Water in the toliet problem

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Alexdc99

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If I flush the toliet the water starts to cicle around and it rises a bit. It continues to circle and drop lower and lower but when the tank is empty and the water stops flowing the water water seems to rush back a bit and blow air back up. It can blow water enough to hit the seat. This is hard to explain. The toilet is old, maybe 20+ years and is a standard model nothing special. Could the trap in the toilet be partialy blocked. I am on a septic bed but all other drains are fine.
 

dwpecksr

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Full septic tank

To start:
You need to dig up your septic tank and pump it out. you will probably find that the tank will get full again in a few days. this is saying your laterials will probably need changing. Additivies will not help, but this is my opinion and many experts also.I am supprised that you are not seeing a back-up when the washer is draining.
 

Alexdc99

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It's been 2 years since my last pumpout. I'll dig up the tank and see if my inlet is blocked or how packed it is. These laterials your takling about, are these things I can dig up and change or does some company have to come in a do.
 

e-plumber

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Check the toilet

p1109400dt.jpg

I would suggest first using a closet auger and making sure that the toilet is functioning correctly especially if all other drains are operating normally.
 

Deb

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Deb

Do you have an outside the foundation cleanout on the line that goes to the septic tank? They can really aid you in diagnosing problems like this. If there is a problem with the septic tank or line from cleanout to septic, there will be standing water in the pipe. This at least gives you a place to start--is the problem inside or outside the home. It is really a good idea to check your septic tank annually. If the level of sludge gets above the outlet baffle, it will flow out the laterals and can clog everything up. The liquid part of the tank contents drain by gravity to a drainage field where pipes with holes are laid in a gravel bed underground. The liquid percolates away through the gravel bed and down through the soil. Clogging the holes with toilet paper, human waste and anything else that should have stayed in the tank is a major thing and is easily preventable by checking your tank annually and getting it pumped when the sludge level is about 1/3. However, most tanks do not need to be pumped more than every couple of years. So it could be the inlet baffle.
No standing water in the cleanout or above inlet baffle in tank--it could be a clog in the drainage line inside the house. This toilet may well dump 5 gal everytime it flushes but, at the least 3.5 gal.
Or you may have more than one problem here. You could have a partially clogged drainage line and a toilet that is just getting old. As toilets get old (or in bad water conditions or if you use those stupid Clorex cake tablet things in the tank that flake off and clog the holes), the holes around the rim and the large hole in the bottom (not all toilets have these) can get clogged and not allow the water to get from the tank to the bowl fast enough to create a good flush. You can check this by taking a five gal bucket of water and quickly dumping the contents into the toilet bowl. If it "flushes", buy a new toilet and don't even try to clean the holes in that water wasting dinosauer. Do this when the toilet and other bathroom fixtures have not been used for awhile in cse you have a partial drainage line clog too. You may want to consider replacing it even if it is okay. There are very good 1.6 gpf toilets now and those old 5 and 3.5 gpf toilets are real water wasters. Don't know how many people live in your household, but I'll bet you would be surprised how many times a month a toilet is flushed.
Many plumbing problem causes are not readily apparant and take some investigation to narrow down the possibles.
Deb
The Pipewench
 

Alexdc99

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Thanks for the info, I took a large bucket and filled it with water. The water went right down the and "flushed" so to speak the toilet. :) So I image my water holes and such are plugged. I compaired water swirl with a buddies toilet and his circles very fast and easy to see, mine goes slow around. Since toilets are not a huge expense I will go buy a new one. I'll have the line snaked when the toilet is off just to be sure. Tonight I'll go pull the lid on the septic tank and have a look at the inlet and baffle side just to be sure I don't have multiple problems.

Thanks for the help.
 

Deb

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Deb

I cannot stress enough how important I believe it is to check your septic tank annually. A septic system that is taken care of is trouble-free and can go a really long time without accumulating enough sludge to need pumping. However, one of the worst thing you can do is to fail to get it pumped and compromise your drainage field.
Deb
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