White Waxy Blockage-Clogs in Sewer or Septic Line or Pumps

Avoid Damage or Fix Sewage Pumps, Septic Pumps, & Grinder Pumps

White or Gray Waxy Detergent or Soap Clogs & Deposits

What is the white waxy stuff that caused my septic pump float switch to stick & clog up leading to failure of my septic pump?

What do you suppose was the large white waxy clumpy substance that I found recently in my septic pump container? The sticky substance was stuck to the sides of the tank (where it was several inches thick).

It was also stuck all over the septic pump, and stuck all over the float switch - .which of course was the problem and the reason for opening the tank.

This accumulation happened over 2 years and 5 months.

thanks. - Rani 8/11/11

Reply: soaps or detergents can form white waxy clogging deposits in drain pipes and sewage or effluent pumps

Rani,

We're not sure. Sorry but our forensic lab no longer accepts sewage slime deposits for analysis and identification, though some larger biological labs and water / sewage testing laboratories can provide that service.

Here are the common causes of white or gray slimy deposits in sewer piping, drains, septic or sewage pumps, and septic tank inlet baffles:

Bio-Slime or Bio-Film Bacterial Growth & Slime Drain & Sewge Pump Clogs

Some white waxy clogging material found in plumbing systems can be caused by bacterial growth, fungal growth including yeasts, and other organisms forming a waxy slime.

Eboigbodin (2008), and McBain (2003) as well as many other researchers cite the role of bacteria and fungi in the formation of biofilm slimy deposits in water supply and drain piping systems.

Photo: Zupančič et als. (2016) investigated the diversity of fungi detected in residential dishwashers, cited in detail at the end of this article.

Several factors have been shown to favor biofilm formation in water distribution systems, including the capability of bacteria to resist disinfectants, improper use of disinfectants, the nature and concentration of biodegradable substances, temperature, and plumbing materials. Eboigbodin (2008)

Common among the biofilm organisms are the fungus Fusarium sp. often detected in plumbing drains (Short 2011), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, other bacteria, as well as yeasts such as Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (usually red or orange) or Exophiala dermatidis (a black yeast) spread from dishwashers to kitchen. - Zupančič 2016

... dishwasher waste water contained E. dermatitidis, Exophiala oligosperma and Sarocladium killiense. - Zupančič

Bacterial growth clogging in a drain line, drain trap, or in an ejector pump or sewage pump can be aggravated by extra sources of bacteria such as bacteria forming in air conditioning condensage dispensed-of by dripping it through the condensate drain system into a seldom-used trap or sewage pump chamber.

If this is the cause, cleaning the system with a simple household cleaner or disinfectant can usually remove the problem.

Vinegar, enzyme cleaners and most drain cleaners will remove typical bacterial slime deposits and clogs.

Also see our notes below about the formation of greasy gelatinous blobs formed from waxes and oils.

Detergent Powder Drain & Pump Clogs

Excessive use of powdered detergent in washing machines or dishwasher & white waxy deposits

A good guess is that your sewage ejector tank or septic tank that uses a septic pump was clogged by someone who used too much powdered detergents in a clothes washer or dishwasher.

It's well established that using excessive amounts of powdered detergent in a dishwasher or clothes washer can lead to accumulation of a gooey mess that clogs drains or even septic drainfields.

Some bar soaps can also form waxy clogs or blockages in plumbing systems and sewage or effluent pumps.

Also see DISHWASHER & LAUNDRY DETERGENTS CONTAINING PHOSPHATES & SURFACTANTS for a discussion of the effects of phosphates & detergents on the environment.

Other waxy gray or white soap deposits

You have provided another important example: excessive detergent use OR using a budget detergent that contains large amounts of clay fillers can clog the pump float control switch or the pump intake in a sewage ejector pump or sewer pump as well.

Some soaps are more likely to cause waxy clogs than others. Soaps are produced by using an alkali to convert fats (animal or vegetable) to a combination of soap and glycerol.

Soaps produced using sodium hydroxide are referred to as "hard" soaps that are more-difficult to dissolve in water, while soaps produced using potassium hydroxide tend to be more-easily soluble and are thus called "soft" soaps.

Soft soaps as well as soaps made from a petroleum base (shower gels, for example) tend not to clog drains.

We discuss detergent choices & recommendations to minimize drain and septic problems in two locations.

Drywall Dust or Plaster Clogs in Drain Systems

Yep it's true, some fools dump plaster or drywall dust and debris down toilets or other drains while cleaning up after a plastering or drywall installation or repair job.

Don't do that. Both plaster and drywall dust will form a hard-to-remove drain blockage in nearby traps or drain lines. While acid-based drain cleaners might remove such blockages more-likely you'll need to use a power snake or other mechanical drain cleaning system.

