Plumbing problem question
 

Hi,
Today we started to hear gurgling in the lower level toilet, the sink
and the kitchen sink.

- There is no observed problem with water draining.
- The septic tank was cleaned within the past 18 months (2 adults, 1
child in a 4BD house that I believe has a 1000gal tank)
- I thought it might be a vent issue, so I ran a 20ft snake down the
vent and did not hit anything (house is a tri-level, so the vent
exposure is about 2 1/2 stories up)
- Rank 20ft snake into lowest level toilet (where gurgling is heard and
where it backed up enough to overflow onto the floor) and seemed to hit
something but got through it

Still the gurgling is heard when the clothes washer runs and it backed
up a second time.

Tomorrow, I will attempt to snake from the septic back into the house.

Is it basically a vent/blockage to the septic issue (i.e., am I on the
right track)?

Thanks,
Dave

Speedy Jim wrote:

Doesn't sound like venting, as you discovered the vent is clear.
Main line clogged or else the septic field is blocked/waterlogged.
The tank is always full of liquid; that's the way it works.
The spillover goes out to the field.

Jim

Thanks for the reply, Jim. The field is not wet at all and recently my
neighbor had to dig up their field because of roots...they had a
noticeable liquid problem in their case.

So, it must be a clog in the main somewhere. I attempted to get the
cap off the septic tank to try to snake from that end, but I cannot get
the plug out (I need a crowbar). The clog must not be a complete
blockage because lately, the backup has not occurred during flush
tests, but rather if a large amount of water is put through (i.e.,
laundry).

Thanks,
Dave

Jim,
In reading about the septic system the past couple of hours, I've seen
quite a bit on the do's/don'ts for systems.

One item I've read about is a laundry filter. Do you have any opinion
on their effectiveness (i.e., worth the cost)?

Thanks,
Dave

wrote in message
ups.com...

Speedy Jim wrote:

Doesn't sound like venting, as you discovered the vent is clear.
Main line clogged or else the septic field is blocked/waterlogged.
The tank is always full of liquid; that's the way it works.
The spillover goes out to the field.

Jim

Thanks for the reply, Jim. The field is not wet at all and recently my
neighbor had to dig up their field because of roots...they had a
noticeable liquid problem in their case.

So, it must be a clog in the main somewhere. I attempted to get the
cap off the septic tank to try to snake from that end, but I cannot get
the plug out (I need a crowbar). The clog must not be a complete
blockage because lately, the backup has not occurred during flush
tests, but rather if a large amount of water is put through (i.e.,
laundry).

Thanks,
Dave


You're better off snaking downstream rather than up, that way when you get
the clog, you don't get soaked.

You can snake from any sink, toilet or bathroom drain or even the roof vent
if you cannot find any additional cleanouts on the main line.

Harborfreight tools has a cheap full sized snake that costs about the same
as a plumber visit. HD also rents full sized units.

Spend a little time trying to diagram the plumbing and the location may
become obvious.

Acid will work but it is about the most dangerous method available and if it
dosen't, you end up with a worse mess.

"PipeDown" wrote in message

You're better off snaking downstream rather than up, that way when you get
the clog, you don't get soaked.

You always spoil the fun ;)

PipeDown wrote:

You can snake from any sink, toilet or bathroom drain or even the roof vent
if you cannot find any additional cleanouts on the main line.

Harborfreight tools has a cheap full sized snake that costs about the same
as a plumber visit. HD also rents full sized units.


Would the full sized snake damage the porcelain?

TIA,
Dave

Just to follow up... to my surprise, the septic was full. I was
incorrect on the size of the tank, in that it is only a 500 gal tank
(house was built in 1959). What evidently was happening was that
during the night, the tank would drain a bit and everything would be
fine in the morning. Then as the next day arrived and showers were
taken, clothes were washed, etc., the tank would fill to the point of
causing problems.

It's cleaned out now and all is well. However, there was a fair amount
of buildup material that came out of the drain once the tank was
cleaned, so it would be a good idea for me to snake the pipes. Since
it appears that (based on another poster) I can get a full size snake
for the cost relative to once visit, I will look into the full sized
models.

Thanks to all who posted.
Dave