[melanie2611]

I just bought a house in July 2008 and it was built in 1974 - I have a septic tank. Occasionally the basement smells like sewer gas, but not all the time. I noticed that the basement smells like sewer gas at different times, sometimes for no reason, and smelled when the downstairs shower is used and when it rains (sometimes). The two drains in the basement floor also do not drain - the water does not come to the top, but I can see it sitting in it. I tried to put Drano in them and then flushed it out, that's how I noticed that. Another thing I've noticed is that the toilets function just fine, but when I was cleaning and dumped water from a bucket into it, the toilet did not go down as it is supposed to.

Do you think Drano and toilet Drano will do the job if I put it in all the drains and the toilets? And keep doing Rid-X treatments? Or does this sound like something serious I should call Roto Rooter or another professional to do the job? Please tell me I can do this myself - I do not have the money right now as I just bought the house. :)

Thank you for your help.

[Milo Dolezal]

Drano will not do the job... Our company never recommends any chemicals to clean drains. Chemicals will have bad effect on your pipes and will speed up the process of deterioration. Besides, they don't really do that much, therefore, are waste of money. To kill bad odor, pour vinegar in the drain...

Your basement floor drain should have water standing in it at all times. Standing water inside your drains indicate that the below-ground trap is full, preventing sewer odor from entering your house.

You should make it a habit to pour water in them couple times of week. In my area of operation, we are required to install so-called "Floor Drain Primers" into floor drains. Primers are small devices that constantly drips water into the trap, keeping it "wet" preventing water level inside trap from drying out.

If water inside the trap dries out below the required level, trap will allow sewer gas into your house. It is a common problem with floor drains in residential applications. Also, if you leave standing water inside the drain for longer period, it will smell. That's why you have to be constantly adding new water.

Smell is always more noticeable on rainy days because of low pressure that keeps odors "hugging" the ground. If you live in big city, you may "predict" rain by odor being emitted from city sewers prior to the rains.

Problem with your toilet should be inside the toilet itself or directly underneath. Here is why: your floor drain and toilet are connected below the floor into the same sewer line. If you would have clog down the line, your floor drain would overflow with sewage first. Do this: Take a plunger and plunge your toilet. Or, buy a 5' auger and snake your toilet. As a HomeOwner, you should own plunger and 5' auger anyway...

[speedball1]

The first thing Iwould do is locate the septic tank and open then inspection port. If it's fuill I would have it pumped and the drainfield checked at the same time, Putting harsh chemicals and Rid-X in your system's a waste of money. Since you appear to be new to septic tanks perhaps this will help.
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, Tom

[Milo Dolezal]

Tom, have you ever considered writing a book ? Just curious... :-D

[speedball1]

Tom, have you ever considered writing a book ? Just curious... :-D

Think my answers are too involved Milo?

[Milo Dolezal]

You are doing just fine, Tom ! Don't let me slow you down ! :-D