Grease-Cake Clogging

Fats and oils entering the drain system or pump chamber where they solidify to form greasy white, gray, or deposits

Other waxy clogging can be traced to soaps and detergents: this second common cause of waxy deposits that clog pumping chambers or piping are fats and oils that were flushed down drains.

These greasy deposits may be white, tan, brown, or even near-black substances that form a gelatinous, greasy, or waxy deposit or blob.

Even if you take care to avoid pouring grease and oils directly into your drains (don't do that), the fats and oils that are deposited on dishes from the normal consumption of a wide range of foods will be sent into the drain system from your kitchen sink or your dishwasher.

For residential drains and pump suffering from fat or oil clogging waxy deposits, plumbing drain FOG (Fat Oil Grease) degreasers (such as Cloroben PT-4) may help dissolve the clog.

See the example MSDS safety sheet for Cloroben PT4, given below. Cloroben PT4 is a plumbing drain cleaner also described as a "flow improver" and "grease control agent" produced and marketed by Hercules. As pointed out by Hughes (1954) often safety has focused first on explosion or fire hazards.

• CLOROBEN PT4 SAFETY DATA SHEET, [PDF], HCC Holdings, Inc. an Oatey Affiliate, 4700 West 160th Street Cleveland, OH 44135, USA, retrieved 2017/02/22, original source: http://www.oatey.com/msds/sds-us--hercules-cloroben-pt4.pdf
• CLOROBEN PT-4 Product Specifations Sheet, [PDF] Op. Cit. http://www.oatey.com/doc/pt4.pdf
  
  Cloroben PT-4 can be used to improve flow of gravel absorption beds around cesspools, drywells, leach tanks and drain field laterals.
  
  Can be used to clean lines to and from grease traps, cleans main lines or soil stacks/vents of apartment buildings, condominiums and hotels or for commercial applications; controls grease caking and fouling in clarifiers, lines and digesters and helps maintain good percolation in aeration basins of municipal waste treatment plants.

Some Hercules products such as Hercules PT-GIO1™ combine grease solvents and "waste disgesting bacteria" while Hercules PT-4 (or Cloroben PT-4) is a formlua designed to rapidly dissolve FOG (Fats Oils and Grease) using a non-acidic, non-caustic formula that is described as "safe on all types of piping materials when used as directed"

• Hercules PT- and WHAM Product literature: http://www.oatey.com/doc/lcs982greasecontrolwhampt4ptbiocanadapdf081015.pdf (op cit)
• Watch out: Hot water + vinegar diluted 1:1 can help remove grease clogs but risks simply pushing the clog further down the drain/waste piping system where it forms a new, harder-to reach drain blockage.

Watch out: never use industrial metal cleaning chemicals or oil/wax removers in plumbing or septic systems. Details are

at DEGREASING SOLVENTS IMPACT on SEPTIC

Mineral Scale Clogged Drains & Sewage or Ejector Pumps

Mineral scale formation can form hard white, gray or orange deposits

If your water is "hard" or high in calcium or magnesium that condition, combined with those types of soap particularly invites the formation of waxy white blobs that clog drains, traps, and septic pumps.

For modest scale deposits pouring vinegar into the trap or sewage pump and letting it sit for a few hours can soften and dissolve the clog blockage.

Watch out: For larger and harder scale formation, a scale removing chemical treatment may work but risks environmental contamination if your building is connected to an onsite waste disposal system - private septic tank and drainfields.

Be sure to review the manufacturer's literature about permitted uses of such chemicals.

Mineral scale can also clog water supply pipes, valves, and vaucet strainers, as illustrated by our photo just below.

See these articles about mineral scale formation, removal, prevention in water supply and drain systems:

HOT WATER PRESSURE IMPROVEMENT

WATER HARDNESS: HOW TO DETECT

WATER HEATER SCALE DE-LIMING PROCEDURE

Paraffin or other wax clogs in drains

A reader contacted us to discuss the removal of actual paraffin that her daughter had poured into the drain system.

We advised against using very aggressive chemicals because of the hazards involved, the risk of damage to the drain system, and the low chance of success.

Any chemicals we could find that would dissolve paraffin were in our opinion too dangerous for home use.

Her plumber cut-out and replaced the clogged trap as well as the most-clogged nearby PVC drain lines and physically removed wax deposits in the downstream drain opening.

See BLOCKED DRAIN REPAIR METHODS for a detailed step by step guide to un-blocking clogged drains. Articles at that page also assist in diagnosing the location and cause of drain blockages.

Also see CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR.

