Yeah use rid-x and have used other septic tank care products but if you will dig a little deeper down then the barrel is talk you can cut the bottom off completely then fill the bottom of the hole you dug with sand and gravel. This will allow the waste to drain out of the tank after the work is done. Now, the one with the slab has PVC ran into the lid so waste is washed into with water from the hose while I can the area but the other simply has a lid that I take off and often will dump old water out of bowls into when I refresh each chain spot. Now I have a friend that has a great yard set up. He has 2 acres with a 6ft fence then each dog is on a 10-12ft chain with a 6ft kennel circling right outside the chain spots. But by each kennel door the built these "septic tanks" out of 5 gallon buckets and doesn't have to carry waste but to the door of the kennels