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mamaPowell · Feb 25, 2007, 01:45 PM

When I flush my toilet it gurgles in the kitchen sink and then comes up in the washer tub in the basement, raw sewage and all. I have a septic tank. I have already had a plumber come and snake ALL the drains, even the main line, and it is still happening. PLEASE HELP

ballengerb1 · Feb 25, 2007, 02:34 PM

I'd have the septic tank pumped and inspected. Raw seweage in your washer says that the obstruction is after the tub and before the tank or at the tank. Tanks should be pumped and inspected at least every 5 years depending on your soil conditions. Tank and fields can go bad. Did the plumber snake all the way into the tank?

doug238 · Feb 28, 2007, 05:42 AM

I disagree with pumping a septic tank. After a tank is pumped it is likely that the drain field will fail within 6 months.
Have the plumber dig up on the outlet side of the septic tank and tap on the pipe. If it is a solid noise then the pipe is full and the drainfield is failed.

ballengerb1 · Feb 28, 2007, 07:31 AM

Puzzled by Doug238 comment that a septic field will fail within 6 months of pumping. I am on a HOA of 2727 properties. We require pumping every 5 years and see no correlation to failing fields. Why would a field fail after pumping? Mamapowell's tank may not have been pumped for many years so this is one logical place to start.

doug238 · Feb 28, 2007, 06:46 PM

It was my experience in Florida when I did drain calls on septic systems that almost every drain call I went on that had a septic tank and I ran a cable into the tank with no success and then dug up the outlet side that it was full. The homeowners told me they had their tank pumped within the last 6 months.
[opinion] a septic tank is a large pit that receives waste product that creates bacteria that eats waste products that dissolve and the liquid goes out into the drain field. A septic system is similar to bottom filter fish tank in some respects. There is little maintanance on a well set up bottom filter fish tank. And there is little to no maintanance on a septic tank that receives little or no strong chemicals that would kill the bacteria. Why would a person pump out a self maintained system? There will never be enough grease in a residential system to cause it to fail because of grease. Everything else is biodegradable.

ballengerb1 · Feb 28, 2007, 07:44 PM

Everything that goes down the toilet or sink isn't always biodegradeble. Human waste isn't even 100% degradable. There is a slight residual from human waste as well as bits of paper, cellophane, foil, you name it that accidentally goes down the drain and settles. I have observed more than 25 pumping and every single tank had residual. Septic tanks are not 100% efficient and that's why periodic pumping is required. If you wait until the outlet side is full then it is too late.By the way ,with your view, what is it full of if everything degrades. Once the outlet is full then the field tiles are getting plugged. You pump the tank and it may take several months to refill the tank before you realize the fields have failed because the tank overfilled.

doug238 · Feb 28, 2007, 08:24 PM

I am at a loss to explain how a 1,500 gallon tank could fill with so much debris. It has been my experience that human waste breaks down in a bacteria rich environment. The outlet side has a tail on it so the solid does not exit.

ballengerb1 · Mar 1, 2007, 08:29 AM

1500 is the current standard, not long ago 1000 was fine and even longer ago 500 was acceptable. We don't really know the size of mamapowells tank, if its 30 years old its probably only 500 g. In any event all tanks will build up a sediment and I've run into people who lived in the same place for 20 yrs without pumping. It does build up and if the tank fills the tail will plug too. Once you get soilds in the field you're dead. But the bottom line is that fields are not "...likely that the drain field will fail within 6 months." It just isn't so, otherwise my HOA would have 2700 failed fields.