started about 2 weeks ago, both toilets, back to back rooms, started making bubbling noises, then would not flush. let sit water in bowl goes down, let sit even longer i could flush a couple times normal then would start backing up again. tub and sinks and everything seem to drain fine no problem. tried plunging no help. had both septic tanks drianed. seemed to work just fine no problems untill today( 2 weeks later). wife called said heres bubbling noise in toilets again. she took a shower had wash going and dish washer( multi-tasker i guess). toilets wont flush again. septic tanks shouldnt already be full again should they? even if lateral lines collapsed? both times had this problem it was raining outside. but lived in this house 2 years and seen alot more rain than this and no problems. already replaced all the guts in toliet but like i said both toilets making bubbl noise( havent actually seen bubbles though) and wont flush. any advise? clogg in line amybe?

eewilliams4

Air lock in water line to commode tank. Have run over 5 gallons into buckets and, although better, it is still there.

Flying Blue Eagle

Billythe3rd- you may have a blockage just were they start to go downward. The tub-shower & sink probly tie into just below there and thats why they are still draining good , You don't have bubbles in them ??? right. What you will probly have to do is to pull one of the toilets up and go with a sewer rod ( TAPE AS WE CALL IT ) and go in the sewer line from where the toilet set. NOTE - have someone to help you when you start bring the sewer tape back out, have a old towell or rag to be wipeing the tape off with as you bring it out , That way you won't get anything all over the place and make mama mad ::: I seen it happen 1 time were we pumpped the septic tank dry and the next morning it was full again , it had rained more durning the night and it was still pouring in the outlet from the field lines as we call them around here instead of latterl lines.. I dont know what kind of latterl lines you have ,but they should not be collapsing that easy, unless they have been being driven over with a vehicle or something or they are not very deep in the ground ..!! I hope this will help you out what I have written.:: GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS :: F.B.E.

hkstroud

Unfortunately it sounds like you drain field is saturated. This supported by the fact that for two weeks after having the septic tank pumped you had no problems. Yes, in two weeks you tank would be full again. They are probably 500 gallon tanks and you have certianly used more water than that in two weeks. Your drain lines are working to some extent but not well enough to disperse the volume of water your are putting in when you have high water usage. This problem will probably be less noticeable when the rain stops and the ground can absorb more water from the septic tank but will return each time it rains. I know you said that you have seen more rain than this but it had to start some time.

BILLYTHE3RD

well after a painfull and nasty night of digging (in the rain of course) both tanks filled completly to the top of the lids. not looking good any odds of the line coming out of the secound tank getting stopped up before it gets to the drainage lines? can you clean out the drainage lines house is 30 years old and ive been qouted $3000 to install new lines. dont have $3k. pregnant wife and 2 kids. hard enough to pay for lol. i dont mind doing the work has anyone installed there own lateral lines before. hard?

ballengerb1

This is just a goofy side question but I have not run into homes with multiple tanks. Are they both connected to the same field, if so why? It is very easy to going through 10000gallons of water in two weeks with a family. It does sound like the field has failed.

hkstroud

Don't think its just a matter of cleaning out the lines. The drainage holes on the lines are probably blocked or partially blocked but the real problem is the gravel in the trench which distributes the water out over a larger area has become blocked and impervious. At least partially so. That means digging up the whole trench which is probably about 3' wide and 3' deep. Or more usually digging a new trench and installing a new line. You still get some use of the old lines. In some parts of the country old chipped up tires are being used instead of gravel. If you want to do it yourself, better find a friend with a back hoe unless you can operate one. Yes, the tanks don't operate until they are full. The input line is slightly above the output line. After the tank has filled, when you flush 5 gal into the tank it pushes 5 gal out out of the tank, tank stays full.

ballengerb1

I am starting to wonder if this home had an addition and a second tank was added instead of putting in one new bigger tank. Unless the field was expanded too you can probably see the problem coming. Harold is correct unless you live in the beautiful freeze your butt off midwest. We get frost down to 42 " so our trenches are even deeper. A new system has the drain from the tank going into a very large pit of sand about 25' by 30' and then the tiles are beyond the sand, they seldom get any liquids.