Septic Issue

This morning my son was taking a shower in the basement and the drain was slow. It was still going down , just slower than normal. When he was done I got into the upstairs shower when my wife yelled that the basement laundry room had water in it. You could see it coming up through the floor drain. A couple minutes later in went back down. Could this mean that the septic is getting full or maybe did something freeze? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
DT

Sounds to me like one of 3 issues.

One being, it is just about full

two being, something froze along the way restricting the flow some

and three being there is some kind of object that is restricting flow down the line.

Thats just my .02

If something froze I would hang the guy that put in your tanks.

Full is a possibility…how old is your system?

What kind is it? Do you have a drain field?

From the info you’ve supplied, I’m going to guess full or roots/clogged line.

Yep, She’s full and possibly froze call call the sh*t pumper and get it taken care of..

Thanks for the quick replies. Don’t know if I will be able to get anyone out on a sunday. I quess I will start making calls. Not sure on the exact setup. I know it is not a mounds system and the house was built in 2002.

DT

Sorry Eric…we posted at the same time.

I left out freezing because the sewer lines “should” be well below the frost line…by at least 4 feet. But stranger things have happened.

Seem a bit early to freeze with the snow cover too. I does happen when the furnace turns on and lets out condensation if you have a long run over time it can freeze. I use a large bin to fill with condensation and a sump pump to send gallons of water through mine instead of a small amount. Mine freezes up every year because it goes under my driveway which gets plowed.

About $10,000. should fix that for you Mike.

Could be a full tank, but it could also be a blockage. Assuming it’s an underground tank, and you know where it is, take the lid off and see if there is an obstruction where the waste line from the house enters the tank. We a small blockage a couple of years ago in that area from that “thick as plywood” Charmin Ultra. Just put a metal hook on the end of an old broom stick, etc. and “fish” it out. Even if this is the case and doing this “fixes it” you should probably still have the system pumped out – I believe they are required to be pumped every 3 years.

Good luck.

Dan

P.S. Our septic guy HATES the heavy Charmin, and recommends using something that isn’t as thick that will break down better.

I would have the tank pumped. And if that does not work I would call a plumber or drain cleaner and have them clean the drain. Being a plumber, that drain is the one I get the most calls for (laundry, floor drain). But it is strange that you would have a clogged drain in a house that new but you never know. I have seen worse. I don’t think freezing is an option yet.

I was able to get a hold of a local septic guy. He also was going to have me check the space between the sewage and the house line. Just a follow up question. If I was running water in the house would I be able to see it dump into the septic? That would be an easy way for me to make sure I was looking at the right thing. He said that if the airgap is at least 6-12 inches I should take it easy on the septic today and I should be fine. Maybe a small clog that worked its way through. He only wanted to use pumping as a last option because he said if it was pumped now that could lead to freezing in the drain field. I was impressed when he said he could not make it today and then gave me a name and number to another business.
DT

My septic does the same thing,last year on Christmas day.
It happened this year two weeks ago.
I have a lid for the main tank about 15 ft. out from the basement door and with that lid off I have someone flush the upstais toilet-if I dont see anything I open the 4″ clean-out plug in the basement and I run two different types of snakes I have down the line towards the tank until I get flow again.
I was told by a septic guy w/ camera that There is a build of debri about 8 ft. out from house.
He too told me to switch to Scotts 1000 sh. per roll paper and snake line periodically.
I waited too long before snaking.

The tank be over full shouldnt be the issue because the liquids will still drain to the field.More than likely too thick of paper products being used.

Good luck-its stinks(literall)to have that back-up

Scott

We had ours pumped in January one year without any freezing problems – I was too busy fishing in fall to have it done earlier… I suppose it depends on the system, but you may want a second opinion and could maybe have a partial pumping if needed???

If it was / is a clog, be careful what you put through it for a while – nothing extra for paper, feminine hygene items, or garbage disposal use. All of which is good advice for every day use with a septic system, even if you aren’t having a problem.

And yes, you should be able to see the water run into the system. While you’re looking, I’d suggest again using a hook to remove any paper build up where the waste line empties into the tank to clear that area.

If you have “dry wells” you could also take a long piece of pcv, etc. and probe the vent stack to see if they seem full.

Good luck.

Dan

P.S. Another thing that could point to a full tank is if the system got a lot of use earlier today or yesterday – multiple loads of laundry, etc. and that the system got overwhelmed with waste water.

If I’m looking into the tank, what will the line from the house look like? If I pull the cap it goes down about 5 to six feet. The there is a grate looking system that goes down a few inches all the way around. Then it opens up and the waste is about 6-12 inches below that. I’m not seeing anything else.
DT

IF you have had the tank pumped recently just run a snake down the line from the house and be done with it. For a second opinion I would not get your tank completely pumped in the winter time because there is a chance of it causing freezing. The bacteria in the tank creates heat to help keep things thawed out.

Frozen pipes may also be another issue but it seems odd that it would happen this early and why just this year? Around the north metro there are a lot of shallow drain lines due to soil conditions. Mine is deep at about 2′. I have seen them go in lees than a foot deep. Sure hope it is not a frozen drain field as that can be a major problem.

Mine is just a 4″ white PVC pipe that empty’s into the tank. IT should be towards the top of the tank. If you run some water in the house you should be able to hear it drain into the tank. Is there a pump on your system? This may be something else to look at to make sure it is working.

The sewer line between your house and “first” tank could be plugged – as Mike says. Be very carefull snaking the line though. The first tank is a settling tank and it should have baffels at the inlet and outlet of the tank. When you snake to the line, DO NOT snake through or push off the baffels in the tank,…. or you WILL have trouble.
Freezing this time of year should not be an issue, especially if you use the system each day. However, you could have a sag in the line and something like that could cause a freeze-up. You won’t know this though, unless you send your Aqua-view down the line. The mound itself should also not be froze this time of year either.
As I stated, the FIRST tank (or compartment) is the settling tank, the second tank (or compartment) for a mound, can be an additional settling tank, or it could be the pump tank. If your alarms are not going off from the pump tank, it’s easy,… Then you know the trouble is between the first tank and the house or in the first tank – period.
You probably have a clog in that sewer line (from the house). The other thing to check – is to see that the first tank outlet (to the second tank or compartment) is not plugged as well. Obviously, if the first tank is full and the second tank or compartment is not, this is a good inidcator that the first tank outlet is plugged too.
It may sound stupid to say, but I will anyhow – No matter what,…. do not go into the tank! If you have a problem, hire a “good” pumper who can pressure blast/clean the tank – or hire a guy like Mike to snake the line from the house. Then,… all you’re problems will be flushed down the drain!
Splitshot

Thanks for all the replies. Good thing I read ur post about not going in there…I was just getting on my water wings, snorkle and flippers. I had to leave it and go to work but will check it in the morning.
DT