[newbiehomeowner]

I have read through most of the plumbing problems and haven't seen exactly my situation, so here goes. Here are the facts as best as I can describe.
Block home built in 1968 as 2 bdr. 1 bath
Addition of a bedroom and additional bath circa 1978 (fireplace too.. another issue)
Secondary outbuilding.. block bldg... with some hookup to septic, no bathroom. I think its an open pipe to the septic.. did I forget to mention it has a septic system?
I asked the previous owner had he ever had the septic pumped out?. He said that he never had.. he owned it for 5 years without a problem , so he said..
I originally noticed that the toilets in both bathrooms were slow to flush.. but they did flush.. kinda sort of.
After 2 months in the house.. the first problem was that the washer drain began to overflow as if it wasn't draining fast enough... I added a box of Rid X to the toilet and it seemed to help.. kinda sort of.
Wife notices a "bean smell" in bathroom no2 coming from the sink vent...
3 months into the house... toilet in bathroom number 1 backs up and overflows.. we toss the carpet out... the next morning.. it flushed... kinda sort of..
I found a plunger and began to plunge toilet in bathroom number 1... it flushed and raw sewage began to expel from whatever connection there is in the outbuilding out into the driveway...
Washer goes to spinout cycle and every time... water flows from outbuilding out onto driveway..
4 months into the house and both toilets flush slowly if at all without plunging... if they don't.. I plunge them... plunging in bathroom number 1 causes gurgling sounds in the sink of bathroom number 2... plunging toilet in bathroom number 1 causes raw sewage to flow out of shower drain in bathroom number 1... a nice mess.
Plunging toilet in bathroom number 2 causes air to inhale and exhale in the sink vent of bathroom number 2.

There are two "stand pipes" on the roof of the house... Are they clogged?
Is the septic tank in need of pumping out?
How does one unclog rooftop stand pipe?
I haven't a clue as to what the connection is between the main house and the outbuilding... the county building department does not have records of exactly where the septic tank is located nor any records of the outbuilding.I did find a Stop Work Order dated from the '70's for the outbuilding.
Any help will be appreciated.

[newbiehomeowner]

Its only a 4 hour drive from Sarasota to Ocala,. maybe speedball could drive up and... oh... fat chance of that happening... Is 180.00 bucks a fair price to have the septic tank pumped?. That price is only good if the septic tank can be located in a half hour or less also...
I read one of Speedballs replies that indicated if gurgling sounds are heard in the sink then roof vent pipe clogg is good possibility... waiting for Speedballs reply... thanks

[speedball1]

Good morning newbihomeowner.

