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Internal lift stations are often filled with fats, oils and greases (“FOGs”) that cause horrible odors and drain flies. The buildup of FOGs also requires internal lift stations to be constantly pumped out, which is a messy, smelly job. To combat this, you may have decided to add a wastewater maintenance product to your lift station.

However, biological wastewater maintainers usually take 30-90 days to effectively remove the FOGs clogging a lift station. You’re likely frustrated by the lag time between wanting a solution and the effective date of a biological product.

If 30-90 days is too long to wait and you want to remove the disgusting buildup of FOGs even faster, additional products can be used to speed up a biological wastewater maintenance product.

State Chemical offers two options (which can be used separately or in tandem) to speed up a biological wastewater maintenance product. Other wastewater cleaning companies offer similar solutions, but this article focuses on what State Chemical can provide, as that’s our area of expertise.

The solutions are (1) Bio-Mate, (2) aeration, or (3) a combination of Bio-Mate and aeration. Bio-Mate is a liquid product that causes bacteria to reproduce faster. Aeration is the process of adding oxygen to a lift station – and the more oxygen, the more the bacteria will multiply.

How to Treat a Lift Station for FOGs

Two types of products can be used to treat lift stations: floating degreasers and biologicals.

A floating degreaser is made up of orange oil, citrus oil, and/or soy. Floating degreasers work by floating above the water’s surface and preventing FOGs from sticking to the side of the lift station. They also immediately improve the smell of the lift station. State Chemical floating degreasers include Orange Buoy, Blanket 510, and Cherry Float.

A biological wastewater maintainer is made up of bacteria and/or enzymes. These products break down and then digest the FOGs within a lift station. In other words, the bacteria causes the FOGs to split into smaller pieces and the bacteria eat those pieces. State Chemical biologicals include Line Bac’R, Ecolution® Drain Line Maintainer, Primezyme, and StaZyme Plus.

We recommend a biological product if your goal is to de-clog a lift station and a floating degreaser if your goal is to improve the smell of a lift station and prevent future clogs.

Bio-Mate and Aeration Only Work With Biological Products

Bio-mate and aeration speed up the processes of bacteria. Therefore, bio-mate and aeration only work in biological products – those that are made up of bacteria. In contrast, bio-mate and aeration can decrease the effectiveness of floating degreasers. If you add bio-mate or aeration to a floating degreaser, the degreaser will be less effective at controlling odors.

Bio-Mate and Aeration Increase the Effectiveness of Bacteria

Solution One – Bio-Mate Increases the Reproductive and Metabolic Rates of Bacteria

Bio-Mate increases the reproductive and metabolic rates of bacteria. It is a liquid made up of rare earth deposits that serve as a catalyst for the bacteria contained in many wastewater maintenance products.

Bacterial wastewater maintainers break down and digest the FOGs that clog internal lift stations. Bio-Mate kickstarts and speeds up this process by causing the bacteria to reproduce faster, meaning that there are more bacteria in a lift station that can eat the FOGs. Bio-Mate significantly reduces the days it takes for a biological to clear FOGs in a lift station through this process.

Bio-Mate has the same temperature range as water, so it can be used in a lift station of any temperature. However, Bio-Mate can only be used if the pH range of the lift station is neutral (between 6.5 and 8.0). Bio-Mate cannot be used if the pH of the lift station is highly acidic or basic.

Solution Two – Aeration Increases the Reproductive Rates of Bacteria

State Chemical also sells a device that increases the oxygen flow in the liquid contained in a lift station. This device causes bubbles to form on the surface of the water. The bubbles add oxygen to the water, which allows the bacteria to thrive. You can compare our aeration device to the bubbler in a fish tank. Just as the bubbler on the side of a fish tank causes additional oxygen to enter the tank to benefit the fish, the aeration device adds oxygen to the lift station to aid the bacteria.

Without aeration, the bacteria will only grow on the top third of the lift station. With aeration, bacteria will grow throughout the entire lift station. This process significantly reduces the time it takes for a biological product to be effective.

Aeration can be used in any lift station being treated with a biological product. The device that creates the oxygen is not sensitive to either temperature or pH.

Solution Three – Adding Both Bio-Mate and Aeration

Bio-mate and aeration can be used separately or in tandem. To really kick start a bacterial-based product, you can add both Bio-Mate and aeration to your lift station.

Bio-Mate and Aeration Kick Start Bacteria

You may have turned to a biological product to resolve the buildup of FOGs in your lift station. However, you may be frustrated that biologicals take 30-90 days to produce the results you are looking for.

To speed up this process, you can add Bio-Mate or aeration to your lift station. Bio-Mate causes bacteria to reproduce quicker and digest more FOGs. Aeration also increases the reproductive rates of bacteria. Bio-Mate and aeration can be used together or separately.

State Chemical sells biological bacterial-based products. We can also provide Bio-Mate and aeration to kick-start the effectiveness of the bacteria. To purchase an effective FOG remedy, contact us.