cgray21
New Member
Okay, we have slow draining toilets that recently pretty much stopped draining fast enough to get rid of solid waste. So, we had the septic tank pumped (I inherited the house from dad after I came in to take care of mom before she died (dementia and stroke-- never a good combo). So, it turns out the tank likely hadn't been pumped for at least 10 years, but it was pumped out. Unfortunately, two days later, the problem returns.
Now, sadly, we don't have the money to easily take care of this professionally, so at the very least I'm trying to eliminate all the likely problems, so that if I do have to get a specialist, they don't have to dig up (and I don't have to pay for), more than needed.
1. Dead leach field. I don't think so-- the fact is that water was going into the septic tank, and it's supposed to look full, but it hasn't overflowed, nor have we found wet patches on the property-- so the water, at least some of it, is leaving the tank.
2. Problems with the line. This is actually my main thought right now. dad, bless his heart, used ah, friends, reccomended by friends, who were not licensed nor overly skilled in this area. I say this, because I dug up part of the line, (PVC) and found that right now, the line from the house to the tank in some places either has no slope, or the slope is about .5 degree in the wrong direction. The area was also heavily watered, so while I'm not certain, there may be parts of the pipe that are actually sagging. This right now is my hope-- because you can fix that with a lot of elbow grease and cussing, since the problem would be solids collecting in the line-- and using enzyme cleaners and such as i have been doing wouldn't really fix things-- you'd still have places where sludge collects.
3. Septic tank problems. I haven't been able to yet get the lids off, but looking through the pump holes, the tank doesn't look too bad-- no roots or such. However, i'm not certain if it has a filter on it. (it's a gravity tank). There could be an accumulation around the liquid side slowing flow into the distribution box or from there. Gotta find it.*
*Do your heirs a favor, if you have them-- make certain to have information where the septic tank is readily available.
Now, is there anything else that might be going wrong, and if so, can anyone suggest what to do about it? Like I said, I'm mildly optimistic that there is a flow, albeit slow and we haven't found any wet spots on the property, indicating that the tank is intact and the leachfield is functioning. Also, this is in California, and the house is on a hill, so there are no water table issues right now.
Now, sadly, we don't have the money to easily take care of this professionally, so at the very least I'm trying to eliminate all the likely problems, so that if I do have to get a specialist, they don't have to dig up (and I don't have to pay for), more than needed.
1. Dead leach field. I don't think so-- the fact is that water was going into the septic tank, and it's supposed to look full, but it hasn't overflowed, nor have we found wet patches on the property-- so the water, at least some of it, is leaving the tank.
2. Problems with the line. This is actually my main thought right now. dad, bless his heart, used ah, friends, reccomended by friends, who were not licensed nor overly skilled in this area. I say this, because I dug up part of the line, (PVC) and found that right now, the line from the house to the tank in some places either has no slope, or the slope is about .5 degree in the wrong direction. The area was also heavily watered, so while I'm not certain, there may be parts of the pipe that are actually sagging. This right now is my hope-- because you can fix that with a lot of elbow grease and cussing, since the problem would be solids collecting in the line-- and using enzyme cleaners and such as i have been doing wouldn't really fix things-- you'd still have places where sludge collects.
3. Septic tank problems. I haven't been able to yet get the lids off, but looking through the pump holes, the tank doesn't look too bad-- no roots or such. However, i'm not certain if it has a filter on it. (it's a gravity tank). There could be an accumulation around the liquid side slowing flow into the distribution box or from there. Gotta find it.*
*Do your heirs a favor, if you have them-- make certain to have information where the septic tank is readily available.
Now, is there anything else that might be going wrong, and if so, can anyone suggest what to do about it? Like I said, I'm mildly optimistic that there is a flow, albeit slow and we haven't found any wet spots on the property, indicating that the tank is intact and the leachfield is functioning. Also, this is in California, and the house is on a hill, so there are no water table issues right now.