About 2 years ago I had the sewer line dug up and replaced from the exit of my house to about 30 feetout. At that point, it joined the existing line out to the sewer line that runs along the street, another 40 feet. It was discovered that this 40' section of pipe had major root encrochment and was jetted out, and a fiber glass liner was installed. All worked fine.
Last weekend I had a clog at the trap at the entrance of my basement. The plumber described it as 'grease' and mentioned the use of Tide washing detergent as a major contributer to this problem. Well, not sure I believe him, however, he said I should use a bacterial/enzyme cleaner to maintain the lines - the enzymes eat the organic compounds, where as acid works better on inorganic things, like toilet paper/paper towels.
After doing some research on the web, it seems there are a number of the enzyme cleaners so I am looking for recommendations on ones that work well that professionals use.

As an asside, I asked him why not use something like sulfuric acid to clean the lines, to which he said the enzymes coat all around the pipe and multiply when eating the organic compounds.
OK, but wouldn't daily usage tend to wash away the enzyme based cleaners?

I want to do this for now, but later on I plan on getting a hose with a cutter jet spray head and 100' line and attach it to my high pressure washer and clean the line out every so often...but in the mean time the enzyme cleaner seems to be the way to go...
Best regards,
John

i'd use the acid..
enzymes may work but they work very slowly and as you pointed out they will be washed away when water flows thru.
as far as i know, paper is organic..paper is mostly cellulose, which is organic.

Whatever you use, the reality is this. While they may NOT do anything useful, at least they don't cause harm, usually.

Being more cautious about the amount of grease going down the drain would help the most, and an enzyme based drain cleaner would both be safe and help to control buildup. Dumping acid down the drain will only end up eating the metal pipe under your foundation and that won't be simple or cheap to fix. Does water usage was part of the enzymes away? yes. That is why it has to be applied every 2-4 weeks. Residential applications are usually applied once a month, while most commercial applications are applied with a timed nightly injector system. Nothing is a perfect cure, but as hj said, it doesn't cause damage. Worst case scenario is that it doesn't help like you want, but if used regularly, it should keep buildup down.

Prevention, is still the best medicine. Are your neighbors having the same issue or is this just happening to you? Grease, or greases, should not be induced into your waste for any reason. If you are using too much soap in your cleaning and laundry, consider cutting back.

Using acids, bacteria and enzymes are expensive. As stated enzymes are injecting into the wasteline at night time to coat the interior and brake down organic material. Using enzyme during the day is truly a waste of money. Acids, are dangerous, smelly and could blow back and create fumes.

Prevention, requires controlling bad habits.
Best Wishes

We are a 3 adult person household and know the rules about not dumping grease and similar things down the drain. Afaik, we don't have any "bad habits" when it comes to throwing thing down the drain. The plumber that freed the clog said, when he saw the Tide He liquid detergent on our washer, that "that stuff is the worst, stop using it" when I asked for alternatives, he said "anything but that." Not very convincing. It actually spawned more questions than answers. So specifically- anyone have factual info about the Tide stAtement? Better/ recommended brands?
Thanks,
J



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Tide isn't much worse than any other brand. If you were having problems with black sludge buildup, it is probably due to food and grease regardless of what you believe about your household habits. If you are correct, then you likely have a sag in the line and/or a hole in the pipe. I would have an independent company video inspect the line to verify the integrity of the line.