septic system question

So I’ve been trying to find the answer to this on the internet, but struggling to get a clear definitive answer, wondering if anyone can help. Can using too much toilet paper clog your septic system?
I bought a new house recently, and I’m trying to determine if the tank just needs to be pumped, or if I just use too much toilet paper to live on a septic system. I understand flushing too much TP at a time clogs the toilet, but that is not the issue.

After about a month here, had to get a plumber out here to use his snake that would reach all the way to the septic tank. Now, about a month later, here we are again. Trying to keep this polite for society, but I do have issues, I go “number 2 potty” several times a day, and I do go through a lot of toilet paper. Is it possible that I I’m just sending toilet paper down there faster than it can Digest? Or do I just need to have this system pumped? Any help would be appreciated.

The problem isn’t the toilet paper, it falls apart in water

Are the lines actually clogged with tp or is the septic tank full? Is there a drain field?

Short answer is yes.
Could be lot going on here.
In MN the seller needs to bring the system up to code to sell.
If in MN I would start questioning the person that inspected the system, then go from there.

Iwoul guess the pipe is broken filling with dirt.You would have to pump your tank and run a camera through the pipe?

The softer the TP the harder it is on the septic system. The real soft stuff doesn’t break down nearly as fast.

Could you have a frozen pipe problem from house to holding tank?

I’ve been down that road and it wasn’t fun. We now insulate with bags of leaves in case we don’t get enough snow. They also sell a blanket for this purpose.

After digging out what is referred to as a “Charmin log”, I ran a side by side test of what we were using vs Scott’s 1000 (single ply). Put a square of each in a pan of water, and watch how the Scott’s disintegrates so much faster. Even though they claim the “plush” stuff is septic-safe, I never had a clogging problem after switching.

HRG

What year was your home built? We bought one built in 1981. That required 2 lengths of cast iron. The joint between them failed which created the exact symptoms you describe. Grabbed the spade and dug for what seemed like an eternity. Removed cast iron pipes and installed newer PVC one piece. Problem solved.

I had a plumber suggest the one ply so I tried it. It lasts forever. It is so pitiful that I remember going to a gas station bathroom and thinking they had nice toilet paper. It was terrible. Get a camera down the pipe so you know what is down there. Buy a bidet seat and you won’t need a mountain of TP every day.

Used to have a house in Eagle River that we had the same problem. Was built in the 80’s, and septic tank was filling up. When we sold it, had to fix the septic, or put in a mound. Septic guy knew right away what was wrong. Had the pump truck pump it, and septic guy brought in a mini excavator and dug down to the outfield line port of the tank. Apparently the way they did them then, they put a stupid piece of cast iron at the outfield port, that would plug solid. He replaced that with pvc, and tank worked like new again. Said it is a common repair. If you have a vent sticking up at the start of your drain field, you can take the cap off, and should be able to see if your tank is draining to it. Was a cheap fix, about $500. At the age of your septic, I’ll bet that is the issue. I really doubt it’s the amount of toilet paper.

If the snake cleared the line before, it’s an issue with your waste line going to the tank.

Joel W Taylor wrote:

If the snake cleared the line before, it’s an issue with your waste line going to the tank.

Not always.
Just the other week I had a plug up at the end house run. The baffle infront of the pipe had a huge TP log. I Knocked out the log and house drained properly.

The whole issue just didnt make sence to me so a week later I opened all 3 hole covers. The solid side was not properly draining the top water into the pump side. The filter trap into 2nd chamber was 99% plugged causing the level in the solid side to be too high thus not allowing the load from the house to drop into the waste side bur rather flow and the baffle was acting as a dam for the TP.

Try a thiner toilet paper

mark-bruzek wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Joel W Taylor wrote:</div>
If the snake cleared the line before, it’s an issue with your waste line going to the tank.

Not always.
Just the other week I had a plug up at the end house run. The baffle infront of the pipe had a huge TP log. I Knocked out the log and house drained properly.

The whole issue just didnt make sence to me so a week later I opened all 3 hole covers. The solid side was not properly draining the top water into the pump side. The filter trap into 2nd chamber was 99% plugged causing the level in the solid side to be too high thus not allowing the load from the house to drop into the waste side bur rather flow and the baffle was acting as a dam for the TP.

Same thing happened to me last year.
The thing that stinks (oh yeah, that’s a pun) the alarm doesn’t go off because its the solids tank.

i do have a drain field. i guess im trying to ascertain if the problem is that m septic tank is full or not. the lines from my bathroom all the way to the septic tank are full with everything ive been flushing for the last 4 month.

so when the plumber was here the first time, he also mentioned the baffle probably being blocked/clogged. if the problem is the TP needs to break down before getting into the septic tank, then i do wonder if my issue is sending too much down in a day.

but the second part of what you said sounds like its saying your problem was actually inside the tank, not an issue getting it into the tank.

i will say, im pretty sure my amount of TP usage during the 2nd month was almost cut in half compared to the first month, and both times it took exactly a month to get to this point. Also, once the toilet wont flush, the tub is also filled up with toilet water by that point. i can either violently plunge the toilet for 30 minutes and the waer will be down, or if i leave it alone for a couple hours, it will slowly drain on its own. same as last time, except last time, after trying for a day to clear the clog, i tried some draino. after the draino, it wouldnt even drain slowly. it wasnt going anywhere. not sure if any of this context info adds anything…

Get a pumping service to service your system – they are generally knowledgeable about what’s going on. Pumping in cold weather is not the best for your system, so get some RIDEX, etc. to help it repopulate the digesting bacteria after it’s pumped.

