You just had your tank pumped an d everything's seems to be working, correct?
Wait until there's a back up and then check the tank. In my area plumbers, septic tank guys and pump guys are separate trades. Of course we sometimes overlap but if I were going to install a septic tank or move a drainfield I'd want a specialist in the trade. Your area might have a different tale on it. Regards, tom

Yes, I just had my tank pumped like a month ago because nasty stuff started coming up through the bathtub when we washed clothes.
Nasty stuff hasn't come back up through the bathtub since we had it pumped but I still have the issue w/ the bubbling toilet & low water in the toilet when we wash clothes and the water overflows out of that hose when we do laundry too. So, you don't think I should have someone open the tank and check it the level like you said? Should I just have someone come out, explain to them what the problem is or should I tell them what I want done? I would love to have these issues resolved but I don't know what to have done... Please help.

I advised you how to address the washer backup problem on page one eight posts down.
Snake from the bathroom roof vent fro the low water in the bowl. As long as your septic system's working normally you can check nothing. Wait till it gives you a problem then call in outside help to check it out. Tom

Ok, I gotcha... sorry there is so much information that is all so new to me...

I looked on page 1, 8 posts down and you said the washer standpipe back up problem can be fixed by adding a fitting(see image) on the stand pipe and making it a closed system. You can accomplish the same thing by duct taping the hose to the standpipe. So I could just call a plumber and tell them to do this, right? By me having this done, the water shouldn't overflow from that hose when I do laundry, right? Should I print out the images that you attached or just tell them what I want done?
Then I need to tell them to snake from the bathroom roof vent to fix the issue w/ the low water in the toilet, right? Do you think this will stop the bubbling in the toilet too? I don't need to tell them to snake the main line then? Does snake mean the same thing as rod?

Thanks again for all your help, advice and patience.

Thanks,
Janet

Tell him what happens when you use your washer, he'll take it from there, plumbers are part detectives at heart. Snaking, rodding a drain line is likely under $200 but a clogged field must be dug up and replaced, $6000+

Ok thanks. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks again for all your advice.

Come back and let us know, Tom and I are here daily.

Ok, no problem, I will.

1 more thing before I go...

Did you ever hear about putting baking soda or baking powder down the toilet to keep the septic tank in good shape? The company who pumped my septic said that one of their other customers did this and their septic tank looked great. Just wondering because I don't remember if they said baking powder or baking soda and when I called the company back to ask them, the ladies in the office had no clue.

Save your money, soda just alters the ph of the sewage and that not a great idea. Who cares how the tank looks, remember what it is full of. We do at time use 1 tsp of baking soda wmix with equal part of table salt, dump down a slow draining sink and add a cup of vinegar. Watch what happens. Next day flush with a big bucket of hot water. Septic also do not need any Ridix or other bacteria additives, they just lighten your wallet. Every chunk, sorry, of solids you flush has more bacteria than a cup of Ridex

Hey Janet,
I guess now would be a good time to give you some septic tank tips. As for the washer stand pipe just show the plumber my post. He'll know what to do.

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 enter the 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 thank you for rating my answer, Tom

Wow, thank you so much for all your useful information and pointers, I really appreciate it! I will definitely look into getting a 1 gallon Toilet. I will also look into getting a Shower Head that limits the flow to 1.5 or 2 gallons per minute. This should be a simple fix that I think I could do myself, right?

I don't see the On the Scales thing so I could rate your answer?

I went outside yesterday and noticed that there is a pipe that is leaking some water, I have no idea what the pipe is but it sticks out from the concrete block and it goes into the laundry room and it goes up and into the house. To get to my laundry room, you have to go outside then there's the laundry room attached to the house. In this same area, there's some mold on the concrete block. Do you think the plumber will be able to look at this and tell me what the problem is? Do you think that because the water overflows out of the hose in the laundry room onto the floor that this could be causing the mold on the concrete block?

When I tell the plumber to snake from the bathroom roof vent, this should fix the issue w/ the low water in the toilet, right? Do you think this will stop the bubbling in the toilet too? I don't need to tell them to snake the main line then, do I? Does snake mean the same thing as rod?