Research on Causes, Cures & Prevention of White Waxy Clogs: Biofilms and Greasy Waxy Deposits in Drain Pipes & Pumps

• Bédard, Emilie, Michèle Prévost, and Eric Déziel. "Pseudomonas aeruginosa in premise plumbing of large buildings." MicrobiologyOpen 5, no. 6 (2016): 937-956.
  Abstract:
  
  Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen that is widely occurring in the environment and is recognized for its capacity to form or join biofilms. The present review consolidates current knowledge on P. aeruginosa ecology and its implication in healthcare facilities premise plumbing.
  
  The adaptability of P. aeruginosa and its capacity to integrate the biofilm from the faucet and the drain highlight the role premise plumbing devices can play in promoting growth and persistence.
  
  A meta‐analysis of P. aeruginosa prevalence in faucets (manual and electronic) and drains reveals the large variation in device positivity reported and suggest the high variability in the sampling approach and context as the main reason for this variation.
  
  The effects of the operating conditions that prevail within water distribution systems (disinfection, temperature, and hydraulic regime) on the persistence of P. aeruginosa are summarized.
  
  As a result from the review, recommendations for proactive control measures of water contamination by P. aeruginosa are presented. A better understanding of the ecology of P. aeruginosa and key influencing factors in premise plumbing are essential to identify culprit areas and implement effective control measures.
• Eboigbodin, Kevin E., Allyson Seth, and Catherine A. Biggs. "A review of biofilms in domestic plumbing." Journal‐American Water Works Association 100, no. 10 (2008): 131-138.
  Abstract:
  
  Several factors have been shown to favor biofilm formation in water distribution systems, including the capability of bacteria to resist disinfectants, improper use of disinfectants, the nature and concentration of biodegradable substances, temperature, and plumbing materials.
  
  To date, most research relating to drinking water biofilms has focused on the materials that make up the distribution system before water enters the consumers— plumbing systems.
  
  However, drinking water should also meet the necessary quality requirements at the point of consumption even though domestic plumbing systems are usually not constructed from the same materials that are used to construct distribution systems.
  
  This article provides a review of the current literature related to the analysis of biofilms found or produced in domestic plumbing systems and highlights the microorganisms identified as well as causes and strategies for control.
• Fleming, I. R., and R. K. Rowe. "Laboratory studies of clogging of landfill leachate collection and drainage systems." Canadian Geotechnical Journal 41, no. 1 (2004): 134-153.
• Flemming, H-C. "Biofouling in water systems–cases, causes and countermeasures." Applied microbiology and biotechnology 59, no. 6 (2002): 629-640.
  
  Abstract:
  Biofouling is referred to as the unwanted deposition and growth of biofilms.
  
  This phenomenon can occur in an extremely wide range of situations, from the colonisation of medical devices to the production of ultra-pure, drinking and process water and the fouling of ship hulls, pipelines and reservoirs.
  
  Although biofouling occurs in such different areas, it has a common cause, which is the biofilm. Biofilms are the most successful form of life on Earth and tolerate high amounts of biocides.
  
  For a sustainable anti-fouling strategy, an integrated approach is suggested which includes the analysis of the fouling situation, a selection of suitable components from the anti-fouling menu and an effective and representative monitoring of biofilm development.
• El-Dalatony, Marwa M., Byong-Hun Jeon, El-Sayed Salama, Mohamed Eraky, Won Beom Kim, Jihoon Wang, and Taewoong Ahn. "Occurrence and characterization of paraffin wax formed in developing wells and pipelines." Energies 12, no. 6 (2019): 967.
  Excerpt:
  
  The wax precipitates form deposits on pipe walls, causing difficulties in … 44% which would crystallize and precipitate during extraction and transportation, and cause higher
  
  oil … The concentration gradient causes a diffusion of waxy compounds from the bulk oil
• Husain, Iman AF, an Fahmi Alkhatib Ma, Mohamed Saedi Jammi, Mohamed ES Mirghani, Zaki Bin Zainudin, and Asif Hoda. "Problems, control, and treatment of fat, oil, and grease (FOG): a review." Journal of oleo science (2014): ess13182.
  Abstract:
  
  Presence of fat, oil, and grease (FOG) in wastewater is an ever-growing concern to municipalities and solid-waste facility operators. FOG enters the sewer system from restaurants, residences, and industrial food facilities. Its release into the sewer system results in a continuous build-up that causes eventual blockage of sewer pipes. Several researchers have investigated FOG deposition based on the local conditions of sewers and lifestyle.
  
  This paper attempts to review the physical and chemical characteristics of FOG, sources of FOG, and potential chemical and biological reactions of FOG. The effect of the aforementioned factors on the FOG-deposition mechanism is also discussed.
  