If your septic system is having trouble digesting the toilet paper you’re using, pouring Draino in it is THE LAST THING you want to do – it’s going to kill the digesting bacteria. Also avoid putting other things in your system that you shouldn’t (do a Google search) and using bleach in your laundry is NOT a good idea – it also kills the system bacteria.

Low flow toilets can be part of the problem. Heavy weight TP plus not enough water to move it through the waste line also clogs the line leading to city sewers, so it isn’t just a septic system issue. Use lighter TP, flush smaller amounts at a time, maybe turn the faucet on in the sink BEFORE flushing to give the flush an extra boost. And do NOT put any wipes down the toilet – even if they claim that they’re “flushable.”

Look for and use only toilet paper labeled as “septic safe”. It may help your problem.

We had this problem a few years ago. Our septic had the old asphalt tile pipe connecting house to tank and tank to drain field. There was a partial collapse between the tank and house. This allowed flow but greatly reduced flow. Snaking cleared the line but it would slowly clog as not enough flow existed to run everything out. Within a few weeks the problem returned. Digging outside and replacing the section solved the problem. We also installed an exterior clean out to access the pipe without a long snake. After several years, I’m considering cutting and capping this pipe so I can eliminate two pvc stacks in the yard. Good luck.

How old is the system?
Visual inspection by a qualified plumber is going to get you the best solution. If an older system, you could have a compromised pipe. It’s not uncommon for the line to break right at the inlet to the tank creating a small dam that will back everything up. If it’s a newer system then the inlet baffle is likely getting clogged. I have seen poor installation with sags and back pitched pipe as well.

Do you have exposed or burried manhole covers for your tank?
Ive got 3 exposed covers.

David,
What you are describing seems to be what happened to me last year.
The filter was clogged not letting the solids tank to drain into the liquids tank.
I cleaned out that filter but it still wasn’t draining out of the house.

So I found that due to the tank filling up because it could not drain, it clogged the pipe opening at the point where the pipe from the house empties into the solids tank.
I had to pull the cover at the most rear of the tank, take a 2×4 and scrape away the debris at that point. When I did it looked like a dam break. Mission accomplished.

@bassn dan,
noted about the draino. TP quality though, i was using the thickest, most high quality TP for the first month. after this happened the first time, i happened to have some Marine & RV TP and i switched to that, but it still happened again 1 month later.

ive been very careful about what i flush since i moved in, so no wipes or anything.

@nailswi
not sure the exact year, but im pretty sure it is an older house. compromised pipe sounds possible, however, i did have the home inspection when i bought the house 2 months ago, so should that not have been caught then?

home inspection does not include full septic system inspection, but they do run all the water in the house for a certain amount of time to “flood’ the system, and i did do the dye test as well, which i believe is just to supposed to check for leaks, but everything checked out good.

@mark-bruzek
i do not have any exposed covers

@Eelpoutguy
that does all make sense, and thanks for the additional info. i guess one think i do really wanna know: is it possible that my amount of TP usage is going to be a problem on a septic system?

that may not be something that can be answered definitively, but if thats the only issue, then i really dont want to pay for pumping my system, if a month later im going to have to pay to hook up to city sewer. it would be a very frustrating waste.

That said, like i mentioned previously, after the first time this happened after 1 month, i switched from super thick TP to RV & Marine super dissolvable, and i also cut my amount of usage in half, but it happened again after the same amount of time. if the issue is solely my TP usage, i would expect, if nothing else, it to take longer before reaching this point.

Get somebody to pump the tank out and get a look inside with the cover off. That’s the only way your gonna know what’s actually going on in the tank. The guys that have pump trucks are usually very knowledgeable and see the systems every day and will able to tell you if there’s a problem in the tank

Really doesn’t sound like a tank issue to me. Sounds more like a problem with the sewer lateral from the house to the tank. The only way to check that is to have a camera run from the house out to the tank. I’ve seen it a number of times where the lateral has broke just upstream of the inlet to the tank. The lateral then settles an inch or 2 creating a dam for paper to hang up on and plug your sewer. My guess is the previous owners had issues but didn’t disclose it to you. Any stickers present near main cleanout from previous sewer cleaning contractors? Call the guy you had rod out your sewer and ask him if he has provided service at that address in the past.

Tough call without knowing more details.

A few years back we had the root of a tree get into the rings below the main inspection cover. Then it meandered down into the holding tank and head for the intake baffle. The root formed a clog there.

Here’s some help with TP.