Ask Me Help Desk

Ask Me Help Desk (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forum.php)
-   Plumbing (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=259)
-   -   Drainage problems (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=605396)

  • Oct 19, 2011, 10:04 PM
    J.Johnson
    Drainage problems
    I have moved into an older home, not sure how old, and agreed in my contract to deal with repairs myself in trade for reduced rent according to what I spend. The homeowner bought
    Up farm ground to lease and just doesn't want to deal with problems as he lives in Florida and I am in Missouri. The house is in the country and not on a public system at all. Sewer problems started from the beginning with the toilet "bubbling" whenever someone showered, the dishwasher ran or the sink would be drained. After the drainage from anywhere else stopped the water level
    In the toilet would slowly be sucked
    Down until there was almost no water
    In the bowl. During the summer I
    Noticed a soupy area in the yard.
    Myself and a friend who works in
    Water/wastewater dug this area up
    And the lateral pipe was in fact
    Broken. This section was replaced and
    It seemed the drains were doing
    Better for about a week. Still a small
    Amount of "bubbling", but the toilet
    Flushed better and the drains drained
    Faster. After a week back to the same
    Old thing. At the time of repair, my
    Friend stated that he believed the system was ONLY lateral lines with no
    Septic tank saying that some older
    Country homes were set up this way.
    Could this be true? Also, we thought
    Possibly the vent was clogged but
    Looked all around the house and
    Couldn't find a vent. However, we
    Were looking for a pipe running up the
    Side of the house and in one of the
    Other posts here I saw where
    Someone said the vent would be on
    The roof. I've used "main line cleaner"
    That is supposedly for septics and
    Laterals which resulted in minimal and
    Short lived improvement. Any thoughts
    Or suggestions would be great. If I
    HAVE to hire a professional I will, but
    Money is tight. If we can figure out a
    D.I.why. Fix for this I'd be ecstatic.
  • Oct 20, 2011, 05:22 AM
    speedball1
    Hi JJ.
    I hope you got a hefty discount on your rent because with a older home there's going to be a lot of things to go bad.
    Quote:

    Friend stated that he believed the system was ONLY lateral lines with no
    Septic tank saying that some older
    Country homes were set up this way.
    Your friend was mistaken. There has to be something for the solids to dissolve in before they turn into liquid and get dispersed in the drain field. When I was a young man back in Wisconsin I worked on farm houses as old as yours. No septic tank but a cesspool and a single 4" line running through the house that all the fixtures drained into via "S
    Traps and up the side of the house for a common vent. That's what I think you have.
    I also think you have a very expensive repair job on your hands.
    Quote:

    Th e toilet "bubbling" whenever someone showered and Noticed a soupy area in the yard.
    This tells me that you have a partial blockage in the main causing back pressure, ( your bubbles" and a failed drain field if the ground was still wet after the broken line was repaired.
    Quote:

    the water level
    In the toilet would slowly be sucked
    Down until there was almost no water
    In the bowl.
    This tells me the vent's blocked and the system's venting through the toilet.
    [QUOTE] I've used "main line cleaner"
    That is supposedly for septics and
    Laterals which resulted in minimal and
    Short lived improvement./QUOTE] Forget the "Gee Whiz" chemicals that promise a quick fix. They never work outside of TV commercials any how.
    What you have to do is rent a sewer machine an snake the vent and then the line to the septic tank/cesspool and hope the drainfield doesn't have to be moved. Good luck, Tom

  • All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:42 PM.