On Aug 14, 6:42*am, Filibogado wrote:
My kitchen sink was draining slowly. I tried Liquid Plumr and it didn't work. I rented an electric drain opener with a 25 foot auger - the auger went in all the way and came back bone dry and clean as a whistle, all 25 feet of it, meaning there is no clog up to 25 feet from the sink. The trap is also clear. BTW, the Home Depot rental guy said my 2 inch PVC kitchen sink drain tubing is rather small and can only take a maximum auger length of 25 feet.

A few months back, the drain was starting to slow and there were gurgling and popping sounds as the water drained down the sinkhole. Now the popping sounds are gone, but the water accummulation has gotten worse, even after the auger operation described above.

I'm beginning to suspect it might be our septic tank which hasn't been emptied out in 20 years. But if it is the septic tank is full, how come the bathroom which is on the same floor as the kitchen sink is flushing normally? And there are only 2 people in the house - we never put food particles in the sewage because we manually strain them before putting dishes in the dishwasher. We hardly use tissue and toilet paper since we rely on European style bidet faucets for personal sanitation. Also, the portion of our lawn where the septic tank is buried has been having dead grass over it, so it makes me wonder if the tank might be seeping through if not overflowing.

One other suspect is the air vent. But would a blocked air vent cause the kitchen sink water to back up? And how/where do you unclog a clogged air vent?

I don't mind calling a service person but if I can't do it myself, I still need to know if I should call a plumber to drain it (I already did that), or a septic tank hauler to clean it out, or a roofer to fix the air vent.

I would appreciate any help - I am pretty desperate at this point.

Thanks!

Fil

The drain diameter has nothing to do with how long a snake you can
use. Figure out how far it is from the insertion point of the snake
to the septic tank, and use a snake that is that long or longer. How
else can you clear the line all the way to the septic tank???? Also,
have the tank pumped no matter what, I only have two of us also, and
do it every 7-8 years just to be on the safe side so the laterals do
not get clogged.