So, this has been getting worse for about 2 years. Fixed some venting issues, so that's helped a bit, but if we run a shower, then a load of clothes, there's water coming up into the bathroom sink. It's clear, so not so bad as it could be. No bad smells I dug out the clean out thinking I'd have the tank pumped, but when I explained the situation to the guy, he said he'd probably be getting a call from me after the tank fills back up........a week later. I didn't have it pumped. There is mostly liquid escaping past the lid, but not much and it bubbles when the toilet is flushed. Called a local guy who does septic installs and he said it sounds like the field is failing (my estimation too), or there's a possibility the outlet pipe is partially plugged. Everything still drains, except we can't do too much at any given time (which shouldn't be done on a septic system anyway). Anybody have septic experience? Wife would like to have it scoped, but I feel that's probably wasted money and effort. Advice....suggestions?
It's worth it to check the outlet. I don't know what you have behind the tank, but if you have some kind of a leach field, checking the distribution box for any clogs would be an easy task if you know where it is. I don't know what getting scoped would find compared to just snaking the outlet and checking the D box. I hate to tell you, but of you don't find a simple blockage, it does sound like your leach field/sand filter etc. is starting to fail. Good luck.
Do you know how old the drain field is? Soil type? If you're lucky, maybe just the outlet baffle on the tank is clogged. No real good way to tell except pump and have the pumper break out his inspection mirror. If it's the field, I've heard about companies that can come in and do some type of 'drain field rejuvenation' where they use some type of equipment that blasts air and plastic pellets into various parts of the drain field. Kinda like fracking for chit water. Not very cheap, and no guarantee that it will fix it. My drain field is vintage 1959 and I'm on clay soil, so drainage is a problem. I pump the tank every three years, but there are only three of us here. Knock on wood, it's holding its own. My shack up north (PI County just north of you) is all sand and I can't flood that drain field if I tried.
I think as soon as the ground thaws, I'll be digging up the other end of the tank. Shouldn't there be another access hole there? According to tax records, this place was built in '72, but I have no idea how old the septic system is, or how it was put in. The last guy that pumped the tank mentioned the air injection things, for just under a grand. I was quoted between 2-7,000 for a new system, depending on what the health dept. requires. Nothing but sand here, so I'm thinking no problem with it percing, however........fairly high water table.
Our old septic tank was cement, and only had one access hole and one baffle. Over 20 years when I had it pumped they would try to convince me there was another lid. No other lid, after a bad clog when one company actually went down there inside it, the gal confirmed only one access hole lid. I was a 1967 system. Not sure if this is applicable to you, as we were on a steep hill. All those decades of snow, rain, and floods eroded the soil from our leech field. Our leech field started freezing, thus, full plumbing in the house. Our solution was insulating the field, replacing the erosion. We used free mulch from the city and I scored 5 truck loads of free dirt from excavation on a new home a few roads down from us. Also, for better or worse, we were desperate over a holiday weekend (no pumpers available) and stuck a hose down our outlet line. Didn't get much junk in the back flow and confirmed there was no blockage......
I'd guess, because you said it's been getting worse for 2 years... your leach field is coming to it's last days and a new field will have to be done (Prolly what you already figgered). Ugh. Ours here has been here since the 80s so... we may not be far behind with having to deal with ours too. No issues... yet. There is a very positive side to finding the problem, during spring, summer or fall... and dealing with it. You won't be running out to a rented porta potty at 10 below zero, because the entire house's plumbing has stopped due to no septic at all, in frozen ground weather. Scares the chit outa me right there...
I agree with most of the posts Dave. If your getting that much water in the tank then it seems the leaching field is not able to handle its water load any longer. Not to mention, the water tables are fairly high righ now with the rainy weather and snow melt, this could also be a factor. If you have your septic diagram and can locate the D box, it may be worth a look.
We cleaned out a buddy's tank up the road a couple years ago dave and he was having what sounds like the same problem as you. Ended up that the pipe going into his field came apart at the tank and was down a couple inches. Was fixed very easy. Just a thought and good luck with yours man.
That's a possibility here too Loon. When we bought this place in 2012, we had the field scoped. They found one of the 3 lines in the field had been cracked prolly from riding on it with heavy vehicles/gear. Obviously, could happen right at the tank too, shoving the outlet pipe down.
Do you put any of those septic biotics (like Ridex) in ? I put in a 1/2 box about every month. Every summer I grab some of that line cleaner stuff and put it in. Then every 3 years do a pump in the spring. My system is old (1949-1951 era) cinder block tank and red brick divider. But I try to keep it PM'd as much as possible. Anyways we moved in the summer and by the fall (November), I had a major back up. They came out and dug up the out let side. Powerflushed and scoped it. Found out at the garage area where it takes a bend it had shifted and TP had clogged the drain. Well to fix it we went in on the outlet side and put a "T" in, capped the top. So that the water would drain up through the bottom. Hopefully keeping floaties from going through. Plus they installed a new cleanout for me. Good Luck and keep us posted...
