Have a septic tank. A few months ago it filled to overflowing. Hadn’t been pumped in years so it wasn’t just a lot of liquid that was pumped out.
It appears to have filled again, but I am still digging at the moment and probably won’t know if its that or a clog in the line till later this evening.
Anyway, is this something that can be fixed yourself on the cheap besides a buttload of digging?
Somebody mentioned to me that sometimes the drain field kinda gets clogged up with fine debris and or grease. Can that be fixed DIY?
Any other ideas of what to look for or do?
Thanks in advance.
And screw that guy that installed the sprinkler line right over the septic tank and hatch (and he knew he was because its up against the concrete. Thanks Mr Lazy for making a crappy job even crappier.
If the toilet’s not flushing right it’s likely a clog. When it fills with water like that the floating gunk can float right back down the drain line and clog it up. You’ll have to go rent a big snake, not some power drill thing, or call Roto-Rooter. Unless it’s just full of water, which is bad news.
I had the same problem, just had to snake it a month ago, but no more, I got connected to the town sewers last week.
So…you have three tanks, the seepage tank at the bottom of the run and two holding tanks, a solid and a gray water. Are your holding tanks overflowing or is the cap from seepage pit overflowing?
Well the hatch I have uncovered is the one that most very likely has stuff like toilet paper in it.
And given what I’ve dug up right along the house to access the sewer lines (inspection ports?) and playing with various faucets on and off it seems the gray water and the not so gray water go down the same pipe on their way to the tank.
And, poping the hatch that thing is filled to the brim. I’ll leave it alone tonight and see how much it drops. Somebody else IRL I consulted with seemed to think the drain field was probably crapped out.
And it makes sense. Years of soap and grease and whatnot could certainly take a workable drain field and clog it up so it doesn’t drain. Grease and soap encrusted sand ain’t exactly gonna be that water permeable.
We had a buttload of rain recently, so I am going to dig a hole next to the tank and see if there is a chance that it’s just the water table is absurdly high right now. But I doubt it.
How familiar are you with the system?
is there a lift pump? A pump that is used to send the water into the drain field.
Of course you are probably right if there is a high water table.
Pumping would be your only short term remedy.
We used to pump the gray water off the septic every day and that would then be used on the garden.
Our line from the both the gray and solid tanks was plugged few years back, Cost right at 1k to have dug up and replaced.
Few years before we had a new seepage tank put in, 40ft down, cost was just a touch over 5k. I hear now the new regs for septic and type of septic required is around 20k or so…
some septic tanks have a filter at the tank outlet (inside the tank), this prevents solids from going into your drain field and plugging it. if the filter is plugged then no water will leave the tank (by its intended exit).
if the tank was neglected and/or abused, without a filter, the drain field or pipes leading to it, may be plugged and then no water will leave the tank (by its intended exit).
Our septic system is 24 years old, and it will probably fail sometime soon. (It’s already showing signs.) But I’ve also heard that I won’t be allowed to install another traditional leach bed once it fails. I will have to install some kind of a multi-tank tank system that uses electric motors.
Definitely you leach lines. Once they get clogged you have to dig new ones. If you decide to do this yourself (You’ll need a backhoe and a truck full of 1 - 1/2 gravel to refill them - not to mention… Well, a lot of other stuff.)
You’ll probably need a perk-test (Ground absorbency), Permits, inspections, etc.
Good luck.
Thanks for all the input folks. Looks like it IS the drain field. Will be redone next week. Thank God it sounds more like thousands than 10s of thousands.
Tell ya one thing, much less soap (which most people use way to much of anyway), and grease are going down any septic system I use from now on. And maybe make sure its biodegradable soap and toilet paper to boot.
BTW does anybody know if that stuff like Ridex? that keep your septic system bacteria happy does any good.
the only thing that should go in the septic is poop, pee, water, minimal toilet paper and soap/detergent (without extras in those). don’t use a garbage disposal (make a compost pile).
it is good to have a filter on the tank outlet (remove and wash clean with hose spray twice a year). drain field can have inspection ports (allows to see if plugged without digging).
some states will require pumping every three years or so. this keeps the tank and field in good shape and functioning without leaking.
additives do no good. the bacteria needed to function are all there in the shit.