My service calls consist of setting on my duff and instructing you to do the dirty work. This disturbs me, "Secondary outbuilding ..block bldg...with some hookup to septic, no bathroom. I think its an open pipe to the septic"
If there's no bathroom what's in the out building? (and what is the outbuilding any how? ) Is it roughed in for a future bath and the pipes left open? There should be no open pipes in the outbuilding for the septic tank to back up in.
You go on to say, " I found a plunger and began to plunge toilet in bathroom number 1...it flushed and raw sewage began to expel from whatever connection there is in the outbuilding out into the driveway...
Washer goes to spinout cycle and every time...water flows from outbuilding out onto driveway.."
You MUST locate and cap off the open line in the outhouse.
I have read about the plunging and the gurgling and now will jump right into your next question, "There are two "stand pipes" on the roof of the house...Are they clogged? Is the septic tank in need of pumping out? How does one unclog rooftop stand pipe?"
The fact that the septic backs up into the outbuilding tells me it needs to be pumped and the drainfield checked. We locate our septic tanks by using a sounding rod or probe and starting at the house clean out probe and follow the line back to the tank.
And yes I would snake out both roof vents and then go into the attic to see if I've any revents that I may have missed.
Since you sound a little uncertain about septic systems Let me give you a few pointers. Since the septic tank is such an essential part of a sewage system here are some points to remember about the "care and feeding" of that part of the onsite sewage treatment system.
A "starter" is not needed for bacterial action to begin in a septic tank. Many bacteria are present in the materials deposited into the tank and will thrive under the growth conditions present.
If you feel that an additive is needed, be aware that some may do great harm. Additives that advertise to "eliminate" tank cleaning may cause the sludge layer to fluff up and be washed out into the drainfield, plugging soil pores. Some additives, particularly degreasers, may contain carcinogens (cancer-causing) or suspected carcinogens that will flow into the ground water along with the water from the soil treatment unit.
Send all sewage into the septic tank. Don't run laundry wastes directly into the drainfield, since soap or detergent scum will plug the soil pores, causing failure.
Normal amounts of household detergents, bleaches, drain cleaners, and other household chemicals can be used and won't stop the bacterial action in the septic tank. But don't use excessive amounts of any household chemicals. Do not dump cleaning water for latex paint brushes and cans into the house sewer.
Don't deposit coffee grounds, cooking fats, wet-strength towels, disposable diapers, facial tissues, cigarette butts, and other non-decomposable materials into the house sewer. These materials won't decompose and will fill the septic tank and plug the system. To use a 5-gallon toilet flush to get rid of a cigarette butt is also very wasteful of water. Keep an ash tray in the bathroom, if necessary.
Avoid dumping grease down the drain. It may plug sewer pipes or build up in the septic tank and plug the inlet. Keep a separate container for waste grease and throw it out with the garbage.
If you must use a garbage disposal, you will likely need to remove septic tank solids every year or more often. Ground garbage will likely find its way out of the septic tank and plug up the drainfield. It is better to compost, incinerate, or deposit the materials in the garbage that will be hauled away. As one ad says, "You can pay me now, or pay me later."
Clean your septic tank every 1 to 3 years. How often depends on the size of the tank and how many solids go into it. A rule of thumb is once every 3 years for a 1,000 gallon tank serving a 3-bedroom home with 4 occupants (and with no garbage disposal).
Using too much soap or detergent can cause problems with the septic system. It is difficult to estimate how dirty a load of laundry is, and most people use far more cleaning power than is needed. If there are lots of suds in your laundry tub when the washer discharges, cut back on the amount of detergent for the next similar load. It's generally best not to use inexpensive detergents which may contain excessive amounts of filler or carrier. Some of these fillers are montmorillonite clay, which- is used to seal soils! The best solution may be to use a liquid laundry detergent, since they are less likely to have carriers or fillers that may harm the septic system.
Each septic system has a certain capacity. When this capacity is reached or exceeded, there will likely be problems because the system won't take as much sewage as you want to discharge into it. When the onsite sewage treatment system reaches its daily capacity, be conservative with your use of water. Each gallon of water that flows into the drain must go through the septic tank and into the soil absorption unit. Following are some ways to conserve water that should cause little hardship in anyone's standard of living:
Be sure that there are no leaking faucets or other plumbing fixtures. Routinely check the float valve on all toilets to be sure it isn't sticking and the water isn't running continuously. It doesn't take long for the water from a leaking toilet or a faucet to add up. A cup of water leaking out of a toilet every minute doesn't seem like much but that's 90 gallons a day! So be sure that there is no water flowing into the sewer when all water-using appliances are supposed to be off.
The most effective way to reduce the sewage flow from a house is to reduce the toilet wastes, which usually account for about 40 percent of the sewage flow. Many toilets use 5 to 6 gallons per flush. Some of the so-called low water use toilets are advertised to use only 3.5 gallons per flush. Usually the design of the bowl hasn't been changed, however, and often two flushes are needed to remove all solids. That's 7 gallons! Toilets are available which have been redesigned and will do a good job with one gallon or less per flush. Using a 1-gallon toilet rather than a 5 gallon toilet will reduce sewage flows from a home by about a third. This reduction may be more than enough to make the sewage system function again. While prices may vary, 1.6 gallon toilets can usually be purchased in the $200 range, far less than the cost of a new sewer system. Baths and showers can use lots of water. "Setting up camp" in the shower with a shower head flow of 5 gallons per minute will require 100 gallons in 20 minutes. Shower heads that limit the flow to 1.5 or 2 gallons per minute are available and should be used. Filling the tub not quite so full and limiting the length of showers will result in appreciable water savings.
Is the water from the faucet cold enough to drink? How long do you let it run to cool down? Keep a container of drinking water in the refrigerator. Then it won't be necessary to run water from your faucets in order to get a cool drink.
There may be other ways to conserve water that you can think of in your home. The main idea is to consider water as a valuable resource and not to waste it.
Following a few simple rules like not using too much water and not depositing materials in the septic tank that bacteria can't decompose should help to make a septic system trouble-free for m, too! Any years. But don't forget the septic tank does need to be cleaned out when too many solids builtreatment system.
With a water meter you can determine how much water your automatic washer uses per cycle. Many washers now have settings to reduce the amount of water used for small loads. Front loading washers and suds savers use less water than top loading machines. If your sewage treatment system is reaching its maximum capacity, try to spread the washing out during the week to avoid overloading the sewage system on a single day. Septic tanks need tender, loving care too.
Good luck and please keep me informed about your progress. It sounds like you have more then one problem to address, (the first being to locate and pump the septic tank). While I can't jump in my car and run up to Ocala I can hang in there with you until you're out of da woods. Regards, tom