Appreciate all the responses. When the guy was done pumping the last time, we could hear a little water running. He thought it was coming back in from the outlet. I'll try digging out the other end of the tank in a few weeks and maybe find another access, but yeah, there may not be one. Should be able to find out if the outlet has come loose too. We don't get any water in the yard where the field is, but when the ground is saturated from a thaw, or a decent rain, we have more of an issue. My wife wants to think that maybe the lines in the field have tree roots in 'em, but even if that's the case, there's no magic pill to fix it. Would using a riding mower on the field cause problems? I've been doing that since the summer after we moved in. I plan to do my own version of a perc test too, but I think it'll probably just confirm that we have pretty good permeability since we're on mostly sand. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I wonder if you might have heard the results (again) of a plugged field... once the water was pumped out of the tank, it makes sense that water from the outlet would then backflow into the baffle area of the tank. If the field was fine, there'd be no water to run back. Your sandy soil should be a help at least with the $$ of a new field... no? Smaller field maybe? Maybe they wouldn't notice if you just ran the grey water ovah to the ditch by the road... Prolly not. That was the norm on Maine farms for years... grey water off into a ditch. Ours had been like that since 1945.
Have you tried running the water in the house and take the lid off the tank to listen for water flowing into the tank? Is it possible to run a snake from the house to the tank? From what you're saying, it sounds like the problem is after the tank, but it would be good to verify that there's no stoppage before the tank. We had some bad septic stoppage problems when we first moved into our house. Hired a guy with a backhoe to dig up the tank and main line. Found out the main line was broken and collapsed between the tank and the concrete junction box (whatever they call that thing). Replaced it with PVC, filled it back in and it's been working great ever since. I had the tank pumped before I did the work so we could use water while I was working on the lines.
For this size house, the field should only need to be about 4-500 sq. ft. I had to cut into the main 3" line when we added a proper vent, and water and, uh, stuff, came back in. Maybe a couple gallons, then it stopped. I can watch the access (concrete lid) bubble some when someone's using water, so I know it's getting out to the tank. Our eldest and family lived with us a couple different times a few years ago.......6 extra people......and I have no way to know if they followed correct septic use practices. Could be part of the problem that's now rearing it's ugly head. The field is still working a little, just not the way it should. I'd like to put in a new system and not concern myself with it the rest of my life here, but neither of us want to spend the money.
I know. It has to be the hardest expenditure to make... re-doing a leach field. From what you just added with the water bubbling around the cover... sure does point to the baffle end doesn't it? And, as you said, with kids living there for a while, who knows what may have been flushed. Hopefully you'll find a hatch right above the baffle and will be able to check it all out.
The riders shouldn't hurt the piping dave but DONT drive a full sized tractor over any of it like my buddy across the road did a few years back. It was close to the tank so I didn't get too 'Mucky' replacing the short line. When we were done my other buddy who owns his chit truck back-flushed the drain field. Not sure if it helped as the main problem was the pipe.
pap dave, how strict are your locals rules, in VT that would require a permit and a mound system (design of mound alone is 3 grand which is stupid cause they only approve 3 designs which only vary on size) or a midnight excavating party. from what I heard a leech field is not that complicated. u mm I grew up in city and did not know about maintenance. trouble occurred so an excavator, had one here, a truckload of green pipe and fitting and fabric( 600 bucks) and two guys with clothes that got burned afterwards a bottle of jack 2 of coke problem was solved in 4 hours from what I heard of I had hay a rake and grass seed here maybe 20 dollars more. do you have a digger for tractor?
Someone would know if I were doing something that extensive, so the midnite party is probably out. I like it though. I'd like this to be legit in case we have to sell somewhere down the road. Life has a way of altering our plans for the future. No big equipment on the field other than my 6-700 lb. GT, with my fat butt sitting on it. If the local health dept. doesn't require something excessive, this can be done in a day or less for relatively short money. We'll need to re-pipe in the crawl and out the foundation to tie in, but we've done that kind of work before. I doubt the outgoing line is broken or has come loose, as I would think I'd have a soggy yard at the least. I don't.
'I doubt the outgoing line is broken or has come loose, as I would think I'd have a soggy yard at the least. I don't.' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The guy up the road with the dropped pipe didn't have a wet yard, his problem was a slow drain from the house. But we are all on about 6inch soil with big shale under it. And a lot of snakes like it in our backyard..
Wonder if you could have (or if they ever used) orangeburg pipe from the tank out to the distribution box? If your place was built in 72, it's a possibility that you have that. I had orangeburg pipe that transitioned from the cast iron that left my house to the inlet of the tank. That collapsed on me about 12 years ago and caused all sorts of chitty problems getting stuff from the house to the tank. I don't know if that is a possibility, but it would be obvious once you dig around the outlet side of the tank, especially when the shovel slices right through the pipe.
