septic problems

Check with your guy he should be able to recommend a solution. If not or you don’t want to deal with him you can call Marks Sewer Servicw in Princeton. 763-856-0012 They have an outstanding reputation.

Not much snow most places this winter- could it be that your drain fields are frozen and that’s why your tanks are more full and maybe backing up to your filter?

A few tips for living with a septic system: Do NOT use super thick toilet paper like Charmin Extra Soft (it doesn’t break down well and clogs things) don’t put anything down the drain that doesn’t have to be (no garbage disposal or cooking oils) it’s better to limit your laundry to a couple of loads a day rather than 10 loads in one day and overwhelm your system. It’s especially important to NOT use bleach in your laundry or to use those “drop in” toilet cleaners that are constantly putting anti-bacterial chemicals in your system with every flush and killing the bacteria the system needs to digest the solids.

I treat mine with Bio Tech bacteria monthly, mound system was plugging up with bio matt . 2002 Install of septic . Also the freezing is real , i covered my mound with 2 inch dow this year , lack of snow

What sort of filter is in your septic? Never heard of that. We don’t have one. We have 2 tanks. One flows into the other (lift tank) which pumps out to drainfield. I have had issues with the pump switch and the pump itself going out over the years which is a real damn mess.

I don’t believe the system froze. As soon as I pulled the filter it drained down. The filter that I’m referring to is a plastic screen that sits in front of the drain to the tank where the pump is.
I’m thinking it is low on bacteria because snow would always melt.

no screen in mine either…

I clean my filter 2 times each year because of blockage. I do it when I spring forward and then again when I fall back.

That’s what I have done in the past. Now for some reason I get a Gurgle in the master bathroom toilet, which means first tank is full. Which means screen is plugged. This has happened in December and now yesterday.

To me that is a weird or interesting design. Never heard of a filter or screen in a septic before.

My septic/mound is a 2005 system install.
1000 gallon tank to a 500 gallon tank with pump to mound. I have a filter between the first and second tank to keep any floating solids from going into the second, which I clean every spring.

Likewise my septic is of 2004 vintage and it has a plastic stack that my septic guy referred to as a filter. He said mine was in excellent condition and to keep it that way, clean the filter once a year. He showed me how to clean it.

To me it looked a lot like the stack of racks used in a typical dehydrator, I’m guessing solids get trapped in each layer and can flow through to next layer as they break down over time. Looked to be maybe 8 layers if I recall correctly.

this what my filter looks like

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   outlet-filter-clogged.jpg
   

Mines similar but circular and white plastic.

Mines the same. If your toilet gurgles after flushing… I would look at the vent pipe being restricted.

It is gurgling happens when the lift pump in the basement pumps.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

I clean my filter 2 times each year because of blockage. I do it when I spring forward and then again when I fall back.

I just hope you don’t slip and fall back into it!

fishingstar wrote:

It is gurgling happens when the lift pump in the basement pumps.

I don’t have anything like that in my septic. Interesting. Regarding the gurgling when the lift pump runs that is odd. Do you hear it inside the house or outside?

fishingstar wrote:

this what my filter looks like

You’re supposed to wear gloves when you pull the filter?

Me, frozen drainfield, first time in 20 years, cover my tank and inlet with straw, not drainfield, paying the price this year, cold and lack of snow, but have had other winters worse? Not fun, this is near walker mn. One winter the frost dove to 10 feet

Toilets have been gurgling since January. Thought it was a frozen vent pipe that I can only access with a lift due to slope and height. Problem didn’t go away with warm weather. Investigated further yesterday and I have an overflowing tank and frozen drain field. Gravity system. I don’t understand how it never froze but it was running out the pipe, downhill.

I blame it on pumping in the fall, lack of snow, and a long vacation with no water use.

That was a picture from on line.
they look like they have gloves on

smallie83 wrote:

Toilets have been gurgling since January. Thought it was a frozen vent pipe that I can only access with a lift due to slope and height. Problem didn’t go away with warm weather. Investigated further yesterday and I have an overflowing tank and frozen drain field. Gravity system. I don’t understand how it never froze but it was running out the pipe, downhill.

I blame it on pumping in the fall, lack of snow, and a long vacation with no water use.

Anyone walk, drive, snowmobile, deer trail, etc. across that area?

Anyone walk, drive, snowmobile, deer trail, etc. across that area?

not good if they do…

Eelpoutguy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>smallie83 wrote:</div>
Toilets have been gurgling since January. Thought it was a frozen vent pipe that I can only access with a lift due to slope and height. Problem didn’t go away with warm weather. Investigated further yesterday and I have an overflowing tank and frozen drain field. Gravity system. I don’t understand how it never froze but it was running out the pipe, downhill.

I blame it on pumping in the fall, lack of snow, and a long vacation with no water use.

Anyone walk, drive, snowmobile, deer trail, etc. across that area?

Deer would be the only one of those. It’s not a main trail, but I’m sure they run across there.

In hindsight I regret pumping it in November. We were also gone for a long vacation during that really bad cold snap in January. That couldn’t have helped. It went down a tiny amount yesterday during the day when no one was home. So I’m hoping it’s starting to very slowly unthaw.

I have 4 deer or so that have been stomping on my drainfield all winter, but other years I have had way more and no freeze up

Yeah pumping it in November wasnt a great idea, but since we didnt have any real cold last year you really had no way of knowing what this winter would bring. Much more cold and about the same snow.
I had mine pumped mid summer because the lift pump went out. Turns out the idiots that put the last pump in there simply used a sump pump. The guys who replaced it this time asked me how long ago that was. I said probably 15 years. They were impressed it lasted more than a couple.