[newbiehomeowner]

Thanks Tom, for your prompt reply. I have taken note of the info provided and will address the pumping of the septic first.. next paycheck. The outbuilding is a 1250 sq. ft. bldg that houses my enormous collection of music equipment and 800 sq. ft of it, I finished out and drywalled/insulated/air conditioned for my printing equipment. I believe you are correct in that the plumbing in the outbuilding was roughed in and never finished. I will take your advice to find the open pipe and cap it off this weekend before the man comes to pump out the septic next weekend.
I took note of an earlier question someone posed to you concerning hair in the drain where you recommended for him to add a half gallon of bleach to the drain to dissolve the hair. Since there are two bathrooms here and I suspect that also to be a problem, will a half gallon in each bathroom be too much chemical to be adding for proper bacterial breakdown?. or... does it not matter since the septic will be pumped next weekend anyway?.
Thanks Tom... by the way... the toilets did flush this morning... thank G_D.

[speedball1]

I took note of an earlier question someone posed to you concerning hair in the drain where you recommended for him to add a half gallon of bleach to the drain to dissolve the hair. Since there are two bathrooms here and I suspect that also to be a problem, will a half gallon in each bathroom be too much chemical to be adding for proper bacterial breakdown?..or...does it not matter since the septic will be pumped next weekend anyway?...
Thanks Tom...by the way...the toilets did flush this morning...thank G_D.

Yes, 1/2 gallon for each should do. Don't forget to flush it out in the morning with 2 large pans of boiling water to melt the grease and flush the mess away.
One other thing, pull the stopper and shine a light down the drain. On a pop-up drain there will be a small rod about 4 inches down inside the drain pipe. Hair sometimes catches on this rod and starts to smell. Fish it all out and then do the bleach thingy. Have a great weekend. Tom

[newbiehomeowner]

Hi Tom,
I am waiting on a plumber to come and snake all the drains this afternoon. I had the septic pumped a month and a half ago and capped off the open line in the outbuilding. I peeped down it yesterday and saw it to be dry. I replaced a wax seal in the furthest from septic toilet and now when taking a shower in that bathroom, I see bubbles.. big ones... coming up while the shower drains. The bathroom closest to the septic is now out of order in that the toilet will not flush and has backed up into the bath tub. When speaking to the plumbers secretary that takes the orders, and asked about snaking the roof vents, she said she has been doing it for a while and has not known (her dad) to have done that before. After reading several earlier posts to this forum, symptoms like mine.. I have seen where you instructed the person to have the plumber get up to the roof vent pipe and snake it too. I am intending to ask the plumber if this is part of his unclogging process, and if he says no, then I will probably ask him to turn around and get a plumber that will... The guy that pumped out the septic tank thinks the drain field has collapsed or been infiltrated with roots. I used a root killer last week... but may have put the cart before the horse in that I didn't have a motorized auger clear the roots first. Meanwhile, I will go to the corner store to... utilize their facilities , or hope that I don't have to get a port-o-let out here till the problems are resolved.

[newbiehomeowner]

Now that the plumber simply re-opened the cover to the septic tank that the guy that pumped it out opened, and water flowed from the opening, his determination was that the septic tank is full again and he condemned the drain field... 70 bucks and 15 minutes later. So, after talking to the septic people again to have them come out and re-pumt the tank, I am going to temporarily re-route the washer drain line outside of the garage to keep the tank from filling back up... while I secure 3,000 bucks and a permit for the new drain field and hope that the tank of the home built in the 60's was not a concrete block tank not meeting current bldg. code. So I am preparing for the worst.. that is.. a new tank and a new drain field. I'll re-coup it when I sell the house in a few years.