In reference to your question... is the water from the faucet cold enough to drink? Yes but I would never drink the water out of the faucet. Here in Jax, FL, the water smells like rotten eggs. It always has, even when I rented apartments. Do you know how to fix this smelly water? No big deal, I've learned to live with it. Actually, now that I think about it... The Refrigerator that came w/ the house has an automatic ice maker so maybe it is a big deal? I wonder if this is going to harm me by using the ice. What do you think?

Last year when that tropical storm passed by, we didn't know why the toilet wasn't flushing so we rented a snake from Home Depot and put it down the clean out, we pulled out some baby wipes. I wonder if there's still some in there? After talking w/ my neighbors, they said the people that used to live there had friends that would come by w/ a baby and flushed the baby wipes. Also after talking w/ my neighbors, they said when it rains a lot, the toilet won't flush because the ground is wet.

Thank you again for your advice / input.

Thanks,
Janet

Quote:

---

Do you think the plumber will be able to look at this and tell me what the problem is? Do you think that because the water overflows out of the hose in the laundry room onto the floor that this could be causing the mold on the concrete block?

---

If you tell me what size the pipe is and the material it's made of I'll be happy to tell you.

Quote:

---

Does snake mean the same thing as rod?

---

Yes!

Quote:

---

Here in Jax, FL, the water smells like rotten eggs. It always has, even when I rented apartments. Do you know how to fix this smelly water? No big deal, I've learned to live with it

---

We have the same stinky water here in the Tampa Bay Area. There are aeration tanks that can remove the smell but involve a holding tank and pumps. We just chill the water before we drink it. I'd hook up the ice maker, does it dispense water also?
The baby wipes should have been removed when the tank was last pumped but if you're not getting backups I'd let it go. Good luck, Tom

I'll take a look tonight at the pipe and will let you know tomorrow.

Thanks for letting me know that snake and rod mean the same thing.

That's good to know that there's stinky water in other places other than here in Jax. The ice maker is hooked up already so we've been using the ice but I just wanted to make sure it's not harmful or anything. Yes, the Frig also dispenses water.

Thanks,
Janet


It looks like it's a metal pipe, I can take a picture of it and can send it to you. Please let me know how to send the picture to you.

Thanks,
Janet

To Send Attachments
Make your post and scroll down to Manage Attachments click on that and then click Browse This will allow you to get into your computer and retrieve your picture and upload it to The Plumbing Page.

Thanks... I don't see this but I see My Profile, at the bottom of this page so hopefully I'll be able to do it. I'm going to leave to go take a picture and when I come back in a little while, I'll try to upload the picture.

The "Manage Attachments" box will show up as soon as you click on "Post Reply" I'll be waiting.. Tom

I have the pictures now and will send... I don't know if the water that I thought was coming out of that hose when I was clothes is coming out ot the white hose & pipe or if it's coming out of the other one that I'm pointing to in the picture.

I took pictures of the pipe that's dripping outside too.

Please take a look at these pictures and let me know what you think.


Nothing shows up for me to attach a picture? Every time I see that you have answered my question, I click on the link to read it and then I type in the box that says Answer this Question, then I click Post Quick Answer. I don't see anything that says Management Attachments. I'll keep looking...

I'm trying to attach the pictures... but it only lets me answer my own question. It didn't work...


It seemed to work somehow! Let me see if I could do upload the rest of the pictures I took...

Here's the rest of the pictures but I think I'm answering my own post? Please look at all 8 pictures I attached and let me know what you think. Thanks.

The white PVC pipe is a AC condensate drain line. The drip's normal. I don't know what the line is that you're pointing at. Is it a hose? Is the covering spongy when you press on it. Can you track it back and tell me where it originates? Cheers, Tom

Thanks for letting me know that that drip is normal.

In the last picture, I'll check to see if it's a hose or what it's made of. I'll also check to see if I could tell where it originates. I'm almost positive that the covering is spongy on it but I'll double check. I don't think that the spongy covering is closed, I think it's ripped. Maybe this is the thing that leaks when I was clothes? I'll check this weekend when I wash clothes and will let you know. I think that the crinkly hose in the last picture is somehow attached to the washing machine. I got to check that out.

Did you see the mold on the concrete block? Do you think this could be because whatever it is that is overflowing when I wash clothes?

Thanks again,
Janet