Aero-Stream Septic tank remediator

Jim F said:

Old thread I know, but not reading a definitive answer to the OP's question, Does the Aero Stream system work for the 800 or so dollars you would need to invest in it? It seems sort of gimmicky to me.

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Funny that you would write this when you did, as I had just finished installing the Aero Stream system at my mother's house a few weeks prior. When I had originally written the post, I was only considering installing this system as a preventative measure. I wasn't expecting my mother to call me a couple years later and say she was getting septic backups into the house and that her entire septic system was failing.

The septic system first started acting up in January, when I was out of the country for an extended period of time on a work assignment. She received a few quotes on a new system, and all of them were around $15k, being that it was winter and the frozen ground couldn't be reused. After hearing how high those quotes were, I remembered the Aero-stream and figured it was worth a shot. I had a trusted friend install it in my absence, and advised my mother to use water conservatively and go to the laundromat the following few months.

I came back to visit in late May, and water levels were still sitting very high in the tank, despite the remediator running for 4 months. I spoke with Aero-Stream customer service and they recommended a few things.

I ended up having to dig and find the baffle cover, clean out the baffle, and also dig up the distribution box. The D-box was still full of sludge that I ended up cleaning out, and I blew out all the leach lines with a hose bladder. After doing that, Aero-stream shipped me some of their "Aer-Ox" (oxidizing powder) to mix with warm water and pour equal amounts into each leach line (they also shipped it for free, might I add).

Although this was more work than I was hoping to put into this, there hasn't been any issues since covering everything back up. There has been normal use coming from the house (including laundry), and even many guests coming through the house for extended periods of time. I still find it impressive that there were no more backups for the 4 months after installation, and water levels in the tank have been normal since the deep clean.

So, all that being said, whether it was the remediator that did the trick, the deep clean of the entire system & addition of the oxidizer, or a combination of both, I was able to spend 1/10 of the cost of a replacement septic system to get things back up and running. I'll report back here if any future issues come up, but as of now, the system works as new (from what I can tell) with the remediator running 24/7. That's a pretty good result in my opinion.

I was pleased with Aero-stream's customer service the whole way through also. Everything they said would happen to the system after installation played out as promised, mainly the tank converting to an aerobic system from the anaerobic system that the majority of septic systems operate on. The nasty smell went away, and the tank smells like freshly turned soil to this day. The biomat sitting on the top of the tank disappeared, and just looks like bubbling gray water. Would definitely recommend the product, if you're willing to put in the necessary work for the remediator system to do it's job.

(and no, I was not payed, or even asked to write this - I genuinely think it's a great product, and I'm convinced of the science behind it. )