Just to test it, my husband filled the tub, and sure enough, the toilets bubbled, and the shower backed up. When the washer drained a short while earlier, the tub back filled at an alarming rate with brown, sludgy water. <GROSS!> I am quite concerned that, in fact the drain field may not be functioning. I must confess, that we were very young when we got our house, and since it sits on well-drained sugar sand, we didn't realize that we needed to have the septic pumped out regularly. Even when I found out that many people did have theirs pumped, my attitude was that as long as we were not having problems, we shouldn't mess with it. Now, I am concerned that we should have had it pumped sooner.

If we do open the tank, how do we tell if its too full? Basic plumbing (replacing sinks, fittings, etc. ) is not a problem, but this is a new one for us. If the field has indeed failed, what happens then? We have trees and things in the yard that I would hate to lose, so I'm curious as to what we would have to do to fix things.

Testing the tank is easy. Open it up and cycle a few loads of wash into it. Watch the level. If the drain field is doing its job the level won't fluctuate all that much. If the level raises or overflows the tank then your problem is the drainfield. A septic company will have to come out and access your problem. Drain fields fail for one of two reasons. The holes/slots or openings in the pipes have clogged up and won't let the liquid percolate down into the soil or the ground area has become so saturated that it will no longer accept water form the drain field. The septic tank company you call out will have to advise you on the action needed. Good luck, Tom