are also safe to use around humans and pets, even in sinks! They won’t leach chemicals back into the water supply, either. However, not all biological drain cleaners are created equal.

Enzyme Drain Cleaners

     One common type of biological drain cleaner is enzyme-based. These non-living organic compounds are safe to use in homes, commercial kitchens, and other businesses regardless of pipe age or material. Enzyme drain cleaners are fast-acting and can get to work right away breaking down fats, oils, and greases. Rather than fully digesting FOG, however, enzymes simply liquefy it, allowing it to continue through your pipes and drainage system where it could possibly solidify again, causing additional problems or clogs. In fact, some municipal water treatment systems have prohibited the use of enzyme drain cleaners, and they may not be suitable for some septic systems.

     Because enzyme cleaners are non-living, they won’t reproduce, so more of the product is needed than bacterial cleaners, and more frequent treatments as well. Enzyme cleaners are also difficult to manufacture. These characteristics typically make enzyme cleaners more expensive than bacterial cleaners. In addition, different enzymes target different types of waste. Some, for example, attack FOG while others attack protein or starches. The cleaner can only be effective if it’s targeted toward the waste in your drainage system. Some research may be necessary to select the right type of enzyme drain cleaner for the unique needs of your home or business.

Bacterial Drain Cleaners

     Like enzyme drain cleaners, bacterial cleaners are all-natural and safe to use around humans and pets. They can also be used in pipes without concern for cracks or leaks over time. Bacterial cleaners can survive in a wide range of temperatures and pH levels as well, and they actually help to maintain a healthy, natural pH balance in drainage or septic systems.  Because bacteria reproduce at very high rates, less product is required to clear a drain, and treatments may be needed with less frequency.

     Bacteria actually release their own enzymes and can detect the type of waste present in order to release the correct enzymes to attack it. However, unlike enzyme drain cleaners that only liquefy FOG, bacterial drain cleaners will actually fully digest any fats, oils, and greases that may be in your drainage system, resulting in fewer clogs down the line. This makes bacterial drain cleaners a safe and effective option for septic systems as well.

Choosing the Right Drain Cleaner for your Home or Business

     Drain maintenance is an important part of any drainage or septic system. When safety and environment are a concern, the best choice is a biological drain cleaner. Both enzyme drain cleaners and bacterial drain cleaners provide safe, all-natural drain cleaning solutions for your home or business. However, one major drawback of enzyme cleaners is that they only liquefy the fats, oils, and greases found in your drains. While the liquified FOG can then freely move down the drain line, it may solidify again, causing additional clogs later on. Because bacterial cleaners fully digest FOG, they are not only safe but highly effective as well.