  Moreover, insight into the current control and treatment methods and potential reuse of FOG is highlighted. It is expected that this review would provide scientists and the concerned authorities a holistic view of the recent researches on FOG control, treatment, and reuse.
• McBain, Andrew J., Robert G. Bartolo, Carl E. Catrenich, Duane Charbonneau, Ruth G. Ledder, Alexander H. Rickard, Sharon A. Symmons, and Peter Gilbert. "Microbial characterization of biofilms in domestic drains and the establishment of stable biofilm microcosms." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 69, no. 1 (2003): 177-185.
  Abstract:
  
  We have used heterotrophic plate counts, together with live-dead direct staining and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), to characterize the eubacterial communities that had formed as biofilms within domestic sink drain outlets. Laboratory microcosms of these environments were established using excised biofilms from two separate drain biofilm samples to inoculate constant-depth film fermentors (CDFFs).
  
  Drain biofilms harbored 9.8 to 11.3 log10 cells of viable enteric species and pseudomonads/g, while CDFF-grown biofilms harbored 10.6 to 11.4 log10 cells/g.
  
  Since live-dead direct staining revealed various efficiencies of recovery by culture, samples were analyzed by DGGE, utilizing primers specific for the V2-V3 region of eubacterial 16S rDNA. These analyses showed that the major PCR amplicons from in situ material were represented in the microcosms and maintained there over extended periods.
  
  Sequencing of amplicons resolved by DGGE revealed that the biofilms were dominated by a small number of genera, which were also isolated by culture. One drain sample harbored the protozoan Colpoda maupasi, together with rhabtidid nematodes and bdelloid rotifers.
  
  The microcosm enables the maintenance of stable drain-type bacterial communities and represents a useful tool for the modeling of this ecosystem.
• Short, Dylan PG, Kerry O'Donnell, Ning Zhang, Jean H. Juba, and David M. Geiser. "Widespread occurrence of diverse human pathogenic types of the fungus Fusarium detected in plumbing drains." Journal of Clinical Microbiology (2011): JCM-05468.
• Zupančič, Jerneja, Monika Novak Babič, Polona Zalar, and Nina Gunde-Cimerman. THE BLACK YEAST EXOPHIALA DERMATITIDIS AND OTHER SELECTED OPPORTUNISTIC HUMAN FUNGAL PATHOGENS SPREAD FROM DISHWASHERS TO KITCHENS [PDF] PLoS One 11, no. 2 (2016): e0148166. Retrieved 2018/07/04, original source: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0148166 Creative Commons Lic.
  Abstract:
  
  We investigated the diversity and distribution of fungi in nine different sites inside 30 residential dishwashers. In total, 503 fungal strains were isolated, which belong to 10 genera and 84 species. Irrespective of the sampled site, 83% of the dishwashers were positive for fungi.
  
  The most frequent opportunistic pathogenic species were Exophiala dermatitidis, Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto, Exophiala phaeomuriformis, Fusarium dimerum, and the Saprochaete/Magnusiomyces clade.
  
  The black yeast E. dermatitidis was detected in 47% of the dishwashers, primarily at the dishwasher rubber seals, at up to 106 CFU/cm2; the other fungi detected were in the range of 102 to 105 CFU/cm2. The other most heavily contaminated dishwasher sites were side nozzles, doors and drains.
  
  Only F. dimerum was isolated from washed dishes, while dishwasher waste water contained E. dermatitidis, Exophiala oligosperma and Sarocladium killiense.
  
  Plumbing systems supplying water to household appliances represent the most probable route for contamination of dishwashers, as the fungi that represented the core dishwasher mycobiota were also detected in the tap water.
  
  Hot aerosols from dishwashers contained the human opportunistic yeast C. parapsilosis, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and E. dermatitidis (as well as common air-borne genera such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma and Cladosporium).
  
  Comparison of fungal contamination of kitchens without and with dishwashers revealed that virtually all were contaminated with fungi. In both cases, the most contaminated sites were the kitchen drain and the dish drying rack.
  
  The most important difference was higher prevalence of black yeasts (E. dermatitidis in particular) in kitchens with dishwashers. In kitchens without dishwashers, C. parapsilosis strongly prevailed with negligible occurrence of E. dermatitidis. F. dimerum was isolated only from kitchens with dishwashers, while Saprochaete/Magnusiomyces isolates were only found within dishwashers.
  
  We conclude that dishwashers represent a reservoir of enriched opportunistic pathogenic species that can spread from the dishwasher into the indoor biome.

Watch out: at SEPTIC & SEWAGE PUMPS we explain that choosing the wrong type of pump, such as installing a simple basin pump or effluent pump (designed to handle primarily liquid waste) on a system where blackwater (toilet waste) is entering the system is likely to lead to pump clogging and failure.